During the campaign, President Rodrigo Duterte said he is in favor of interring the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
As the late president’s birth anniversary nears, talks are rife that the burial will be sometime next month. There are reports that the Marcos family is already coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the transfer of the remains from a mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
The AFP has jurisdiction over the cemetery in Taguig City and has set the guidelines for who and who may not be buried at the Libingan.
The subject remains sensitive for many Filipinos and groups. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines, for instance, is objecting vehemently to the idea as it assails Mr. Duterte’s reason for allowing the interment of the Marcos remains—because the former president was a Filipino soldier. The commission has released a 26-page document just last month that argues, precisely, why Marcos should not be buried at the Libingan. The claim to being a soldier, the commission says, is “fraught with myths, factual inconsistencies, and lies.”
Numerous groups have also registered their impassioned objections because of Marcos’ supposed violation of human rights during his 20-year rule.
Despite the loud opposition, the former President’s son placed second during last May’s vice presidential race and has in fact filed a protest against the victory of Vice President Leonor Robredo.
Mr. Duterte has been unequivocal about his intention to allow the Marcos burial, saying this will foster healing among Filipinos. No other leader has enjoyed the political capital—and possessed the resoluteness—to put the festering issue on the table, deal with vehement opposition and actually set the matter to rest, however divisive and emotional it is.
It is so tempting to put the issue in the backburner again and focus on the many complex and immediate issues now hounding the country. It is also a convenient ploy to drown out the noise of disagreement—why risk earning the ire of numerous groups?
But it is a good thing the burial is being talked about now. We have good reason to believe some action is forthcoming. The arguments have been heard, and now a decision has to be made. If we at least agree to get our act together and move forward despite differences, then we would let the President do as he deems fit and live with that decision, for better or for worse.