MANILA, March 1, 2016— A nun known for her social justice advocacy fears the return of the Marcos family to national power in case Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. wins the race for the vice presidency.
Sister Crescencia Lucero of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines urged Filipinos not to forget the human rights abuses and corruption during the presidency of Marcos’ dictator father.
“Our call is never again! Nunca Más (never again)!” Lucero, coordinator of the AMRSP’s National Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission, told Radio Veritas on Monday.
“Have we forgotten what his father and his family did to our country?” she said.
Aside from the severity of violence and human rights abuses, Lucero claimed the magnitude of corruption also allegedly increased exponentially under the presidency of the senator’s father and namesake.
“It’s not just human rights violations. They also emptied the public coffers,” she said, referring to accusations that the Marcos family stole billions of dollars from the public treasury.
The influential alliance of religious men and women has been at the forefront in all the political upheavals in the country since the Martial Law years.
AMRSP also played a crucial role during the 1972-81 dictatorship years when it opened the doors of its seminaries and convents to provide refuge to victims of human rights.
Allaying fears, the vice presidential candidate said there was nothing to worry about his family’s return to power, adding that he too does not want another episode of military regime in the country. (R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)
