Today in Labor History February 25, 1986: As a result of ongoing protests, Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos begged President Ronald Reagan for advice. Reagan told him to “cut and cut cleanly.” That evening, Marcos and his wife Imelda fled the nation aboard a U.S. air force plane, after 20 years of rule. He and his family, and an entourage of 90 people (mostly servants), arrived in Hawaii the next day. They brought 22 crates of cash valued at $717 million, 300 crates of jewelry of unknown value, $4 million worth of unset precious gems, $200,000 in gold bullion, $1 million in Philippine pesos and deposit slips for $124 million in banks in the Cayman Islands. Plus, countless crates of shoes. The Marcos’s hold the Guinness record for the largest ever theft from a government. Their son, Bong Bong Marcos, is the current president of the Philippines. His vice president is Sara Duterte, daughter of the Philippines last president, the violently repressive Rodrigo Duterte, who oversaw the assassinations of well over 1,000 street children and alleged drug dealers. Under Ferdinand Marcos, there were over 3,000 documented extrajudicial murders, 35,000 documented victims of torture and tens of thousands of people imprisoned.

#WorkingClass #LaborHistory #philippines #dictator #torture #massacre #FerdinandMarcos #ImeldaMarcos #BongBong #duterte #prison

US Senator Markey, who had been banned from the #Philippines by #Duterte, met with Senator Lila #DeLima whom he has long claimed is being illegally detained over her criticisms of Dutere's drug war. Markey was accompanied by other US legislators and also met with present President #BongBong Marcos https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/08/19/breaking-news/u-s-lawmakers-meet-detained-philippine-opposition-leader/

#Philippines president elect #BongBong Marcos "vows to thwart interference from outside powers. Hard to see how, given the republic's status as the ball in a #China/US ping pong match https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-marcos-vows-thwart-interference-outside-powers-2022-05-26/

#Rappler #Phillipines a day ago

WATCH: Talking about political dynasties, vice presidential bet Walden Bello calls #SaraDuterte and
Ferdinand #Bongbong' 🥴🤨Marcos Jr cowards for not being present at the debates organized by CNN PH. #CNNPHVPDebate #PHVote #WeDecide

Follow our coverage: https://t.co/7xb0H7aEtY https://t.co/Erem76leoD

#Philippines' #BongBong #Marcos leads in Pulse Asia presidential preference poll with 60%, followed by 16% for VP Leni Robredo. This appears to suggest Filipinos doubt their compatriots are capable of self government, and they prefer an authoritarian (that 2nd sentence merely my personal opinion) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-13/dictator-s-son-widens-lead-in-philippine-presidential-survey

#BongBong Marcos appears to have been implicated in a plan to blow up Camp Crane in the closing days of the People Power Revolution, despite 100s of 1000s of civilians in the area https://en.wikipilipinas.org/view/Bongbong_Marcos#Position_on_bombing_Camp_Crame

If #BongBong #Marcos is elected president of the #Philippines, he will not be able to visit the USA, where there are outstanding arrest warrants awaiting him, according to rappler https://www.rappler.com/plus-membership-program/why-bongbong-marcos-cant-go-to-the-us/