They were prompted to revive the rights violations committed during the martial law regime of her father, the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, after she insisted there was no reason to apologize for whatever misdeeds that the Marcoses had done.

The victims recalled the cases of the nearly 10,000 human rights victims, particularly that of Archimedes Trajano.

Lawyer Rod Domingo, co-counsel for the 10,000 victims, said that in 1989 a United States court had found Ms Marcos liable for the killing of Trajano.

Trajano, a student of Mapua Institute of Technology, was tortured and killed upon the orders of Ms Marcos in 1977.

"Ms Marcos seems to have a very short memory, or she is conveniently suffering from amnesia that she forgot ordering the murder of Trajano," said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, a rights victim and secretary general of the Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya.

"This is apart from the landmark US court decision finding the Marcoses liable for violating the human rights of nearly 10,000 victims," she said.

When Ms Marcos was the national chair of the Kabataang Barangay, she was made to address thousands of students at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in 1977 where she spoke about campus freedom and the role of future leaders, according to Domingo.

During the open forum, Trajano stood up and questioned Ms Marcos' capability to lead the youth.

"There are others far more qualified to assume your post and only if you were not a presidential daughter, you would not have been in that position," Domingo quoted Trajano as having told Ms Marcos during the forum.

Trajano, Domingo said, also questioned Ms Marcos about her reactions to her father's role in the rampant human rights violations in the country.

Right then and there, Domingo said, Ms Marcos' escorts seized Trajano.

"Trajano had been missing for almost a week and when he was found, he was already dead," Domingo said. "He was brutally killed."

Domingo said Trajano had been subjected to torture as shown by the bruises all over his body.

Both eyes of Trajano were scooped out, his intestines were drawn out and his skull was fractured, Domingo said. American lawyer Robert Swift, lead counsel of the rights victims and of Trajano, presented to the US court Trajano's fractured skull and the photos of his body bearing torture marks.

Judge Manuel Real of the Hawaii District Court ruled in favor of Trajano's heirs and found Ms Marcos liable for the killing of Trajano, Domingo said.

Real also ordered Ms Marcos compensate Trajano's heirs.

"Isn't this enough reason for Ms Marcos to apologize?" Domingo asked. "That's only a story of one of the 10,000 victims."

By Christine Herrera