Simply 'Brilliant': Marcos Jr. Explains Enrile Appointment to Cabinet

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he named his father's former defense minister, Juan Ponce Enrile, to his cabinet despite their differences during the 1986 People Power revolt because the nonagenarian politician is simply "brilliant".

Marcos told actress and TV host Toni Gonzaga on ALLTV that he even calls Enrile "Tito Johnny". It was the defection of Enrile and then constabulary chief Fidel Ramos that led to Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s ouster.

"He is one of the three best lawyers that I know in the Philippines. So as a legal adviser, he certainly fits the bill, he certainly fills the bill. So that's not a problem," Marcos Jr. said.

READ: Why Enrile Means Longevity in Philippine Politics

Marcos Jr. said he and Enrile had talked frequently since the 1986 revolt, adding that what the former senator did in 1986 "didn't seem to be an attack really on my father."

The president claimed that he was privy to the conversations between Enrile and his father.

"Hindi ganun talaga na 'Papabagsakin namin kayo'. Hindi ganun ang pagkatrato niya. I think he felt he was really defending the country in some way," Marcos Jr. said.

"Whatever it is, we have discussed it sufficiently, that we are happy to be with one another and happy to work with one another. I don't see any reason for him to betray me," he added.

In the same interview, Marcos also said that there was no reason to revise history when it comes to his late father's presidency, adding that he would only order a rewrite of history books "only if they are wrong."

Martial law victims have opposed Marcos Jr.'s presidential candidacy, saying it's like "spitting on the graves" of those who died during his family's rule.

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