Young protesters gather at the Press Freedom Monument of the provincial capitol grounds as the nation remembered the declaration of the martial law by late Pres. Ferdinand Marcos 44 years ago on Wednesday, Sept. 21. (Jigger J. Jerusalem)
DAVAO CITY – The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), one of the strongest allies of the President Rodrigo Duterte, advises him against the burial of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“President Duterte must be advised against proceeding with such a plan. Such payment of political debt to the Marcoses will undoubtedly be regarded as an act of contempt against the Filipino people’s historic judgment against the Marcos dictatorship,” the CPP said in a statement.
Despite its good relations with Duterte, the CPP openly denounced the Supreme Court decision voting in favor for the hero’s burial for Marcos.
BACKSTORY: CPP hits Duterte over Marcos burial plan at Libingan
“In giving Marcos a hero’s burial, he would virtually be spitting on the graves of the tens of thousands of martyrs who laid down their lives in the struggle to end the puppet, brutal and rotten Marcos dictatorship,” the CPP said.
The CPP said Duterte “will bring to question his own assertions of being a Leftist considering that the Marcos dictatorship is the epitome of the anti-Left.”
Even before the campaign, Duterte has been consistent in his pronouncements of his leftist orientation asserting pro-people and anti-foreign intervention policies.
READ: Duterte stands firm on Marcos burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani
“The CPP advises GRP President Duterte against fulfilling such an election promise to the Marcoses made in exchange for financial and political support. For sure, the Marcoses would resent such an unfulfilled promise. But such will be incomparable to the deep indignation that will be stirred among the Filipino people,” the CPP expressed.
The communist movement said that the Filipino people are still seeking for justice for all the crimes committed by Marcos including his wife, children and cronies “who all invariably played nefarious roles under the Marcos dictatorship.”
“If Duterte allows Marcos’ body to be dug-up from Ilocos Norte and re-interred with hero’s burial, he would have provided the Marcoses with the ultimate act of rehabilitation,” the CPP said.
The government and the communist movement, through the National Democratic Front, are engaged in formal negotiations with both parties implementing unilateral ceasefire declarations.
The CPP earlier disclosed the enforcement of a “guarded optimism” policy in its engagements with the Duterte administration wherein it will work closely with the government while remaining critical of its policies.