‘Why a secret burial for a thief?’ — Critic

Photos from OACPA HPA

Why a secret burial for a dictator?

It maybe because the Marcoses are afraid of a public outcry and ashamed of giving a hero’s burial to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, according to UP Law Professor Susan Villanueva, who joined a press conference of Liberal Party President Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan in Quezon City on Friday.

Villanueva, alumni president of UP group Samasa (Sandigan para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayanan), said Marcos’ sneaky burial was a burial for a thief, and that the family was ashamed of burying the patriarch due to his history of plundering the nation and human rights violations during this two-decade regime.

READ: WATCH: Marcos buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani

“Itong libing na ito ay parang libing para sa mga magnanakaw, hindi para sa bayani. Kung libing ito ng bayani, bakit sinesekreto, kinakahiya (This seems a burial for a thief, not for a hero. If this is a burial for a hero, why are they keeping it a secret and are ashamed of it)?” Villanueva said.

Villanueva said the Marcoses sneaked in the dictator’s body inside the Libingan ng mga Bayani because they are afraid of the people’s wrath.

READ: Marcos laid to rest in ‘sneaky’ rites at Libingan ng mga Bayani

“Alam nila na natatakot sila sa damdamin ng taumbayan. Hindi nila mabibigyan yung diktator ng libing na gusto nila (They know and are afraid of the public sentiment. They couldn’t give the dictator the burial they wanted),” Villanueva said.

For his part, sculptor Toym Imao, the son of National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari Imao whose remains are at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, said his family is in a crisis over what to feel that their father was buried in the same place as a dictator.

But it does not mean the family would exhume Imao’s body at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, adding that the family would do whatever it takes to protest the burial, Imao added.

“Ang pamilya namin ay nag-iisip ng (Our family is thinking of an) option how we can symbolically address this travesty, but not as fas as remove our father’s body,” Imao said.

“We’ll stand our ground. It does not mean that we won’t fight for the dignity of that place,” he added. RAM/rga

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