Three members of the Marcos family – Imelda Romualdez Marcos and her children Maria Imelda ‘Imee’ Marcos and Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. – refuse to admit that the name of their late husband and father, former dictator Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, is so irremediably tainted, discredited, and despised.

The three continue their fight to gain control of the Philippine government in an effort to accomplish the late dictator’s dream of establishing a Marcos royalty and change the name of the country to ‘Maharlika.’ The steps they hope will help achieve their goal are: (1) have the late dictator proclaimed a ‘national hero’ and belatedly interred at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery), and (2) win the country’s presidency. Through the presidency, the three hope to set up a new dictatorship and – eventually – a Marcos royalty, and then rename the country. It’s what the late dictator wished.

Their motives are so obvious.

Imelda, Imee and Bongbong believe that Filipinos can and will forget the twenty-one years of tyranny under Marcos’ martial law. Like the late dictator, they think poorly of the Filipino people.

Imelda, Imee, and Bongbong cling on to wealth said to have been plundered from the country’s treasury and deny and suppress the grievances of the more than 100,000¹ citizens that were wrongfully imprisoned, tortured and displaced or murdered during the late dictator’s rule.

Why do Imelda, Imee, and Bongbong want to rewrite history by denying the illegitimacy of, and the harm done, by the Marcos dictatorship?

Call it false pride – or call it avarice – the fact is that they persist in wanting to rewrite history.

Imelda, Imee, and Bongbong should realize that their ‘cause’ is lost – and give it up. The three should resign their government positions, surrender all plundered or ill-gotten wealth, change their last name, and start a new life somewhere else.

The name Marcos has become a liability.

¹ Amnesty International (AI) reported that about 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 tortured, and 3,240 killed during the Marcos dictatorship.