CARMMA: Marcos Sr. and Jr. Represent a Continuing Legacy of Corruption, Human Rights Violations, and Plunder
KARAPATAN Public Information
Press Release
11 September 2025
Reference: CARMMA secretariat, 09189790580
CARMMA: Marcos Sr. and Jr. Represent a Continuing Legacy of Corruption, Human Rights Violations, and Plunder
The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) marks the birthday of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. with a solemn reminder: the Filipino people have not forgotten. His dictatorship is forever etched in history as a period of massive corruption, brazen plunder of the nation’s coffers, and widespread human rights violations that destroyed countless lives and communities.
Billions of pesos were stolen from the nation while the majority of Filipinos lived in deep poverty. Thousands were imprisoned, tortured, disappeared, and killed simply for daring to dissent. This is the real legacy of Marcos Sr.—a legacy of tyranny and abuse of power. No amount of historical distortion or whitewashing can erase these crimes against the people.
Two days from now, on September 13, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will also mark his birthday. But unlike his father’s shadowed past, Marcos Jr. stands today with his own record of crimes against the Filipino people. His administration is already marked by corruption, misuse of public funds, worsening human rights violations, and policies that betray the interests of ordinary citizens while favoring the ruling elite.
Today, at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), a tarpaulin featuring Imee Marcos and promoting free dialysis for her father’s birthday, is displayed as if funds for health services come from their own pockets. This in itself is a form of corruption, using public funds to boost their image and make "epal."
CARMMA asserts that the Marcos Jr. regime cannot be absolved of responsibility for the corruption and abuses unfolding under its watch. He is not merely heir to his father’s dark legacy—he is an active perpetrator of the same brand of governance rooted in lies, plunder, and repression.
Today, we are confronted with the same challenge that scarred our nation under Marcos Sr.—the fight against corruption and plunder. His dictatorship bled the country dry, and now under Marcos Jr., the same scourge continues through the misuse of public funds, shady deals, and impunity in high places. Corruption is not just a crime of the past but a living reality under this regime, and it is our urgent duty to resist, expose, and hold those accountable.
CARMMA reiterates the urgent challenge to our generation: to remain vigilant, to resist all efforts to revise history, and to continue the struggle for justice and accountability. Remembering the past is not enough—we must act to ensure that these atrocities will never happen again.
We call on the Filipino people to defend historical truth against disinformation and revisionism, to demand accountability for the billions in ill-gotten wealth that must be fully returned to the people, to stand with victims, survivors, and their families in their continuing fight for justice, and to mobilize and speak out against corruption, repression, and impunity under the Marcos Jr. regime and beyond.
CARMMA stands with victims, survivors, and all freedom-loving Filipinos in calling for truth, accountability, and a governance rooted in genuine democracy and people’s welfare.
History has taught us that we can end the corrupt, oppressive, fascist, and dictatorial if the people so desire. Now it is up to us to create history.
CARMMA joins the Filipino people’s protest against corruption on September 21 at the Luneta and in other parts of the Philippines.
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. It was established in 1995.