Catholic priest Fr. Robert Reyes makes his sentiments known about plans to bury the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / INQUIRER FILE
Insisting that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos should not be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, a militant group said the government should not spend a single centavo of public money to bury someone who “plundered the nation’s coffers.”
“We oppose any official honors for the dictator Marcos, whether as a hero, soldier or former president,” said Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or Bayan.
READ: Duterte: Marcos deserves to be buried at heroes’ cemetery
“Government should not use a single centavo of taxpayers’ money or any government resources for that matter, to honor one who plundered the nation’s coffers and violated human rights with impunity,” he stressed.
He warned that the Marcos family might use this event to “whitewash the bloody record of the dictator” and “hail him as a hero.”
“Even if it’s argued that not everyone buried at the LNMB is considered a ‘hero,’ we cannot allow the Marcos family to use the occasion to revise history and spit on the memory of the thousands who died fighting the dictatorship,” he added.
On Sunday, the Palace said that preparations for the burial of Marcos at the heroes’ cemetery were underway.
READ: Nene bucks Duterte plan to bury Marcos in Libingan
Malacañang released a memorandum from Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, instructing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Ricardo Visaya to “undertake the necessary planning and preparations to facilitate the coordination of all agencies concerned.”
Duterte reiterated last Saturday that the late strongman deserved to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani because Marcos was a former president and soldier.
“As a former soldier and former president of the Philippines, I see nothing wrong in having (former President Ferdinand) Marcos buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” the President said.
Some reports claim that the burial of the late President had been set for Sept. 18.
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