Former political prisoner Cristina Bawagan still has the dress she wore the day she was arrested, tortured, and sexually abused by soldiers during the late Philippines' dictator Ferdinand Marcos's brutal era of martial law. Bawagan fears the horrors of Marcos's rule would be diminished if his namesake son wins the presidency in next week's election, a victory that would cap a three-decade political fightback for a family driven out in a 1986 "people power" uprising. Also known as "Bongbong,", Marcos Jr. has benefited from what some political analysts describe as a decades-long public relations effort to alter perceptions of his family, accused of living lavishly at the helm of one of Asia's most notorious kleptocracies. Rivals of the family say the presidential run is an attempt to rewrite history and change the narrative of corruption and authoritarianism associated with his father's era.
"This election is not just a fight for elected positions. It is also a fight against disinformation, fake news, and historical revisionism," Leni Robredo, Marcos's main rival in the presidential race, told supporters in March. Marcos Jr., who last week called his late father a "political genius,", has previously denied claims of spreading misinformation and his spokesperson has said Marcos does not engage in negative campaigning. Bawagan, 67, said martial law victims like her needed to share their stories to counter the portrayal of the elder Marcos's regime as a peaceful, golden age for the Southeast Asian country. "It is very important they see primary evidence that it really happened," said Bawagan while showing the printed dress which had a tear below the neckline where her torturer passed a blade across her chest and fondled her breasts. The elder Marcos ruled for two decades from 1965, almost half of it under martial law.
Read more here.
