Pacquiao: Forgive Marcos, bury him at Libingan

Manny Pacquiao delivers his first privilage speech concerning the reimposition of the death penalty at the Senate floor on Monday, August 8, 2016. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

INVOKING again the name of God, Senator  Manny Pacquiao on Monday sought forgiveness of the “sins” of the late strongman  Ferdinand Marcos and urged Filipinos to allow him  to be buried  at the   Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“Kahit gaano kasama ang isang tao, ang pinakaimportante dyan …magkaroon tayo ng forgiveness. Let our good Lord to judge everything siguro,” said Pacquiao who is pushing for the restoration of  death  penalty  on drug cases.

READ: Manny explains death by hanging: ‘Sisipain lang po yung upuan’

“Huwag tayong magalit kung ano man ang nagawa nya. Kailangan may forgiveness tayo kasi pag wala tayong forgiveness, wala tayong pagpapatawad sa puso natin hindi tayo maka-move on,”  he added.

Pacquiao said the people  should not forget  the many good things  Marcos  had done for the country.

Asked  about the  alleged human rights  violations  committed during  the Marcos regime,  the senator said: “Kino-consider naman natin yun pero alin ang mas nauna,  yung pagka-elect nya as  President o yung martial law?”

To once and for all end  the issue, Senator Panfilo Lacson  said it would be better if Marcos  would  be buried at the heroes’ cemetery and  just   “exhume”  his remains  if strong opposition pops up later.

“Kung halimbawang malakas ang opposition later on at hindi matahimik, e di exhume,” Lacson said in a separate interview with reporters.

“Ganoon kasimple yan. Para matapos din. Ako dahil former president, former soldier, bakit hindi? Entitled naman siya doon,”  he said.

Lacson reiterated  that as long as a person was a former soldier or former  head of state,  it doesn’t matter anymore  if he was  a hero or not.

And to  avoid any confusion,  the  cemetery could also be renamed so it would  not be taken literally that   only heroes  could be buried there.

While  he agreed that Marcos could be buried at the  heroes’  cemetery,  Senator  Antonio  Trillanes IV  said  there were “larger  political implications” that should be considered.

“It’s an issue that we don’t need right now. In fact, President Duterte doesn’t need it pero parang   pinalalabas nya that he can impose his will by virtue  of popularity and whimsical minsan. For his own good, kung ako sa kanya, he should step back dahil  hindi talaga e,”  Trillanes said.

“He can test kung hanggang saan ito aabot pero sa akin, he doesn’t need it. He doesn’t  need to test  and waste political capital at this point , at this early sa kanyang administration. Sya rin ang    mamo-mroblema  dito,”   he added./rga

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