Who could forget the 25th of February 1986?At least to those of the Martial Law generation, it was Nirvana and The Rapture all rolled into one, an experience so cathartic for the Filipino nation, it had to be illegal for causing the ultimate high.And why wouldn’t it be?The Marcos years were the darkest this country has ever experienced. When the elder Marcos became the 10th president of the Republic of the Philippines in 1965, his ascent to power was met with high hopes for the nation. After all, this bar topnotcher and supposed “war hero” was hailed as the savior of the country, the man who would lead us as an Asian Tiger, a prosperous nation in league with Japan and the other economic superpowers of the world. Few expected that 21 long years later, the messiah would leave as a pariah, succeeding only in transforming the Philippines from an emerging tiger to the “sick man of Asia,” overtaken by all its neighbours that we all had a good head start over.Surely, someone associated with this national fiasco should be held to account as well, right? Someone who was there as a willing participant to all the economic ruin should be persona non-grata from this country forever?You would think so.And yet, we have the son of the late dictator now staking his claim to the presidency. Like Nero’s son wanting to burn Rome all over again. And despite what we may think to the contrary, it seems that the sons and daughters of the people his late father oppressed and pillaged are willing to repeat the experience, this time under the scion.It’s scarcely been two generations since the dictator was unceremoniously kicked out of the country by People Power, and yet the son is now claiming that his father’s ignominious years in power were the most golden this country has ever had. It’s all over social media, the old tales about Marcos’ showcase projects being regurgitated all over again, and this time being lapped up willingly by a populace either too ignorant or too lazy to find out the truth about Martial Law.Oh wait, but that’s not all.To the gullible, his campaign is preaching a return to the mythical Golden Age of his father. But to the half-knowledgeable, he is peddling another tale.This other one is of redemption, and how the son should not be held accountable for the sins of the father. This version is an admission of guilt, it is asking for a second chance to redeem the family name. This family has all their bases covered.Normally, only one of the opposing versions of history can be true. If the Marcos years were really the best for this country, then surely the son would have no reason to be exempted from the sins of the father, right? And yet that’s what they are asking the voters to do, at least maybe those of the generation who still remember the dark days of Martial Law.And what about for those who don’t?Well, there’s always the pure fantasy edition. The one that claims that during his father’s reign, the Philippines was the land of milk and honey, and something that the son could bring back the splendor of, if only we would let him.Isn’t it funny, that we believe both sides of the story, even if they couldn’t be both true at the same time? And yet, here we are. Half of us ready to forgive the son of the dictator for having no part in the sins of his father, and the other half willingly believing his fantasy story of bringing back the golden years of his father’s dictatorship.