Makabayan senatorial bet and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and ACT Teachers Party-list nominee Antonio Tinio strongly criticized Vice President Sara Duterte for comparing her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
“The comparison is not only historically inaccurate but a grave insult to the memory of Ninoy Aquino and all victims of martial law,” Rep. Castro said. “Ninoy fought against the Marcos dictatorship that killed thousands of Filipinos, while Duterte himself has the blood of thousands on his hands through his brutal drug war.”
“Mahiya naman sila! Si Ninoy ay nakipaglaban laban sa diktadura ni Marcos Sr. noon na pumatay ng napakaraming Filipino at si Digong naman ay nagpapatay din ng napakarami nating mamamayan,” Castro added. “Si Duterte ay isang berdugo at diktador tulad ni Hitler at ng matandang Marcos. Di hamak na napakalayo niya kay Sen. Aquino.”
Former ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio emphasized the stark contrast between the two figures. “Ninoy Aquino was imprisoned for his principled opposition to dictatorship and ultimately gave his life for democracy. Duterte, on the other hand, is facing charges before the International Criminal Court precisely because of his authoritarian tendencies and the thousands of extrajudicial killings under his administration.”
“Nakakainsulto sa mga pamilya ng mga biktima ng martial law at ng drug war ang paghahambing na ito,” Tinio said. “Ito ay desperadong pagtatangka ng mga Duterte na baguhin ang naratibo ng kasaysayan at linlangin ang mga Pilipino.”
Castro also pointed out that Duterte himself never claimed any resemblance to Ninoy but instead once proudly compared himself to Adolf Hitler. “In 2016, the former president boasted about his willingness to slaughter three million drug addicts, explicitly drawing parallels between himself and Hitler who murdered millions of Jews.”
“The Dutertes should stop these historical distortions and face accountability for the thousands of lives lost during the bloody war on drugs,” Castro concluded. “Huwag nilang gamitin ang pangalan ni Ninoy para sa kanilang makasariling pulitika. Hindi papayag ang taumbayan na baligtarin ang kasaysayan.”#
