Binay stands pat on Marcos burial recommendation

Vice President Jejomar Binay INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Jejomar Binay still believes that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos should be buried with military honors at his hometown in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

Speaking to reporters after he attended the 2014 Bagong Bayani Awards held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Monday, Binay said this was his recommendation to President Benigno Aquino before when the Chief Executive asked him to do a study on a House resolution in 2011 allowing the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“(Sa aking palagay, puede rin, tama pa rin ang naging recommendation (I think the recommendation is right),” Binay told reporters, when asked if this was still his recommendation in light of new calls by Marcos’ son, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., for the burial of his father, who died in Sept. 28,1989 in exile in Hawaii, at the heroes’ cemetery in Taguig City, Metro Manila.

He said he had recommended then to the President for the government to allow Marcos’ burial in his hometown in Batac and that the latter be accorded “military honors.”

“Marcos was also a commander-in-chief,” Binay said, in explaining why he recommended military honors for the former President, who ruled the country for 20 years until a people power uprising ousted him from power and sent him and his family in exile to Hawaii.

Binay said that Aquino had told him that his recommendation would be “subject(ed) to further studies.”

This as Binay told reporters that his statement on Marcos’ burial in Batac might anger some people.

“Sinasabi ko sa inyo, may magagalit na naman (I tell you some people would get angry over this),” he said, adding that this was why sometimes he did not want to give statements.

Malacañang said on Sunday that Aquino has not changed his mind about disallowing the burial of Marcos among heroes at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) in Taguig City.

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