The Philippine government faced a backlash Monday over claims it was trying to whitewash the history of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Critics said a series of edits to the Facebook page of the country's official government record were an attempt to put a positive gloss on years of authoritarian rule.

Among changes that sparked fury over the weekend was the claim that Marcos imposed martial law in 1972 to deal with Muslim secessionists and a communist insurgency.

Opponents charge Marcos declared martial law to keep himself in power. They also say he threw opposition figures in jail and plundered state coffers.

The gazette also said he gave up his role in 1986 to "avoid bloodshed"; historians agree he reluctantly fled in the face of massive popular opposition.

"The caption should have been "Ferdinand Marcos stole $10 billion dollars worth from Filipinos, had 34,000 Filipinos tortured, had 3,240 Filipinos murdered, and was so hungry for power he tried to stay dictator for life," one angry commentator posted on Facebook.

The furore is the latest chapter in a struggle over the national narrative in a fiercely partisan country, where power has traditionally been passed among a small number of elite families.

Controversial President Rodrigo Duterte -- a Marcos ally -- has reignited squabbles over Marcos' legacy with a plan to bury his embalmed body in the "Cemetery of Heroes".

Mainstream historians agree that Marcos's 21-year rule was a dark period for the Philippines; a time when extra-judicial killings, disappearances and corruption were the norm.

Most Filipinos lived in grinding poverty, even as the president and his family grew wealthy -- a gulf symbolised by the discovery of thousands of pairs of luxury shoes in the first lady's living quarters.

"We are not in the business of revising history," assistant press secretary Ramon Cualoping insisted Monday in response to the outcry.

"The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is devoid of any political colour and affiliations," he added.

The government later revised the entry to say only that Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and went into exile in the United States in 1986.

Marcos died in 1989 and his family was later allowed to return to the Philippines where they have made a remarkable political comeback, with several members getting elected to major positions.

Duterte, who styles himself as an anti-corruption crusader, is a close ally of the Marcos family and credits them for his election as president in May. </s> The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has long been a bastion of anti-Beijing rhetoric with long standing ties to pro-British factions in Hong Kong. Although the SCMP is now owned by the Alibaba Group of Jack Ma, the editorial line has if anything become more brazen and provocative than under its former owners.

But beyond attacking the Chinese government, the SCMP has taken a radically liberal/yellow line on Philippine politics with President Rodrigo Duterte being a favourite target of abuse. Of course the editorial line of the SCMP is not the concern of the Philippine government, but when the newspaper spreads outrageous and unsubstantiated allegations about the Philippine President it is only fitting and proper for the government to raise an official complaint against the newspaper.

On the 3rd of October, the SCMP published a piece by resident Duterte hater Raissa Robles entitled, “Philippines plans law to give Duterte Marcos-like powers”. Virtually everything Robles writes is contrary to the reality of the political situation in The Philippines. According to Robles,

“The death penalty will be restored. Torture, allowed. Filipinos could be jailed for their posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Suspected terrorists and even “unwilling witnesses” could be arrested without warrants and detained for 30 days without charge during an “actual or imminent terrorist attack”.

These are just some of the amendments proposed by Philippine security officials to the current Human Security Act of 2007 or Republic Act 9372″.

The facts tell a different story. While President Duterte has stated that he is in favour of restoring capital punishment (something that has been done before in recent Philippine history) and while Congress passed a bill authorising the re-institution of the death penalty, the Senate has effectively left the bill in legislative purgatory. Little progress on the issue has been made as a result and as things stand, capital punishment does not exist in The Philippines.

Secondly, no one anywhere in Philippine politics is discussing jailing anyone over social media posts. The fact that Filipinos are among the most active social media posters in the world indicates that if anything, the online freedoms of Filipinos are only expanding. As for detaining terrorists for longer periods of time, two Senators, neither of whom are members of President Duterte’s PDP-Laban party have introduced proposals for increasing the detention time of suspected terrorists in light of recent jihadist bombings in Mindanao.

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Gregorio Honasan have proposed expanding the period which suspected terrorists can be detained from a mere three days to thirty, thus bringing The Philippines in-line with most moderate international standards. The proposals also include some modest beefing up of intelligence gathering activities in respect of anti-terror police.

It is also crucial to remember that these proposals appear to be a long way from becoming law. While the SCMP piece claims that these proposals are far more severe than they are, while falsely ascribing them to the President, the reality is that the Presidential administration has said that Duterte is not going to declare nation wide martial law nor anything remotely similar as it is President Duterte’s view that the ongoing red-yellow conspiracy to bring down his presidency seeks to provoke the President into declaring martial law. Therefore, Duterte has made it clear that he has no intention of playing into the hands of the conspirators.

While President Duterte is in favour of a tough approach to cracking down on jihadist and far-left terrorism, the article does not accurately reflect the ways in which the Presidential administration seeks to implement a tougher stance on both local and internationally affiliated terror groups including Daesh (ISIS) which currently has cells active in Mindanao.

By publishing such a provocative piece that totally misrepresents the reality in of President Duterte’s security aims, the SCMP has insulting the integrity of The Philippine nation and of all of Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s millions of supporters. Not only should the newspaper retract its allegations but its editorial staff and owners should apologise to President Duterte in writing for insulting his dignity and misrepresenting his policies. </s> MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – In just the span of a few hours on Sunday, September 11, the government's Official Gazette posted a photo of Ferdinand Marcos on Facebook, edited the photo's caption, deleted the photo altogether, and then reposted the photo with a shorter caption.

The changes were prompted by a barrage of comments from social media users, who accused the Philippine government of historical revisionism and downplaying the Martial Law era under Marcos, which saw rampant human rights abuses and corruption.

The Official Gazette's photo was meant to be a tribute for the late dictator on his 99th birth anniversary. It featured a quote, taken from Marcos' inaugural address on December 30, 1965, that read: "There are many things we do not want about our world. Let us not just mourn them. Let us change them."

It wasn't the quote, however, that angered social media users.

It was the last part of the original caption, which read: "In 1972, he declared Martial Law to suppress a communist insurgency and secessionism in Mindanao. In 1986, Marcos stepped down from the presidency to avoid bloodshed during the uprising that came to be known as 'People Power.'" (READ: Martial Law 101: Things you should know)

After receiving negative comments, the Official Gazette then removed 3 words – "to avoid bloodshed."

Facebook's Edit History feature showed the difference between the first and the second captions:

The post, however, continued to receive negative comments, with people pointing out that the government seemed to set aside the suffering of Filipinos under the Marcos regime.

The Official Gazette then deleted the photo.

It later reposted the same photo, but with a shorter caption. This shorter caption made no mention of Martial Law or of Marcos' ouster through the 1986 People Power Revolution. It merely said that the late strongman was "the longest-serving President of the country for almost 21 years."

This triggered another flurry of comments from social media users.

Very early on Monday, September 12, the caption was edited yet again.

This time, the caption mentioned the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, and that Marcos "went to exile to the United States in 1986 at the height of the People Power Revolution."

The latest caption ended by saying that Marcos was "succeeded by Corazon Cojuangco Aquino."

Below is the latest Edit History comparing the most recent version of the caption with the one right before it.

'Not revising history'

On Sunday, shortly before midnight, the Official Gazette issued a statement, denying it committed historical revisionism.

"The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is the repository of government documents as stated by law. We are not in the business of revising history. We only convey what is documented in the official records," said the statement, attributed to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary Ramon Cualoping III.

Cualoping added: "We continually update materials to keep it as historically accurate as possible. The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines is devoid of any political color and affiliations."

The statement was met with more negative reactions, with Facebook users saying that the Official Gazette's photo caption was clearly "pro-Marcos" and "conveniently left out key info" about the dictatorship.

Abuses, corruption

Marcos had cited the increasing threat of communism to justify the declaration of martial law. According to his diary entry for September 22, 1972, the alleged ambush of then defense secretary Juan Ponce Enrile made the "martial law proclamation a necessity."

In 1986, however, Enrile himself disclosed that the supposed ambush was staged to justify Martial Law. (READ: Enrile's tale: Hypocrisy and contradictions)

According to Amnesty International, about 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured, and 3,240 were killed during Martial Law from 1972 to 1981.

People deemed to be subversive were tortured by various means, including electrocution, water cure, and strangulation. (READ: Worse than death: Torture methods during martial law)

Various estimates also put the Marcoses' ill-gotten wealth at between $5 billion and $10 billion.

The late dictator's son and namesake, former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, has repeatedly said his family will not apologize for his father's rule.

The Official Gazette's controversial Facebook post comes amid heated debate on whether or not Marcos should be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery) – a battle that has reached all the way to the Supreme Court. – Rappler.com </s> VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — The Philippine government on Wednesday released what it says are surveillance pictures of Chinese coast guard ships and barges at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, in an apparent diplomatic gambit to publicize its concerns at a regional summit being attended by China’s premier and Southeast Asian leaders.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to ask Premier Li Keqiang at the summit in the Laotian capital whether the vessels were on another island-making mission on the Scarborough Shoal. China has built many such islands in the disputed, resource-rich sea, much to the alarm of governments in the region.

If the Chinese government confirms the suspicion, the Philippines would lodge an official protest, according to Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. China has not commented on the accusations.

Duterte has taken a more reconciliatory track to rebuild relations with the Asian economic powerhouse and has said he would not raise the long-simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea in an adversarial manner that might upset the Chinese government.

Relations were severely strained under Duterte’s predecessor because of the conflict.

However, he expressed alarm after a Philippine surveillance plane recently spotted four Chinese coast guard ships, four suspected barges, including one equipped with what appeared to be a crane, and two people-carrying ferries at the Scarborough Shoal off his country’s northwestern coast.

Duterte’s government released surveillance photos of the Chinese ships and barges along with a diagram showing the vessels’ exact locations at the Scarborough Shoal, which the Chinese coast guard seized after a tense standoff with Philippine vessels in 2012.

Hours after the Philippines released the pictures, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, met with Li and his aides. The meeting was held behind closed doors and it is not immediately known if the South China Sea dispute was raised.

The U.S. military has also expressed concerns over the possibility that China might turn Scarborough into another island, something that would give Beijing’s forces control over a swathe of the South China Sea used as a passageway to the Taiwan Strait.

China claims the entire South China Sea as its own, citing historical reasons. It has rejected a July 12 international arbitration ruling that called its claims illegal. The tribunal ruling also rebuked China for its land reclamation activities in the resource-rich sea, where it has conflicting claims with Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei besides the Philippines.

All of the countries are members of the 10-nation ASEAN, which treads a delicate path with the emerging superpower. They benefit greatly from its powerful economy – China is now the biggest source of tourists to the region – but its growing might also poses challenges.

The issue of ownership of the South China Sea has come to dominate the annual ASEAN summit and the separate ASEAN-China summit in recent years. On Wednesday, the leaders of AESEAN and Li cut a cake before the beginning of the summit to celebrate 25 years of relations. </s> ASEAN, China to adopt communications protocol to ease tensions at sea

MANILA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian countries and China will establish hotlines and adopt communications protocols to avoid potential naval clashes in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, a Philippines foreign ministry official said on Friday.

The protocols will be signed in Laos next week, when heads of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet with leaders from other regional powers - China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia and the United States - for a three day summit.

The mechanism, called the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), would be new for both ASEAN and China, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Helen de la Vega told a news conference.

"It's one way of de-escalating tensions in the South China Sea," she said, adding that hotlines between China and the ASEAN governments would be established.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea where about $5 trillion sea-borne trade passes annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on parts of the sea, which is believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas.

"This is very important because any accident that can lead to a major confrontation will be avoided if our navies and coast guards are communicating with each other," a senior Philippines navy commander told Reuters.

He said there had been instances in the past when Chinese vessels had not responded to radio and signal communications when they had been encountered by a Philippine Navy ship.

Regardless of this agreement, the United States, Japan and Australia are expected to call on China to respect and comply with the ruling of the arbitration court in The Hague in July.

The court infuriated Beijing by ruling that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and it had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights.

The Philippines new President Rodrigo Duterte said he will raising the arbitral ruling but will champion other issues, like ridding Southeast Asia of narcotics, clamping down on human trafficking and protection for migrant workers.

Duterte is holding nine bilateral talks, including with U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

China's foreign ministry said on Friday China was open to a meeting with Duterte during the summit in Laos, but as of yet no meetings had been scheduled with Chinese Premier Li Kequiang or U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. </s> Duterte said the Philippines was at the "point of no return" in relations with former colonial ruler the United States, so he wanted to strengthen ties with others, and picked two global powers that have been sparring with Washington on the international political stage.

Last week, he last declared he would visit China, with which ties remain frosty over a South China Sea arbitration ruling won by the Philippines in July. He said Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was expecting him in Moscow.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

An arbitration court in The Hague in July invalidated China's claims to the waterway in a case brought by the Philippines, a ruling Beijing refuses to recognise.

"I am ready to not really break (U.S.) ties but we will open alliances with China and... Medvedev," Duterte told reporters, adding he would open up the "other side of the ideological barrier".

He welcomed investment and shrugged off rating agency Standard and Poor's concerns last week about the Philippine economy on his watch.

"Never mind about the ratings," he said. "I will open up the Philippines for them to do business, alliances of trade and commerce."

The peso fell on Monday to its lowest since 2009, and foreign investors have dumped local shares for six straight weeks, worried about Duterte's anti-U.S. rhetoric and brutal war on drugs, which has alarmed rights groups at home and abroad.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the Philippine government had not contacted the United States about the comments made by Duterte.

U.S. cooperation with the Philippine government remains strong and the United States has not seen anything that would indicate a shift by Manila, Toner said at a daily news briefing.

"They're a sovereign nation and we're certainly not going to hold them back from pursuing closer relations with either of those countries. ... It's not a zero-sum game," he said.

Duterte also said he would open up telecoms and airlines, two domestic sectors long controlled by local players and criticized for being uncompetitive. He did not elaborate.

His vitriol against the United States has become a near-daily occurrence, sparking both amusement and concern. On Monday he accused Washington of "hypocrisy" and "lording it over us".

His latest swipe included ruling out participation in any maritime conflict initiated by the United States, despite a 1951 treaty which Duterte said required Manila to back Washington.

"I am about to cross the Rubicon between me and the U.S.," he said," without elaborating. "It's the point of no return."

Toner said he would dispute Duterte's premise that the United States might start a maritime conflict. "The United states has a strong security presence in the Asia-Pacific region, but we're certainly not looking to start a military action against anyone," he said.

It was unclear whether Duterte's outbursts will affect relations between the two countries, whose militaries have scheduled joint exercises in October.

On Monday, the U.S. embassy in Manila announced two-week deployment of a pair of C130 planes and 100 troops at an air base in the central Philippines, the third of its kind this year, as part of a rotational troops agreement.

Separately, Duterte said the United Nations, European Union and United States would get a free hand to investigate killings in his anti-narcotics campaign, but only under Philippine laws.

Deaths in the campaign have averaged more than 40 a day since Duterte took office on June 30. </s> MANILA, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Thousands of Filipinos rallied on Thursday to denounce Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and warn of what they called an emerging dictatorship, in a major show of dissent against the controversial but hugely popular leader.

Politicians, indigenous people, priests, businessmen, and left-wing activists held marches and church masses accusing Duterte of authoritarianism and protesting at policies including a ferocious war on drugs that has killed thousands.

Signs saying "Stop The Killings" and "No To Martial Rule" reflected fears that Duterte would one day deliver on his threat to declare nationwide military rule like that imposed by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The rallies marked the 45th anniversary of the start of that era, remembered by many Filipinos as brutal and oppressive.

Effigies of Duterte were burned, including one which bore both his face and that of late Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

A protester with a toy gun played dead on the ground in a reenactment of one of a spree of drug-related killings that activists say are executions staged by police. Police reject those allegations.

Anti-Duterte Senator Risa Hontiveros said democracy was under threat by a "Dutertatorship" with a "policy of killing".

Vice President Leni Robredo, who was not Duterte's running mate, said Filipinos should recognise signs of "rising tyranny".

"It's sad that we seemed to have not learned our lessons," Robredro said. "There's a culture of violence around us."

Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and held power for 14 years until his removal in a bloodless, army-backed "people's power" uprising. He abolished democratic institutions and was accused of killing, torturing and "disappearing" thousands of opponents.

Duterte has expressed admiration for Marcos. His critics are alarmed by his autocratic rhetoric and a vicious disdain for his detractors.

But he won last year's election by a big margin and has maintained one of the highest public approval ratings of a Philippines president.

Several thousand turned out on Thursday to show their support for Duterte at a rival rally that entertained crowds with live music, dancing and food.

"This is to tell the people that 'here we are, we are the majority who are happy with the government and not those few who are just griping'," said rally organiser Benny Antiporda, a former journalist.

Millions of Filipinos admire Duterte's down-to-earth style, his decisiveness and even his imperfections.

His supporters at home and among the diaspora see him as a champion of ordinary people and the best hope for change that presidents from the political elite failed to bring.

The anti-Duterte demonstrators criticised his pro-China stance and the destruction in southern Marawi City by military air strikes targeting Islamist militants.

Others decried what they see as his cosy relationship with the still-powerful Marcos family.

"It seems that what we fought for in 1972, is again back. The total disrespect for human life, dignity, human rights. And that was how we started," said Rene Saguisag, a former senator and human rights lawyer.

"In some ways, it may be worse." (Additional reporting by Dondi Tawatao, Romeo Ranoco, Enrique de Castro and Ronn Bautista; Writing by Manuel Mogato and Martin Petty; Editing by Catherine Evans) </s> MANILA - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to liken himself to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on Friday and said he would "be happy" to exterminate three million drug users and peddlers in the country.

His comments triggered shock and anger among Jewish groups in the United States, which will add to pressure on the U.S. government to take a tougher line with the Philippines leader. Duterte recently insulted President Barack Obama and in a series of remarks he has undermined the previously close relationship between Manila and Washington.

In a rambling speech on his arrival in Davao City after a visit to Vietnam, Duterte told reporters that he had been "portrayed to be a cousin of Hitler" by critics.

Noting that Hitler had murdered millions of Jews, Duterte said: "There are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I'd be happy to slaughter them.

"If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have...," he said, pausing and pointing to himself.

"You know my victims. I would like (them) to be all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition."

Duterte was voted to power in a May election on the back of a vow to end drugs and corruption in the country of 100 million people. He took office on June 30 and over 3,100 people have been killed since then, mostly alleged drug users and dealers, in police operations and in vigilante killings.

His comments were quickly condemned by Jewish groups.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Digital Terrorism and Hate project, called them "outrageous".

"Duterte owes the victims (of the Holocaust) an apology for his disgusting rhetoric."

The Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish group based in the United States, said Duterte's comments were "shocking for their tone-deafness".

"The comparison of drug users and dealers to Holocaust victims is inappropriate and deeply offensive," said Todd Gutnick, the group's director of communications. "It is baffling why any leader would want to model himself after such a monster."

Two days before the Philippines election, outgoing President Benigno Aquino had warned that Duterte's rising popularity was akin to that of Hitler in the 1920s and 1930s.

"I hope we learn the lessons of history," Aquino said in widely reported remarks. "We should remember how Hitler came to power."

Duterte has been scathing about criticism of his anti-drugs campaign and has insulted the United Nations and the European Union, as well as Obama, at various times in recent weeks.

On Friday, reacting to critical comments on his war on drugs by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Benjamin Cardin, Duterte said: "Do not pretend to be the moral conscience of the world. Do not be the policeman because you do not have the eligibility to do that in my country."

He also reiterated there will be no annual war games between the Philippines and the United States until the end of his six-year term, placing the longstanding alliance under a cloud of doubt. It also may make Washington's strategy of rebalancing its military focus towards Asia in the face of an increasingly assertive China much more difficult to achieve.

Still, U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter, speaking before the latest remarks from Duterte, said Washington had an "ironclad" alliance with Manila.

A senior U.S. defense official, also speaking earlier, told reporters that the United States had a long enduring relationship with the Philippines regardless of who was president.

"It's going to continue to survive based on what we think are strong U.S.-Philippines common security interests, so we’ll be engaging President Duterte further," the official said.

Malcolm Cook, a senior fellow at Singapore's ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, said the U.S-Philippines alliance was not necessarily at risk, but Washington could seek to focus on ties elsewhere in the region.

"We are all in some sense becoming, by necessity, desensitized to Duterte's language," he said.

"Diplomatically, the U.S. would say they'll continue to work with him and the alliance is strong. But it's whether they'll continue to strengthen that alliance or not." </s> Thousands of people in the Philippines have demonstrated throughout Thursday to denounce President Rodrigo Duterte, warning him that that the country is becoming a dictatorship.

It was a major show of people power against the controversial but hugely popular leader.

Politicians, indigenous people, priests, businessmen, and left-wing activists united to stage marches and church masses, accusing the president of authoritarianism and protesting against his ferocious war on drugs that has killed thousands.

Signs saying 'Stop The Killings' and 'No To Martial Rule' reflected the fear of many that Duterte would one day deliver on his threat to declare nationwide military rule - similar to that imposed by late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

The rallies marked the 45th anniversary of the start of that era, remembered by many in the country as being a period of brutality and oppression.

Effigies of Duterte were burned, including one which bore both his face and that of late Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

A protester with a toy gun played dead on the ground in a re-enactment of one of a spree of drug-related killings that activists say in reality are executions staged by police. Police have denied the allegations.

Anti-Duterte Senator Risa Hontiveros said democracy was under threat by a 'Dutertatorship' with a 'policy of killing'.

Vice President Leni Robredo, who was not Duterte's running mate, said Filipinos should recognise signs of 'rising tyranny' and that there was a 'culture of violence around us'.

Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and held power for 14 years until his removal in a bloodless, army-backed 'people's power' uprising. He abolished democratic institutions and was accused of killing, torturing and causing the disappearance of thousands of opponents.

Duterte has expressed admiration for Marcos. His critics are alarmed by his autocratic rhetoric and a vicious disdain for his detractors.

But he won last year's election by a big margin and has maintained one of the highest public approval ratings of a Philippines president.

Several thousand turned out on Thursday to show their support for Duterte at a rival rally that entertained crowds with live music, dancing and food.

'This is to tell the people that 'here we are, we are the majority who are happy with the government and not those few who are just griping',' said rally organiser Benny Antiporda, a former journalist.

Millions of Filipinos admire Duterte's down-to-earth style, his decisiveness and even his imperfections.

His supporters at home and among the diaspora see him as a champion of ordinary people and the best hope for change that presidents from the political elite failed to bring.

The anti-Duterte demonstrators criticised his pro-China stance and the destruction in southern Marawi City by military air strikes targeting Islamist militants.

Others decried what they see as his cosy relationship with the still-powerful Marcos family.

'It seems that what we fought for in 1972, is again back. The total disrespect for human life, dignity, human rights. And that was how we started,' said Rene Saguisag, a former senator and human rights lawyer.

'In some ways, it may be worse.' (Additional reporting by Dondi Tawatao, Romeo Ranoco, Enrique de Castro and Ronn Bautista; Writing by Manuel Mogato and Martin Petty; Editing by Catherine Evans)
The communication channel of the Philippine government is under scrutiny after an apparent whitewash and historical revisionism of the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship.