Militant and minority lawmakers in the House of Representatives expressed their stiff opposition to President Duterte’s go-signal for the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
In a statement on Monday, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr., who claims to lead the legitimate minority bloc in the House, said Marcos was not a hero to deserve burial at the Libingan.
To stress his point, Baguilat shared the story of the demise of his brother, Winston, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy who was killed in an ambush in Basilan and buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“There is a reason why it is called Libingan ng mga Bayani. It is for us to remember the people who sacrificed for their country, people like my brother. He died young but he died a hero. To put the former dictator in the same place where he is resting is an insult to his memory and an insult to the memory of the other families whose loved ones made similar sacrifices in the service of their country,” Baguilat said.
He made the statement after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana issued a memorandum addressed to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, General Ricardo Visaya, to make the necessary preparations and “coordinate closely with the Marcos family regarding the date of interment and the transport of the late former President’s remains from Ilocos Norte to the (Libingan ng mga Bayani).”
Baguilat lamented Duterte’s order allowing the hero’s burial for Marcos who had amassed ill-gotten wealth, committed human rights violations and extrajudicial killings during his regime.
“What will it say about us as a country and as a people if we will just simply “move on‟ as other people want and bury him as a hero? Does it mean now that we will honor those who have already been proven to have done such wrong to our people and our country?” Baguilat said.
No justification
“This is not about moving on. This is about doing what is right and honoring the real heroes. President Marcos does not deserve a place there. There is no justification for it,” Baguilat said.
For his part, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said Marcos should stay at his mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte, explaining: “We should not allow the unrepentant Marcoses to use the burial issue in advancing their revisionist lies on the blood-drenched legacy of the dictator. No amount of embellishment can whitewash the plunder, terror and grave human rights violations perpetrated during the reign of Marcos, a dictator and certainly not a bayani.”
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said giving Marcos a hero’s burial could only memorialize the impunity that perpetuated during his dictatorial regime.
“We remain vehemently opposed to giving Marcos a hero’s burial. To give the late dictator state honors despite his legacy of gross human rights violations and wholesale plunder of public coffers, for which there has been no justice, is to memorialize impunity,” Tinio said.
Deputy speakers in the House of Representatives have said Marcos deserves to be given a hero’s burial because of a law allowing former presidents to be buried at the national pantheon.
President Rodrigo on Duterte on Sunday said he had given the go-signal for Marcos’ heroes burial in September, fulfilling his campaign promise of putting an end to the issue that had divided the country.
Duterte said Marcos is qualified to be buried there as a former president and soldier. He also said he once voted for Marcos, and that his father worked for the Marcos Cabinet.
Editor’s Note, August 16, 2016: Corrected the error on Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr.’s brother Winston’s death.
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