Activists blast holiday for Philippine dictator's birthday

Human rights activists in the Philippines rejected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s move to proclaim the birthday of his father, the ousted dictator, a special holiday.

Marcos Jr., who took office in June after a landslide election victory, authorized the declaration of a non-working public holiday on Monday to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of his father. The dictator was overthrown in 1986.

The presidential proclamation was signed by Marcos Jr.'s executive secretary and was posted on Facebook.

The birthday of the late president Marcos was designated as a holiday by his successor. Rights activists are concerned that the new president is trying to whitewash the image of his father and the Marcos family.

Satur Ocampo, who was arrested as a suspected communist in the 1970s and tortured under the Marcos dictatorship, criticized Marcos Jr.'s move to glorify his father "when the victims of the dictatorship have not even attained justice despite our campaign."

He said that they would not let them get away with it.

Pimentel-Gana said Marcos Jr.'s holiday proclamation was another step to revise history. Marcos imprisoned her father after placing the Philippines under martial law.

The 50th anniversary of Marcos's martial law declaration was marked by a series of protests.

The holiday declaration of Marcos Jr. was in stark contrast to steps taken by other countries to warn against tyranny. There is a stone marker in Austria that promotes democracy, condemns fascists and pays homage to the many victims of Hitler.

What is taking place here? "Do you know what I asked?" It's like spitting on history and the memories of people who were victims of the dictatorship.

Marcos Jr. had called the allegations against his father and family lies, but his key officials cited his May 9 electoral victory as a reflection of the Filipinos' trust and confidence in him.

Critics say a well-funded social media campaign has helped the Marcoses in their political comeback.

The elder Marcos and his family were forced to emigrate to the U.S. after being ousted.

His death in Hawaii in 1989 was shrouded in allegations of plunder and human rights abuses. A Hawaii court found him liable for massive human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his estate to compensate more than 9000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit against him.