Former first lady Imelda Marcos kisses the glass case that contains the frozen remains of former dictator and president Ferdinand Marcos on July 2, 2014. AFP FILE PHOTO
A nun from the Benedictine Order on Friday slammed the looming interment of late dictator and former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, warning that the move will divide Filipinos.
Citing atrocities committed during martial rule, Sister Mary John Mananzan, a known activist during the Marcos dictatorship, said the strongman should be buried in his hometown in Ilocos Norte and not at the heroes’ cemetery.
“I am very strong against it, dahil hindi naman siya hero. Supposedly Libingan ng mga Bayani, hindi naman nakalagay diyan libingan ng mga presidente at sundalo, bayani ang nililibing diyan, ang gumawa ng kabutihan sa Pilipinas. Opposite si President Marcos kasi ang dami niyang pinahirapan, tinorture, maraming namatay, tayo ay naging second to Bangladesh noon pagdating sa ekonomiya, nang bumaba si Marcos lugmok na lugmok na tayo, how will I agree?” Mananzan said over Church-run Radyo Veritas.
(I am very strong against it because he was not a hero. Supposedly Libingan ng mga Bayani, it’s not stated that cemetery of presidents and soldiers, only heroes should be buried there, those who did good for the Philippines. Marcos is the opposite of it because he has caused many tortures and deaths, we were second to Bangladesh in terms of economy, when Marcos stepped down, we were at our lowest, how will I agree?)
“Tapusin na natin sa pamamagitan ng paglilibing na lang sa kanya sa kanyang probinsya sa tabi ng kanyang ina, kasi kapag ipinilit na doon (Libingan ng mga Bayani) ilibing baka magkagulo pa, magkakaroon ng division ang society natin, para wala ng gulo, dun na lang siya ilibing sa kanila, in his native province,” she added.
(Let us end this by burying him in in his hometown province beside his mother because if we insist on his interment at the [Libingan ng mga Bayani], there might be disorder, division in our society, so to avoid chaos, let us bury him in his native province.)
Manzanan is the former chairperson of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines and also served as president of St. Scholastica’s College.
In 1992, former President Fidel Ramos allowed Marcos’ corpse to be brought home from Hawaii on condition that it would be buried immediately in his home province of Ilocos Norte, but the Marcos family did not honor the conditions even two decades after.
Malacañang on Sunday directed the military to “undertake the necessary planning and preparations” for Marcos’ interment, saying he was qualified to be buried at Libingan as a former President and soldier.
READ: Duterte gives go-ahead for Marcos burial at Libingan
The Philippine Army also announced that it had received a directive to give “all necessary military honors accorded for a President” for Marcos’ interment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, reported to be scheduled for Sept. 18. RAM/rga
READ: Marcos to be given military honors at Libingan—Army