Though Pablo Escobar’s life was filled with violence, Marroquín himself advocates for the opposite. As a pacifist, he firmly believes that violence begets violence; he has also publicly acknowledged the wrongdoings of his father and has rejected his actions. He dedicated his book, Pablo Escobar: My Father, with the words “To my father, who showed me what path not to take”. 

In his later years, Marroquín would write an apology letter to the son of assassinated Lara. In the documentary The Sins of My Father, the two are seen sitting uneasily on a garden bench and discussing the hatred that bonded their families together. “In the end, we are all orphans,” says Marroquín.

Today, Marroquín is a known drug policy reform advocate and believes that the “war” on drugs and its ban will only make the situation more deadly.

Read more: This Philippine fintech president is financing education and the future

Marroquín has publicly denounced the glamorisation of his father’s way of life. Narcos, a hit TV series that lasted three seasons, is one that Marroquín has repeatedly warned the public against.

“My father was much crueller than he appears in the show. He terrorised an entire country,” Marroquín once said in an interview. “You have to be responsible when telling this story. There are thousands of victims [in Colombia] who deserve respect. The show creates a culture where being a drug trafficker is cool. Young people all around the world write to me saying they want to be drug dealers and are asking for help.”

Marroquín has repeatedly told people not to follow in his father’s footsteps—save for the good that Escobar had done in his life. These included building churches, hospitals, stadiums and public houses. 

Learn more about the other speakers at the Tatler Gen.T Summit. 

The Tatler Gen.T Summit is sponsored by Standard Chartered Private Bank, Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong and MTR Lab, organised in partnership with M+, Regent, Black Sheep and Cathay Pacific and supported by Brand Hong Kong, Hong Kong Tourism Board and InvestHK.

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