Marcos ‘caught us off guard like thief in the night’—Drilon

Photo from Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Center

Senator Franklin Drilon on Friday said the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos was “orchestrated (in a way that) is reminiscent of the dark days of martial law.”

“The atrocities perpetrated during Martial Law succeeded because the citizenry was kept in the dark. Marcos betrayed the country for decades; we should not allow him to continue to do so up to this day,” he said.

Without announcement, the remains of Marcos were transferred from Laoag and buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Friday noon.

READ: Marcos laid to rest in ‘sneaky’ rites at Libingan ng mga Bayani

“Like what Marcos did for 21 years, he caught us [off guard] like a thief in the night,” the former Senate president said.

“His burial is anything but noble. Even in death, he is a thief,” Drilon said.

READ: WATCH: Marcos buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani

Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV said it was a “sinister move” to “secretly and quickly” bury Marcos.

“The manner by which he was buried speaks for itself,” he said. “They remain deaf to the calls of the many Filipinos demanding justice for the abuses during the Marcos regime and remain numb to the pain of too many innocent victims of Martial Law.”

“This is now part of our history—from Marcos and his cronies’ grave abuses to the People Power Revolution, from his covert burial to today’s protests and cries against a [hero’s] burial for a Filipino dictator,” Aquino said.

He added that the public should remain vigilant and protect democracy. He said Filipinos should not repeat “the bloody mistakes of the past.” RAM/rga

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