Aquino on Martial Law: I wanted revenge

President
Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III admits that he had always wanted to take
vengeance on strongman Ferdinand Marcos for the ordeal martial law
imposed on his family.

In his speech
on the 40th anniversary of the declaration of martial law Friday,
Aquino recalled how he then thought of the Marcos regime as "a bedeviled
dog" which he wanted to "end."

"[M]auunawaan siguro ninyo kung
gaano ko ninais na gumanti sa nang-api sa aming ama, at sa ating bayan
(I hope you understand how badly I then wanted to take vengeance on
those who mistreated my father and our nation)," Aquino said.

Aquino's
father, staunch Marcos opponent and then Senator Benigno "Ninoy"
Aquino, Jr., was assassinated when he came home to the Philippines in
1983 from his U.S. exile.

The President noted, however, that his
anger was quelled at the thought of how his father "lived according to
his principles" even in the face of difficulty.

Speaking at the
inauguration of a memorial in Fort Magsaysay, where his father was
detained with fellow Senator Jose Diokno during martial law, Aquino
urged Filipinos to "live by their example."

"Pinatunayan nilang
posible ang pagtutuwid sa sistema nang walang pagdanak ng dugo (They
have proven that it is possible to change the system without
bloodshed)," Aquino said.

The Marcos regime, meanwhile, seemed to "forsake freedom for progress," he noted.

"Sa
madilim na kabanatang ito, ipinagkait na nga ang kalayaan, sinagasaan
na ang ating karapatan, nalubog pa tayo sa kumunoy ng kahirapan (In that
dark chapter, our sovereignty was taken, our rights were trampled on,
and we were caught in a quicksand of poverty)," the President said.

"Malayo na po ang narating natin sa kasalukuyan (We've come a long way since)," he noted.

This, as he urged Filipinos to look back on the martial law years to learn from the "mistakes of the past," Aquino said.

Aquino also urged greater respect for human rights, particularly in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

"Sa
pagkakaisa, kaya nating itama ang takbo ng kasaysayan at itutok ito sa
mga adhikain natin sa tuwid na daan (Together, we can change the course
of history, turning our efforts toward a more righteous path)," the
President said.

In a separate speech, Aquino also hit commonly surfacing remarks that "life was better during martial law."

"Magderetsahan
po tayo. Kung Batas Militar ang sagot para bumaba ang krimen, bakit
tadtad tayo sa balita tungkol sa pagkawala, salvage, at summary
execution noong Martial Law (Let us be clear: If martial is the way to
lower crimes, why were we bombarded by news of disappearance, torture or
execution then)?" Aquino said.

He added that martial law was also unable to end a budding communism and catch the economy from a free fall.

"Ito
ba ang ipinapangako nilang bagong lipunan? Kayo na po ang humusga (Are
these the new society they promised? You be the judge)," the President
said.

This, as he urged Filipinos to "never again allow that Filipinos' rights and freedoms be put in jeopardy."

"Itinatama
natin ang mga baluktot na prinsipyo’t kaisipan upang higit na ipaalala
ang halaga ng demokrasya at kalayaan, gayundin ang tunay na kabayanihan
ng mga Pilipinong lumaban sa diktadurya (We are correcting crooked
principles and mindsets to remind the country of democracy and freedom,
and of the true heroism of those who fought the dictator)," Aquino said.

"Katapatan
at katotohanan lamang ang tangi nating lalakaran sa tuwid na daan (Only
principles and truth lead the righteous path)," he added.


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