MANILA -- Critics of burying former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani have never "faced the muzzle of an invader's rifle" and are in no position to say whether Marcos deserves a hero's burial or not.

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile said Thursday that Marcos, and others from the generation that fought Japanese soldiers in World War II, deserve burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

He said Marcos fought the Japanese, was captured, and later joined the underground movement.

The Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines (CEAP) has opposed a House resolution pushing a hero's burial for Marcos for his military service and for being a former president.

The group said the resolution is based on "exaggerated claims about Marcos [that] cannot be farther from the truth."

"Medals or no medals, he is entitled to be buried there. The fact is he fought a war for the country, for the Filipino people," Enrile said. (Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)