President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who was the most powerful man in the country from the time he was elected into office in 1965 to the time he was ousted in 1986 via the EDSA People Power Revolution, remains one of the most brilliant yet vilified figures in Philippine history.

President Marcos declared martial law in 1972, under the pretext that the country was being threatened by the so-called enemies of the state — a sweeping term that was applied to anyone, from unsuspecting minors, students who asked too many questions, doctors who wanted to help people in the barrios, nuns who questioned the government’s evil ways, priests who preached against corruption, farmers who got “too smart,” well-born individuals with a social conscience…literally, Pinoys from all walks of life. If you were accused of not being “cooperative” with what Marcos and his posse wanted to go down, your chances of staying alive decreased considerably.

Thousands were tortured, brutalized, killed, and some were simply never seen again. If they weren’t desecrated and dumped in a ditch in the middle of nowhere, the bodies were found in mass graves.

However, Marcos has his believers, the loyalists who believe that his brilliance made up for the brutality that transpired during his administration. Naturally, his family also holds him in high regard despite the presence of martial law human rights victims.

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the late President’s son, is now running for Vice President. Despite demands that he and his family apologize for being part of a regime that could only be described as progressive on the outside (stellar infrastructure and awesome edifices were built) and horrific on the inside (“human rights” didn’t mean a damn thing during the era and “freedom of the press” was a punchline).

Yes, despite all that, the senator is sticking to his guns and basically saying it was one of the most glorious times in Philippine history. Here are five of his most interesting soundbites reiterating the argument.

One

“Kung meron akong sinaktan (If I hurt anyone), I will always say sorry. But what have I been guilty of to apologize about? We have constantly said that if during the time of my father, mayroong mga nasagasaan or mayroong sinasabing hindi natulungan (some people were wronged or ignored). Or they were victimized in some way or another. Of course, we’re sorry that that happened. Nobody wants that to have happened. These are instances that have fallen through the cracks.”

Two

“Will I say sorry for the thousands and thousands of kilometers that were built? Will I say sorry for the agricultural policy that brought us to self-sufficiency in rice? Will I say sorry for the power generation? Will I say sorry for the highest literacy rate in Asia? What am I to say sorry about?”

Three

“There’s nothing I can do to change what my father did. If I was an absolutely brilliant, great senator and my father was a bad president, he would still be a bad President. If my father was a good President and I’m a terrible politician, it still would not change that.”

Four

“There was no policy to abuse anyone. If there were abuses, it did not emanate from any instruction of (my father).”

Five

“People no longer ask about martial law. They are interested in the current problems of the country such as jobs and traffic.”