Imee: We never learn

Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday expressed dismay over the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whom she described as a close friend.

In a press conference, Marcos was asked to comment on the arrest of Duterte early Tuesday at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, on an arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his administration’s war on drugs.

“For me, we never learn. This only brings chaos; we never learn. This keeps happening over and over again. Political infighting does nothing to help the poor in this country. It feels like we’re stuck in this cycle,” she said.

Senator Marcos, the elder sister of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., said the arrest of the 79-year-old Duterte reminded her of what her family experienced in 1986.

“I feel so much pity. I felt sorry for my father in 1986. I felt sorry for the presidents who came after — Erap, GMA. This only brings chaos,” she said.

“I feel so much pity because he’s old now. Just like with my father, the same thing happened,” she added.

Imee, Bongbong, and the entire Marcos family fled into exile in Hawaii after the historic peaceful demonstration in EDSA that ended the 21-year regime of their father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

During Marcos Sr.’s final years in power, the Philippine economy plummeted to a low of -7.3 percent in 1984 and -6.86 percent in 1985. Marcos Sr. imposed martial law from 1972 to 1981, a period often referred to as the “darkest era” in the country’s history, marked by widespread corruption, killings, and human rights violations.