Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives for the leaders and spouses dinner during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California, on November 16, 2023. The APEC Summit takes place through November 17. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
SAN FRANCISCO — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will visit Hawaii where his family lived in exile after his father and namesake Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was ousted from power in Malacañang.
Speaking to reporters here, he said he would be in Hawaii on Sunday to visit “really old friends who shared our difficult times together and help lighten the load.”
“These were the people who fed us, they brought us clothes. They brought us food. If not because of them, I don’t know what would have happened to us,” he said, adding that “they occupy a special place in my heart.”
When asked if he has forgiven those who ousted his family from power, he said: “I don’t need to forgive them, I never blamed them. I hope by now you have realized I don’t take things personally.”
“They don’t need my forgiveness. If they want it, I’ll give it to them. But I don’t need to; they don’t need my forgiveness,” he further said.
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