Philippine leader Marcos Jr says calling his father a dictator is so`wrong'

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. smiles after he delivers his first state of the nation address in Quezon city, Philippines, Monday, July 25, 2022. - AP

MANILA, Sept 17 (AP): Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said it’s wrong to describe his late father as a dictator and that his brutal martial law rule in the 1970s was not meant to prolong his grip on power - comments that were immediately rejected by human rights activists.

The namesake son of the former president who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising also denied in a TV interview aired late Tuesday that he and his family were whitewashing history.