50 years apart: Philippine activist fights dictator then son

By JIM GOMEZ and JOEAL CALUPITAN
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Memories of the “People Power” revolt by millions of Filipinos who helped overthrow Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos are bittersweet for Loretta Rosales, who opposed him as an activist and was arrested and tortured by his forces before his downfall. Her battle has come full circle. The euphoria over that triumph of democracy in Asia has faded through the years and now looks upended with the late dictator’s son and namesake a leading candidate in the May 9 presidential election. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s rise loomed large as the Southeast Asian nation marked the anniversary Friday of the army-backed uprising in 1986 that toppled Marcos and became a harbinger of change in authoritarian regimes worldwide.