Marcos burial: Reactions and what comes next
A lot of things happened over the weekend, but one thing has been on the news ever since it happened: former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was finally buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) last Friday, November 18.
FINALLY LAID TO REST. The remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos were buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) last Friday, November 18. Photo grabbed from Imee Marcos Facebook page
The burial, known only to the immediate family and supporters of the late strongman, was never announced in mainstream or social media. Press scrambled for information, with the only reliable source being the Facebook page of his daughter, Imee Marcos, who posted a video of the burial rites.
The sudden burial drew varied reactions from Filipinos across the country. Supporters of the Marcoses were ecstatic, saying that the late President finally got the burial he deserved. Anti-Marcos groups and human rights victims were devastated by the surprise burial, treating it as a slap in the face of their cause.
Reactions
“LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.” Those were the words used by Vice President Leni Robredo to describe how former President Ferdinand Marcos was buried at the Libingan. Photo grabbed from Office of the Vice President of the Philippines Facebook page
One of the first people to react to the burial was Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo. She described the clandestine burial done by the Marcoses as thievery, saying “Like a thief in the night, the Marcos family deliberately hid the information of burying former President Marcos today from the Filipino people.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon echoed the sentiments of Robredo, saying “Like what Marcos did for 21 years, he caught us off-guard like a thief in the night. His burial is anything but noble. Even in death, he is a thief.”
The most recent reaction came from former President Fidel Ramos, who said he “felt very bad” about the burial. He also said that the remaining Marcos hidden wealth should be used to pay for victims’ claims, and that the secrecy of the burial was “a step backwards”.
President Rodrigo Duterte was unaware of when former President Marcos would be buried, saying “In all honesty, I’m telling you: wala akong alam. Nagtanong lang sila (I had no knowledge; they just asked) when would be the appropriate time for me,” during a press conference at the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru yesterday.
Fortuna Marcos-Barba, the youngest and only living sibling of the late strongman, was just as surprised by the sudden burial of her brother, though she believes that what they did was the right thing.
Deputy House Speaker and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro might have put the burial in its proper context. According to an article published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Supreme Court decision “did not say that he would be buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani because he is a hero… What the Supreme Court merely said was he can be buried there because he was a soldier and a former President, and that is in accordance to the law.”
He also said that Marcos loyalists should not blow up the issue by saying that Marcos was a hero. “Perhaps they should just keep that in their hearts because that has yet to be proven. And in fact, that heroism is under question because of the many things discovered … which does not qualify him to be a hero,” he added.
What comes next
Now that Marcos has been buried, what comes next for the Philippines and its people? If we are to take the words of President Duterte into context, the burial was legal because of Marcos’ status as a former President and soldier.
He also said that it would be “immaterial” to reverse the hero’s burial granted to the late strongman. “You’re burying a person who rightfully should be there because according to the law, he’s a soldier,” he told reporters who accompanied him in Lima, Peru.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman has been very vocal about his plans after the burial. He plans to file a motion for reconsideration, one of the few legal steps one can take once a court renders its decision, after he asks the Supreme Court to “exhume whatever was buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.”
PROTEST SCHEDULED. Groups who did not approve of the late strongman’s burial at the Libingan are already gearing up for massive protests on November 25 and 30. Photo grabbed from CARMMA Facebook page
Bigger protests have also been set for November 25 and 30 to denounce the burial of Marcos at the Libingan, led by the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA), right as President Duterte is set to arrive from Peru.
Ilocos Norte tourism, particularly in Marcos’ hometown of Batac, might take a hit as the supposed body of the late President is now merely a wax replica. Local police who stand guard at the mausoleum said in a report from ABS-CBN News that Marcos’ body was flown to Taguig City at 9:00 am on Friday.
One of the biggest questions about the burial has always been the unity of Filipinos. Duterte has said that the burial of Marcos at the Libingan would, at the very least, “erase amongst our people one hatred,” but recent events have proven otherwise.
What are your thoughts on the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Heroes’ Cemetery? Will it really unite the country as a nation, or divide it even further? Chime in on the comment section.
Source: ABS-CBN News, Reuters, Rappler
