Mrs. Marcos leaves decision on dictator’s resting place to ‘divine plan’

LAOAG CITY – Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda R. Marcos is leaving to God to decide where she would bury her husband, strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Mrs. Marcos issued the statement now that Vice President Jejomar Binay has recommended to President Benigno Aquino III the burial of the former leader in Ilocos Norte with full military honors.

But if Mrs. Marcos’ presence in Sarrat town on Saturday was an indication, then she might be considering his birthplace as his final resting place. Imelda arrived in Ilocos Norte on Friday night and went to Sarrat on Saturday morning to attend a church event.

“Maybe there is a divine plan as to where Marcos will be buried. And I am now in Sarrat, his birthplace,” she said.

But Batac City Mayor Jeffrey Nalupta is hopeful that the Marcos family will eventually choose Batac, the birthplace of Marcos’ father, Mariano, and the family’s official residence, as the burial site.

Marcos’ body has been kept in a refrigerated crypt in the Marcos compound in Batac since 1993. The crypt and the Marcos museum are among the tourist attractions in Ilocos Norte.

“But if he is buried outside Batac, there won’t be an impact on [the city’s] tourism revenue because we are not dependent on tourism for our income,” said Nalupta. Cristina Arzadon, Inquirer Northern Luzon