Senator Imee Marcos on Thursday addressed the human rights abuses committed by the military during the martial law period in the country imposed by her late father, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
In a press conference at the Marcoses' residence in San Juan City, Marcos, along with former members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, clarified "misconceptions" about martial law during his father's regime.
One of those was the human rights abuses that happened during martial law from 1972 to 1981, which many Filipinos consider the "darkest era" in the country's history due to rampant corruption, killings and human rights violations.
"I always hear from students about the alleged abuses, the alleged kidnappings, that there were desaparecidos. I always asked my father about it," Marcos said.
"My father always told me that: 'There are really erring cops, soldiers and officials. We will punish them if proven true, but never did I order that because I will be answerable to God,'" she added.
She continued: "He always said that. He never intended for abuses to happen. It was never a matter of policy."
Marcos Sr. was in power for more than 20 years and placed the country under martial law from 1972 to 1981.
During that period, more than 3,000 Filipinos were killed, 34,000 people were tortured and around 70,000 people were imprisoned without warrants of arrest, according to international human rights group Amnesty International.
Martial law was lifted on 17 January 1981, but Marcos remained in power until he was ousted by the historic People Power Revolution in February 1986.
