activists and students out in force during a public holiday to commemorate the popular uprising that ousted late philippine dictator ferdinand marcos. mr marcos ruled the country for two decades, much of it under martial law. his regime rigged elections, tortured and killed political opponents and plundered an estimated $10 billion. more than 30 years on, his son bongbong marcos is on the verge to returning the family to power. he s currently the front runner in opinion polls, with his nearest rival leni robredo more than 30 percentage points behind. opponents of marcos believe that online disinformation, whitewashing the crimes of the past, is at the heart of the family s reversal of fortu nes. but some truths are indelible. boni ilagan s sister rizalina, a student activist, was abducted by government forces in 1977