SC urged to order exhumation of Marcos remains at Libingan

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman —INQUIRER.net PHOTO

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman on Monday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to order the exhumation of “whatever was buried as mortal remains” of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“The exhumation is also to effectively censure and discipline the public respondents and the Marcoses for their contumacious disrespect against the Honorable Supreme Court and its processes, even as the premature and surreptitious burial revealed in bold relief the despicable chicanery of the Marcoses which is an affront against the Filipino nation and the Honorable Supreme Court itself,” the motion read.

The motion also called for “[s]ubjecting whatever is exhumed to a forensic examination in order to determine with certainty that the mortal remains of the late dictator Marcos (are buried), not any other artifact or a wax replica of him.”

Marcos was buried at LNMB on Nov. 18 even without finality of the Supreme Court’s decision dismissing the petitions against the interment. In effect, Lagman said such action disregarded their right to file a motion for reconsideration.

“The right of a party to file a motion for reconsideration partakes of due process. Such right is impaired and due process is derailed if a decision which is not final and executory is prematurely enforced or executed, like in the case at bar,” Lagman said.

“The finality of the necessary lifting of the status quo ante order is contingent on the finality of the main decision. Consequently, pending finality of the main decision, the lifting of the status quo ante order also pends,” he added.

Lagman said they would also file a contempt case against Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ricardo Visaya and Rear Adm. Ernesto Enriquez, deputy chief of staff for reservist and retiree affairs./rga