The youngest sibling of the late Nation Builder President Ferdinand Marcos said no apology is needed from the family since there is no proof that her brother was responsible for the atrocities during Martial Law.
“Apologize for what? Yun ang aking question, for what? They talk about atrocities. How come they conclude already that he was the one responsible for these atrocities when they cannot even prove it?” Fortuna Marcos-Barba said.
"They have to prove that talagang he was the one responsible sa karahasan. Hindi naman ganon, hindi ganon ang pagkakaalam ko. Most of it I guess must be because of the military. Siyempre iba-iba rin ang pag-iisip ng tao,” she said.
Fortuna led the first of the nine-day palualo, a special prayer for the deceased, in Ilocos Norte in preparation for Marcos' burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, which has been allowed by the Supreme Court.
A group supporting President Rodrigo Duterte, who is in favor of giving Marcos a hero's burial, said the issue should not be taken as something else other than a fight between two political families.
"Yan ay talagang issue ng away between two families: ang pamilya Marcos at pamilya Aquino. Unang una, ang mga Aquino ang unang tumututol sa pagpapalibing ni Marcos," PDU30 Core convenor Lorenzo Gadon said.