Former Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
Former Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday claimed that the family of deposed dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos had approved his recommendation that the former President be buried in Batac City in Ilocos Norte with military honors.
Binay’s spokesperson Joey Salgado said that Binay was tasked by former President Benigno Aquino III to study a House resolution seeking the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City in 2011.
Salgado said that the then Office of the Vice President consulted with various sectors and even the relatives of the late President and came up with a recommendation that the Aquino government allow Marcos’ burial in Batac.
Binay said that Aquino failed to act on his recommendation until their terms of office expired last June.
“In June 2011, VP Binay submitted to Aquino his recommendation to allow the burial of Marcos in Batac, Ilocos Norte. The former VP noted that the burial of Marcos in Batac had the approval of the Marcos family,” said Salgado in a statement.
“However, Aquino did not act on the recommendation. That’s why the nation is once again torn by debates over a contentious issue that could have been buried a long time ago,” he added.
Salgado said that the then Office of the Vice President received over 3,000 responses through text, email, and letters on the issue.
READ: Binay recommendation: Military honors for Marcos burial in Ilocos
The camp of the former Vice President issued the statement even if months ago in one of the presidential debates, Binay, who lost the 2016 race, said that he supported a hero’s burial for the late strongman at the heroes’ cemetery.
The other candidate then who wanted to give a hero’s burial for Marcos was the eventual winner of the 2016 elections, President Rodrigo Duterte.
READ: Binay explains backing hero’s burial for Marcos
Duterte said that Marcos was “qualified” to be buried at the heroes’ cemetery because he was a former President and soldier.
On Monday, 11 human rights victims during martial law asked the Supreme Court to declare Malacañang and the defense department’s orders allowing Marcos to be buried at the Libingan void “for being illegal and contrary to law, public policy, morals and justice.”
“The interment of Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani will send a cynical and odious message that Marcos is a hero and directly distorts the historical fact that he committed plunder and human rights violations during martial law thereby portraying human rights violations victims as liars for besmirching Marcos’ reputation as a hero,” the petition said. IDL/rga
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