Palace: Marcoses in denial about human rights violations during martial law

MANILA, Philippines—Ferdinand Marcos’ family should acknowledge the human rights violations caused by his martial law regime, Malacañang said a day after President Aquino told foreign correspondents that he has rejected proposals for a state burial for the long dead strongman.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said there was nothing personal with Mr. Aquino’s decision to forego sanctioning any state honors for the late dictator months after the more than 200 House members called for his burial at the no less than the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery).

“How can you confer state honors to someone who has not recognized, who has not apologized for the human rights violations that happened under his watch? So these are the considerations that the President took into consideration when he made the decision,” Lacierda said in Thursday’s briefing in Malacañang.

“You’ve got unresolved issues on human rights violations. In fact, the Marcos family to this day refuses to apologize and to this day they claim that there were no human rights violations. So how does one reconcile when the other party is in a state of denial?” he added.

Asked if the Marcoses should first apologize, Lacierda said, “There’s no reconciliation yet…. The Marcoses should come up with an acknowledgment of the wrongs that were done under the martial law years and that has not been done.”

Lacierda would not discuss the possibility of the issue of a heroes’ burial for the late dictator if the family issued an apology and if they compensated the human rights victims under martial law.

“The onus is on them,” Lacierda said.

Malacañang, nonetheless, said the province of Ilocos Norte could extend the honors the Marcos family would want to extend to Marcos.

“If Governor Imee Marcos would like to confer honors, she as provincial governor can do that on her own without even asking for any consent from the national government,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a news briefing on Thursday afternoon.

Malacañang also took exception to remarks attributed to Sen. Ferdinand Marcos on President Aquino’s disregard for the recommendation made by Vice President Jejomar Binay.

President Aquino earlier ordered Binay to look into the proposals for Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Binay has recommended that Marcos be buried with military honors but in his home province of Ilocos Norte instead of at the heroes’ burial grounds.

“You would have to ask Senator Marcos the basis of his impression that there was already an understanding that honors will be accorded their father…. We have never released any information with respect to agreeing to a state honors to the former President,” Lacierda said.

“Nothing came from the Palace; nothing came from President Aquino himself. So this impression that Senator Marcos got is something that perhaps he should explain,” he added.

Lacierda said Binay himself has already recognized the President’s prerogative of adopting or refusing his recommendation on the matter.

“The recommendation of Vice President Binay remained a recommendation until acted upon by the President,” President Aquino said.

“The President acted upon it and decided that in the best interest of the people it would not be proper for the President to grant state honors and burial for the former President,” he added.