THERE will likely be a close vote among the magistrates of the Supreme Court when they resolve the petitions over the interment of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani next week, a court insider said Monday.
The source said two different main opinions were submitted during the session of justices last October 18.
One was penned by Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, former chief legal counsel of former President Benigno Aquino III, stopping the burial of Marcos at the military cemetery while the second main opinion was authored by Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, allowing the burial.
“A close voting may be expected,” the source observed, adding that the tribunal had already twice extended the status quo ante order (SQA) it issued last August stopping the Marcos burial.
The SQA, which lapsed last Oct.18, was extended up to next Tuesday, Nov. 8, when the SC is set to resolve the case.
But the SC justices opted to reset the voting to give them more time to deliberate on the opinions of Caguioa and Peralta.
The SC initially issued the SQA last Aug.23, effective for 20 days or until Sept. 12.
During the conclusion of oral arguments last Sept.7, the SC extended the order directed at Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces chief-of-staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya until Oct.18 to allow the resolution of the case on merits.
The seven petitions were filed by groups of martial law victims led by former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and former Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales; a group led by former senator Heherson Alvarez; a group of University of the Philippines students; former Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao human rights chair Algamar Latiph; and Senator Leila de Lima.
Marcos’ children—Ilocos Gov. Imee Marcos and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.—have denied the claim of some of the petitioners that the interment of their father at the Libingan is a payment of gratitude for their alleged financial support to the candidacy of President Rodrigo Duterte in the May 2016 polls.
The former senator, who lost in the vice presidential race, believes that the decision of Duterte to allow his father’s burial at Libingan was not a political favor.