De Lima hopes to change SC mind about Marcos burial

Senator Leila de Lima. NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Bent on fighting the dictator’s burial among heroes, Sen. Leila de Lima said Wednesday she would seek the Supreme Court’s reconsideration of its majority ruling that affirmed President Duterte’s directive for the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos to be laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“I will file an MR (motion for reconsideration) within the proper period, within 15 days of my receipt of the copy of that decision. And I think other petitioners will also do that,” De Lima told reporters on Wednesday.

De Lima is among seven petitioners whose cases the court dismissed in a majority 9-5 ruling on Tuesday, which received cheers from the Marcos family and their supporters, and outrage from those asserting that the late dictator is no hero.

The full ruling has yet to be released.

“Whether it can put on hold the burial would depend on the tenor or language of the dispositive portion of the decision,” De Lima told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, when asked if filing the plea would effectively halt the burial anew.

“If it says that the decision is immediately executory, then they can insist on immediate burial. Otherwise, if the dispositive portion is silent thereon, they have to wait for the finality of the decision before the burial can proceed,” she said.  SFM