Army to secure ‘private’ Marcos birthday bash

The Philippine Army will secure the “private” celebration of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ birth centennial at Libingan ng mga Bayani on Monday.

The Marcoses have invited government officials, family friends and diplomats to the birth centennial of the strongman.

Col. Edgard Arevalo, the Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs division chief, explained on Friday that the Army, as the physical custodian of the heroes’ cemetery, would have to handle the security measures for the “private event.”

“The Marcos family has formally sent word of their plan to celebrate President Marcos’ 100th birthday and they also sent their wish for the event to be private,” Arevalo told reporters at a press briefing.

The AFP public affairs chief disclosed that a number of media outfits had asked to set up equipment to cover the celebration, but their requests were “gracefully declined” by the Marcos family.