introduction
As the old saying goes, "where there is a father, there must be a son", and this saying is indeed very good for former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.
may not have imagined that this corrupt official, who was later nailed to the pillar of historical shame, was a scholar when he was a child! He has an excellent memory, his grades have always been among the best, and he has been a "child of someone else's" all the way. But why did such an excellent person go astray all the way? In the end, he even became a sinner of the state? What's going on here? Let's take a look.
The shooting led to the crime of corruption
On August 21, 1983, at Manila International Airport in the Philippines, a gunshot cut through the noise, and the crowd dispersed in terror, and a man named Benigno Aquino fell to the ground.
This gunshot also shook the entire Philippines and set off a storm in the political arena. Because this victim was none other than the prominent politician and the strongest opponent of then-President Ferdinand Marcos, whose sudden death had a huge impact on the Marcos regime.
Who is the murderer? Who is behind this assassination? For a while, all kinds of speculation and rumors were rampant, and the spearhead was pointed at Marcos. After all, Aquino is Marcos' strongest political enemy, and his death is undoubtedly the biggest positive for Marcos.
In addition to this, Marcos has been involved in similar incidents in the past. Political opponents who once competed with his father were also shot and killed. Could it be that history will repeat itself again?
In order to find out the truth, the Philippine Government has set up a special commission of inquiry. But the investigation process was fraught with obstacles, and much of the key evidence appeared to have been artificially covered up or destroyed.
As the investigation deepened, investigators found that some military figures close to Marcos were inextricably linked to the assassination.
At the same time, the Marcos government has tried to distance itself from the so-called "communist guerrillas." However, this claim is clearly untenable, and there is growing evidence that Aquino's assassination was an elaborate political conspiracy.
After months of investigation, the truth finally emerged. The investigative committee found that Marcos himself was the mastermind behind the assassination!
And the reason why he wants to get rid of Aquino is because Aquino has evidence of his election cheating and his years of corruption.
This discovery shocked the entire Philippines. People can't believe that the president they once supported turned out to be a ruthless murderer, an insatiable corrupt person!
As the investigation deepened, the shocking inside story of Marcos's corruption was also revealed. Investigators found that he used his power to amass wealth and appropriated the country's wealth for himself.
He owns 232 companies, 29 private jets, and even has tons of gold hidden in his home!
The amount embezzled by Marcos is as high as 10 billion US dollars, which is equivalent to three years of fiscal revenue in the Philippines! This figure has made the Filipino people feel extremely angry and shocked. The president, whom they once trusted, turned out to be so greedy and so shameless!
But more people said they couldn't understand why he did it when he already had so much power. Still want to be a corrupt criminal?
Deeply influenced by his father
If we want to talk about why Marcos became such a person, we have to mention his father Mariano, who was a very shrewd and capable politician as the governor of the Philippines.
During his tenure, he knew the way of politics very well, and devoted most of his energy to the development of his career, often participating in various political activities, rushing to win over relationships and consolidate his power.
However, the provincial governor, who is good at dancing in the political arena, seems to be a little negligent in family education.
He poured all his passion into his career, and his son Marcos was basically free-range.
Not going to school on time and often skipping school became the norm for Marcos, but as a father, he didn't care at all, he only felt that it was enough to provide his son with good material conditions, and going to school was purely his own creation.
But fortunately, Marcos is very competitive, although his family doesn't care about him, but he is talented and intelligent, and he is also very diligent and hardworking on weekdays, and his grades have always been at the top of the class.
At the graduation ceremony, Marcos had the opportunity to be selected as an outstanding student to speak on stage, but because he couldn't pay the tuition fees in the third grade, he missed a few classes, and he missed the opportunity.
Is it because his family is poor? Not really. Or because Marcos's father spent all the family's money on "fighting for support", and ran to Ilocos Norte in three days, taking Marcos Jr. to live a stretched life.
The young Marcos was ignorant of the struggle between his father and his political enemies. But I admired my father very much.
In 1935, Marcos's father was again defeated by his old enemy, Nalundasan. The bitter consequences of the defeat made him angry, and he believed that Narundasan must have used his power to manipulate the election, otherwise he would not have lost the election.
However, before he could do anything more than he could imagine, Narondasan's supporters targeted his son in order to deter Mariano.
Using a coffin and a fake corpse, they fabricated a lie claiming that Marcos was dead and swaggering in broad daylight, which was a naked intimidation and provocation, and wanted to make Marcos's father retreat.
At that time, Marcos was still in school, but in addition to studying, he liked to practice shooting. He dreamed of becoming a sharpshooter on the college pistol team, forgetting to sleep and even skipping classes to practice, but this hobby was used for irregular things.
At Nalundasan's celebration banquet, the laughter and laughter concealed the cruelty of the political struggle. Soon a gunshot shatters the silence of the night, and a bullet ends Narondasan's life and completely changes Marcos's fate.
The guests panicked and fled in all directions, and the originally joyful banquet instantly turned into purgatory on earth.
This assassination pushed Marcos to the forefront and heralded an era full of uncertainties in the Philippines.
Entering politics for the first time and tasting the taste of power
The death of Narundasan shocked the entire province of Ilocos Norte. The police quickly launched an investigation, and all the clues pointed to the young Marcos: because of the previous series of hatred with the Narondasan family, his excellent marksmanship, and the suspicious whereabouts of him on the night of the crime.
After his arrest, Marcos was charged with murder. In court, he insisted he was innocent.
Moreover, Marcos's family is huge, and they used various connections to rescue Marcos, and in the end, Marcos was released after only a week in prison.
This case became a turning point in Marcos's life. He experienced first-hand the cruelty of politics and also felt the power of power. He may have realized at that moment that only with more power could he control his own destiny.
Despite being involved in the murder, Marcos managed to break into politics with his family's influence and political talent.
He first worked as a secretary under President Manuel Rojas, gaining political experience and learning political skills. During this time, he showed great intelligence and diligence, and soon won the appreciation of Rojas.
In 1949, Marcos ran in the Liberal Party and was elected to the House of Representatives. In Congress, he won a lot of attention and support with his excellent speech skills and debating skills, and he quickly rose to prominence.
Ten years later, Marcos was re-elected to the Senate and held a key position in the Senate. At this time, he was no longer satisfied with just being a parliamentarian, he longed for greater power and higher status.
In order to realize his political ambitions, Marcos actively expanded his contacts and strengthened his power. He maneuvered with political forces on all sides, looking for every opportunity he could exploit.
In 1965, Marcos, who had been dormant for many years, made a bold decision: to run for the presidency of the Philippines and achieve his original goal.
Under the slogan "Building a New Social Movement," he pledged to lead the Philippines to prosperity and prosperity so that everyone can live a good life.
With his excellent oratorical skills and political skills, Marcos managed to win the support of the people and was eventually elected president of the Philippines.
Finally standing at the pinnacle of power, Marcos was full of ambition at that time, but by that time he seemed to have forgotten the "ambitious" seed of the past and the dangers it might bring.
He may think that he can control everything, that he can play with power in the palm of his hand and not be discovered by others.
But he was wrong.
The truth is revealed, and the crime is revealed
During his tenure, on the surface, it seems that he is dedicated to the country and the people, but in fact, he is secretly weaving a huge network of corruption, completely for his own interests and goals.
It may be hard to imagine that the president of a country can be so greedy, even reckless of any consequences.
During his reign, he used his power to amass windfalls, suppressed dissidents, and turned the Philippines into his own private treasury for those who were suspicious and dissenting. The amount of money he embezzled is simply shocking!
If it weren't for the assassination of Aquino at the airport, I'm afraid Marcos's corruption would not have been revealed.
But paper can't contain the fire after all, and the mask that Marcos has worked hard for many years is completely torn apart. Only then did people realize that it was none other than this president who ostensibly served the country and the people who hindered the development of the Philippines!
epilogue
Marcos wielded power in his hands, disregarded the well-being of his people, greedily grabbed national wealth, and ultimately dragged the Philippine economy into a quagmire.
Many people don't understand, why did Marcos do this? Doesn't he know the consequences of corruption? Isn't he afraid of retribution?
Perhaps in the face of the temptation of power, he has lost himself and forgotten his original intention.