On May 9th, the son of former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, stole the Philippine Presidential Election, fulfilling their dream of dynastic rule. His vice president, Sara, is the daughter of the current dictator, Rodrigo Duterte. Together, Sara Duterte and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. embody the systemic corruption that has plagued Philippine politics for generations. Through a brazen strategy of vote-buying, misinformation, and militarized voter intimidation, Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte capitalized on the feverish campaign to sanitize their family’s reputations.
On May 12, Marcos invited United States President, Joe Biden, to their inauguration on June 30th, 2022. By attending the inauguration of a fraudulently elected presidential administration, not only does Biden validate the clearly observed election violations committed by BongBong Marcos, but reinforces the parasitic bond the United States has had with the Philippines for generations.
Among the litany of human rights abuses, the recorded body count of Ferdinand Marcos and Rodrigo Duterte is just over 15,000 people. With Bong Bong and Sara in power, they have the power of pardoning both of their fathers for their crimes. To attend this inauguration is to spit in the faces of the many victims of the Marcos and Duterte regimes, and dismiss all those who have fought and continue to fight against the tyranny of martial law. It is for these reasons that we demand President Biden decline this invitation to witness the installation of a fraudulent presidency, and instead call for a full investigation into the factual discrepancies and recorded observations that denied the right to fair and free elections for the Filipino people. Instead, Biden should consider robust legislation that would challenge the unfettered military aid that goes to that holds the Philippine government accountable for its actions – the Philippine Human Rights Act.
If President Biden attends the inauguration of Bongbong Marcos, he is sending a message of complicity and cooperation in well-recorded human rights atrocities by the United States. This action will not sit lightly and will be remembered by those of us who have taken up a mantle in this fight for the right of self-determination for Filipinos everywhere.
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