House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. —PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday urged the protesters on Friday to respect the Supreme Court decision allowing the burial of the former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig.
Alvarez, a close ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, made the statement as protests erupted in Metro Manila after Marcos’ remains were sneaked into the Libingan ng mga Bayani and buried around noon without waiting for the Supreme Court decision to be final and executory.
“We are a government of laws and not of men,” Alvarez reminded the protesters. “This cardinal principle of a democratic system is the basis of the Supreme Cout ruling allowing the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. We should respect its decision as the final arbiter of all constitutional and legal issues.”
Duterte had earlier ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to prepare for the burial to fulfill his campaign promise of putting the divisive issue to rest.
Alvarez said the administration respects the protesters’ right to freedom of speech, expression and peaceful assembly.
“The Duterte administration is well aware that some sectors are vehemently opposed to the Marcos burial at the Libingan,” he said. “They can express their grievances as part of freedom of speech and of expression and they can freely exercise their right to peacefully assemble to articulate their sentiments.”
“This is part and parcel of our democratic tradition and the government will uphold these fundamental freedoms and right enshrined in our Constitution,” he added.