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Marcos shares lesson from late father: Don't allow great power to humiliate Filipinos
Marcos shares lesson from late father: Don't allow great power to humiliate Filipinos
In honoring late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. on his 108th birthday anniversary, President Marcos shared that one of the many lessons his father imparted to him was to respect and fight for the dignity of Filipinos.
"These are the many, many lessons that we must maintain, always, our dignity and we must always respect the dignity of every Filipino. And not only respect the dignity of every Filipino, but we must fight for the dignity of every Filipino," Marcos said.
"We will not allow for any great power, any person, to humiliate or to put down any Filipino," he added.
The President further said that "despite the difficulties, we must always find ourselves on the right side of history."
He shared that the late patriarch told him to always exercise good judgment and to always side with the national interest, adding that he should always be motivated by "a true commitment to service."
'Never take the easy way out'
The late Marcos Sr. also used to tell young Marcos Jr. to "never take the easy way out."
"In other words, make sure that what you are doing is the right thing no matter how difficult it is," Marcos recalled.
He was reminded not to just go with the flow. Instead, he must make his own path.
"And that was something that was anathema to all of his thinking and all of his policies," Marcos said.
"One of the many things that he often would tell me: Do not go by the path that is well-trodden. Make your own way. Because if you follow other people, you will end up in just the same place," Marcos further said.
The President reflected that if he was to bring progress to the country, he must find his own way. He should not settle on doing just "business as usual."
"And that is the most important lesson – in that we cannot continue to just do as we refer to it now 'business as usual,' just go and continue what has always been done. We must continue to use our skills, our intelligence, our strengths, so that we can find new ways to be of service to the Filipino," Marcos said.
He was ousted through the People Power Revolution in 1986, ending his 20-year rule, which included years-long dictatorship. He placed the country under martial law from 1972 to 1981, an era many Filipinos call as one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history characterized by widespread human rights violations and political repression.