Binay proposal win-win for Ilocanos

LAOAG CITY—By accounts, burying the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos in his home province is a win-win solution.

A teacher at the state-run Mariano Marcos State University, a school named after the strongman’s father, said Ilocos Norte had always embraced the Marcoses, from their most trying times after the 1986 Edsa revolt to their return to power.

“It is to the best interest of both Ilocanos and the Marcos family if the heirs decide to have Batac as their father’s final resting place,” said the teacher who asked not to be named.

The teacher said Marcos’ burial place was no longer an issue to most Ilocanos because they had been accustomed to the presence of Marcos’ remains in Batac since these were brought home from Hawaii in 1993.

“To take away his body now will only create an issue when there never was an issue to begin with,” the teacher said.

Vice President Jejomar Binay has recommended Marcos’ burial in Ilocos Norte, with full military honors.

Closure

Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, in her last public statement on the issue in March, said she wanted her father buried in a place that would not court controversy and that would bring him peace.

“Burying him in a proper place will also put closure to the [rift] between the two families,” she said, referring to the Marcoses and the Aquinos.

President Benigno Aquino III’s father, the slain former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., was Marcos’ archenemy. The President’s late mother, Corazon Aquino, assumed the presidency after Marcos was ousted in 1986.

Judgment call

In Manila, Senator Gregorio Honasan II, a key player of Edsa 1986, said Binay’s recommendation should put the issue to rest.

“That is a judgment call on the part of the Vice President who has consolidated data that will reflect a consensus among Filipinos. I suppose this consensus serves a purpose to induce political unity,” Honasan told the Inquirer.

Senator Franklin Drilon agreed with the idea of burying Marcos in Ilocos Norte, but declined comment on the military honors.

“[Because] he is considered a leader and loved by Ilocanos, he’s entitled to a decent burial,” Drilon said.  With a report from TJ Burgonio