Friday, December 23, 2016

Marcos is (not) a hero?


Hey Flips, before the year dies, and before this issue goes out of vogue, let me just say this: I also do not consider Ferdinand Marcos as a hero. But neither is he a villain. For me, he is simply a powerless historical figure, a former president who did a lot of bad things (crony capitalism; embezzlement of millions of dollars; condoning human rights abuses of Fidel Ramos and Fabián Ver; harassment of political rivals; faking a few war medals; agreeing to neocolonialistic US policies during his first few years which empowered his authoritarianism; etc.) and a couple of good stuff that we really don't need anymore (power plants such as the Bataan Nuclear Power PlantLeyte Geothermal Production FieldMakban Geothermal Power PlantAngat Hydroelectric Power Plant, etc.; establishment of numerous state colleges, universities, and secondary schools; Cultural Center of the PhilippinesFolk Arts TheaterPhilippine International Convention CenterNational Arts Center; the National Artist of the Philippines award; health centers such as the Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center of the Philippines, and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute; modern roads, bridges, and highways like North Luzón ExpresswaySouth Luzón ExpresswayMarcos HighwaySan Juanico Bridge, Maharlika Highway, etc.; Light Railway Transit; rehabilitation of the walled city of IntramurosDepartment of Agrarian ReformInternational Rice Research Institute; the Philippine National Oil Company which then controlled Petron Corporation that sold cheaper gasoline; the "Kadiwa" store system which was very helpful to the impoverished; credit programs such as the "Kilusang Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran", the "Gulayan sa Kalusugan" and "Pagkain ng Bayan" programs, etc.; housing programs; various labor reforms and export development; strong recognition of Sabah, Borneo and the Spratly Islands as part of our patrimony; recognition of the Spanish language as one of our official languages through Presidential Decree No. 155; taking good care of his number one political rival by allowing him to go to the US for a heart surgery; harassment of oligarchs such as the López clan of Iloílo; peace and order/suppression of communist rebels; litter-free roads; disagreeing with neocolonialistic US policies during his last few years which led to his downfall; etc.). #MarcosNotAHero 😂😂😂

No comments:

Post a Comment