Expose the “Maid in Malacanang” Movie’s Lies! Oppose the Continuing Effort of the Marcos Family and their Cronies to Sanitize the True History of the Marcos Dictatorship!

Leading up to the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines declared by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the Marcos family and their cronies have continued their unrelenting effort to erase the family’s historical record of corruption and human rights violations committed during Marcos dictatorship. The movie “Maid in Malacanang” is not just a fictional piece of art or the simple story of one family.  The movie, which was written and directed by Daryl Yap and produced by Senator Imee Marcos herself, horrendously seeks to rewrite the Marcoses as the victims of the 1986 People Power Revolution to create sympathy for the family. It plays an insidious role in paving the way for Marcos II, who was inaugurated on June 30, 2022, to smoothly advance the interests and control of the Marcos family and their allies while they again hold power. The film, which will premiere in the US on August 12, plays a crucial role in projecting a fictional and sanitized image of the Marcos family to people in the US.

The film adds insult to injury for the actual victims and survivors of martial law – the critics who were killed, disappeared, and tortured, and their families. It is a slap in the face to the Filipino people as a whole whose collective wealth was stolen by the Marcos family, and on whose backs massive international loans were secured – loans whose payments are still squeezing the country and the people dry today. It attempts to be progressive by using the perspective of the common person, a maid, while glossing over the reality that Marcos I systematized the labor export policy which drives millions of Filipino migrants to leave the country yearly to do some of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world. This has been the sole option aggressively promoted by the Philippine government for the people to support their family and uplift the economy.

As people in the US, we must reject the US government’s ongoing support for the Marcos II administration and its willingness to turn a blind eye to the murderous and corrupt record of the Marcos I regime. Already, the US government has welcomed the Marcos II presidency, even assuring Marcos II safe passage into the US despite a US court judgment made in favor of the victims of martial law that was never settled by the Marcos family. In fact, Marcos II has been invited to speak at the UN General Assembly in NYC on September 20, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of martial law. Let’s combat the widespread disinformation that led the Marcos dynasty to regain Presidency and educate ourselves and our communities on the true history and struggle of the Filipino people under the Marcos I dictatorship. Join us for the ICHRP-US educational series starting August 11 and to take ongoing action to reject US Support of the Marcos Dynasty. Uphold the Collective Memory and True History of the Marcos Dictatorship from the People’s Perspective!

Stand with the Filipino people against fraudulent election and possible victory of son of former dictator Marcos – ICHRP-Global

Press Release
May 12, 2022

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) expresses our unequivocal support and solidarity with the Filipino people and the growing movement challenging the fraudulent elections in the Philippines and the threat to basic rights posed by an incoming Marcos presidency.  

ICHRP, on May 10, called for continued vigilance through the vote counting period, and for an immediate independent investigation into the many voting irregularities faced on election day. What was emerging information at the time now appears to be confirmed as widespread and systematic election fraud. It is clear the integrity of the voting process, due to power and vote counting machine (VCM) failures, widespread reports of vote-buying, illegal campaigning, red-tagging and violence in polling stations has compromised the 2022 election results.

The world is watching this election like never before. Six years of violence under the Duterte regime has shone a global spotlight on the deteriorating human rights situation in the Philippines, and the inability of the domestic judicial system to credibly respond. The global media outlets, governments, and international institutions such as the UN Human Rights Council are closely watching how the COMELEC and other Philippine government institutions respond to thousands of allegations and credible evidence of election fraud. The question is whether impunity continues or the state will heed the peoples’ call for free and fair elections and take the necessary actions to address fraud and widespread misinformation, including holding the COMELEC, Smartmatic, and F2 Logistics accountable.

ICHRP supported the Filipino people’s effort to assert their civil and political rights prior to this election, through Investigate PH and the IOM 2022, and continues to do so today. This moment belongs to the Filipino people’s decades-long campaign to ensure ‘Never Again’ to the crimes committed under the Marcos dictatorship.  

We call on all democratic governments and organizations, including from the labour movement and faith communities, to radically increase their support for democracy and justice in the Philippines, and commit to continue to do our part to support the Filipino people’s efforts for fundamental democratic change.

Further comment: Peter Murphy +61418312301 chairperson@ichrp.net

All Eyes On the Philippines

ICHRP-US is gravely concerned about projections of a Marcos-Duterte victory despite signs that point to systemic fraud and cheating. The International Observers Mission have noted troubling incidents that undermine the Filipino peoples’ right to democracy, self determination, and genuine peace through heavy militarization around voting stations, massive red-tagging of government critics, including members of the international community, political arrests, and civilian electoral boards being replaced by police. Additional anomalies call into question the integrity of the election including the failure of 1800 vote counting machines and reports of widespread vote buying. 

ICHRP-US shares the concerns of the Filipino people that a Marcos-Duerte tandem will only continue and worsen crimes against humanity already committed under Duterte and shield Duterte from being held accountable for those crimes. We urge the US people to join ongoing vigils for hope and democracy and other actions rejecting a Marcos-Duterte victory built on disinformation and cheating. To support and ensure the Filipino people can freely exercise their right to determine their future, we must turn our eyes onto the Philippines and let corrupt leaders know the world is watching. The militarization and violence around the election and the initial results, which all but guarantee impunity for the Marcos and Duterte regimes, further substantiate the justness of the Philippine human rights Act and the call for accountability for the Philippine Dirty Dozen, including Duterte himself. We must amplify the call for the PHRA and accountability for the Dirty Dozen to a much higher level than we have yet achieved; we cannot allow for the United States to once again back a Marcos or Duterte dictatorship.