THE Palace warned Sunday that if the next elected president will allow the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, he or she will have to answer to the people.
“President Aquino’s decision [to disallow Marcos’ burial] is based on his firm belief and conviction on the primacy of justice. The late President Marcos never apologized for the violence and oppression that characterized martial law and the dictatorship,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., in a text message.
“If the next president does not believe in the guiding principles upon which President Aquino decided not to allow the transfer of former president’s remains to Libingan ng mga Bayani, then he or she will have to justify that decision to the people,” Coloma said.
During a campaign sortie in Tacloban City on Friday, presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe said she is open to allowing Marcos’ burial in the Heroes’ Cemetery.
“President Marcos should be given a proper burial already, wherever that may be,” she said.
She said the Marcos family should make the move to ask that Marcos be buried at the cemetery, and that the courts would have to decide the issue if some groups oppose the move.
“There might be some technical [question] about whether that is allowed or not. But he should be buried properly,” said Poe, who spoke in Filipino.
It was the second time in a week that Poe has expressed an opinion favorable to the Marcoses.
Campaigning in Baguio City on Tuesday, Poe said Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is running for vice president, cannot be compelled to acknowledge or apologize for the abuses of his father’s dictatorial regime.
In 1993, President Fidel Ramos allowed the body of Marcos to be brought home but did not grant the former President’s wish to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The Marcos family decided to keep his body preserved in a crypt in his hometown of Batac, waiting for a friendlier administration that would allow the fulfillment of his wish.
Due to strong opposition, the succeeding administrations of Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did not allow Marcos to be buried in the Heroes’ Cemetery.
In 2011, the late Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero, the father of Poe’s vice presidential running mate Senator Francis Escudero, led 193 congressmen in signing a resolution to allow the burial of Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani.
This was turned down by President Benigno Aquino III, who directed Vice President Jejomar Binay to study the issue and submit a recommendation.
Binay, who is running for President in the May elections, recommended that Marcos be buried with military honors in Batac. The Marcoses refused, insisting on fulfilling the late President Marcos’ wish.
The other presidential candidates, Rodrigo Duterte and Mar Roxas, have not expressed any opinion on the issue.
But presidential candidate Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who has Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as her vice presidential running mate, said last October that she would not oppose a proposal to bury Marcos at the Libingan, if that should be the consensus.
“Why should we allow something de facto to disrupt the unity of the Filipino people? I myself have no objection. My own father is buried [at] Libingan ng mga Bayani. He was a guerrilla captain. I will not, as an ordinary citizen, hold it against the community if the consensus by that time is to bury one of our former presidents [there]. Why should we let a dead man control the actuations of the living and its new millennial generation? We should let go of the past,” Santiago said.
Also on Sunday, the Palace said it did not trust Senator Marcos when he declared that he would not want a repeat of martial law.
“Trustworthiness of a person is based on honesty and accountability. Mr. Marcos’ record as a vice presidential candidate shows that he is seriously lacking in both aspects,” said Coloma.
“He continues to paint a rosy picture of what actually happened during martial law and glosses over the oppressive character of the dictatorship,” said Coloma.
“Should our people trust a candidate who refuses to acknowledge what actually happened and attempts to divert attention from reality? Our bosses know better and we trust they will decide wisely on Election Day,” Coloma also said.
President Aquino on Thursday campaigned against the younger Marcos during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution, asking the Filipino people not to allow the return of the Marcoses, especially the senator, who would be just a stone’s throw away from the presidency if he wins the vice presidential race.
Marcos declined to comment on Aquino’s statement.
“We do not have to answer this. Let’s leave it up to the people,” he said.
“I’m flattered by the attention. The President loves me so much… I feel loved,” he added.
