Liberal Party Vice Presidential bet Leni Robredo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
Liberal Party vice presidential bet Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo believes that former president Ferdinand Marcos does not deserve a hero’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“Ako hindi sang-ayon doon. Kasi ang Libingan ng mga Bayani, dini-deserve iyon,” Robredo said in an ambush interview in Bulacan on Saturday.
(I don’t think so. Those buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani should deserve it.)
READ: What Went Before: The calls for Marcos hero’s burial
Robredo was asked whether the late strongman, the namesake and father of her rival Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., deserves to be buried along with other Filipino heroes at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“Sa pangalan pa lang, libingan iyon ng mga Pilipino na tinitingala natin na nag-ambag nang husto at kailangang maging modelo ng bawat Pilipino,” she said.
(It’s called Libingan ng mga Bayani because it’s a cemetery for Filipinos whom we look up to because they contributed a lot to the society and they are a model to many Filipinos.)
No special treatment
Robredo said that special treatment should not be a consideration when burying someone at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“Ako, wala itong special treatment. Walang special treatment iyong nililibing doon. Iyong nililibing doon, kung sino ang deserving,” she said.
(There should be no special treatment to those who aspire to be buried there. Only the deserving are buried there.)
“Ang tanong ngayon, deserving ba iyong dating pangulong Marcos para ilibing doon? Siya ba ang halimbawa ng isang Pilipino na nagbuwis ng buhay, nagsakripisyo nang husto para sa ating bansa? Kasi iyon ang simbolo,” she added.
(Now the questions is, does former President Marcos deserve to be buried there? Is he an example of a Filipino who sacrificed his life for the country? Because that’s what being buried there entails.)
When asked if the late president deserves a hero’s burial, Robredo categorically said, “Para sa akin, hindi (For me, no).”
Following a report of the Philippine Daily Inquirer that she was open to a Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe clarified that this must be “in accordance with the law.” IDL
READ: Poe clarifies: Granting Marcos hero’s burial should be ‘in accordance with law’