Martial law victims under the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) strongly oppose the move to rename Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte to Ferdinand E. Marcos State University through proposed House Bill 2407.
Martial law victims under the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) strongly oppose the move to rename Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte to Ferdinand E. Marcos State University through proposed House Bill 2407.
“This is a brazen attempt to deodorize the stink of the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., whose blood-soaked regime violated the rights of thousands of Filipinos and plundered the nation’s coffers that lead to rampant poverty, soaring prices of basic necessities, and lack of access to basic social services. However, with the rise of his equally despicable son to power, this is expected. This is a classic case of how narcissistic the Marcoses are,” said Danilo dela Fuente, SELDA’s vice chairperson.
Filed by Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba last July 27, the bill states that “a generation that has honored the father and is now ready to honor the son, similar to how a father passes the torch to his son.”
“The only torch being passed around here is their family’s legacy of corruption, nepotism, and conceit. We cannot expect the youth to develop nationalism and respect for human rights if we keep on naming public institutions – especially schools and universities – after founders of political dynasties and corrupt government officials, let alone after a dictator who infamously perpetrated massive plunder and committed countless grave human rights violations. These are not their personal properties! The Filipino people shoulder the expenses for these institutions,” dela Fuente further stressed.
The SELDA official also said that they will continuously block the Marcoses’ “nefarious attempt to whitewash their family’s horrible reputation and distort history.”
“Now is not the time to falter and cower, especially to this despicable family and their cronies. We strongly reject this conceited measure and all other shameless attempts of the Marcoses to distort the real events that happened during the reign of the evil dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. We vow to bring our opposition not only in the hallways of Congress but also in other public spaces. We also encourage the Filipino people, especially the younger generations, to echo our calls and stand for truth and justice,” he concluded. ###