Earlier this month, the Philippine House of Representatives passed a bill officially declaring September 11 a public holiday in the northern province of Ilocos Norte. The occasion for the holiday? The birthday of the Philippines’ former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
The bill to establish “President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day” in the dictator’s home province received the support of 197 members, and was opposed by just nine. While the bill is yet to be approved by the Philippine Senate, it represents just the latest step in the slow rehabilitation of Marcos in the three decades since his fall from power.
