Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. believed the most important thing his late father did was "bringing a sense of nationhood" to the Filipino people during World War II.
"The best thing, I still believe, marami s'yang ginawa eh. Nakilala ang Pilipinas (He accomplished a lot. The Philippines became well-known). But for me, the most important thing that he achieved was to bring a sense of nationhood to our country," Marcos Jr. said in an interview with broadcaster Korina Sanchez posted on YouTube Monday, Feb. 7.
"For the first time, yata, yata, para sakin (maybe, maybe, for me) maybe during the war, World War II, sinasabi 'Pilipino ako' at pinagmamalaki ang pagka-Pilipino niya (Filipinos were saying 'I'm a Filipino' and were proud of it)," he added.
His father, the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., served the country's military at the height of World War II before running the country from 1965 to 1986, including almost 10 years of dictatorship.
Marcos Jr. said his father's most important achievement was that he made the Filipinos proud of themselves, particularly when they felt that they were "as good as" or even "better" than other nationalities.
"'Yung pride to (The pride of) being a Filipino, and that we are a one nation, and that we must work together to succeed," he added.
On the other hand, Marcos Jr. said his father's worst mistake was "trusting some of the wrong people".
Because of this, the presidential aspirant said he told himself to be "more careful" and to not let that happen to him.
"I'm sure we'll make mistakes down the road, but that's something I'm conscious about," he added.