AGAIN, he is not a hero. A coalition of groups opposing government’s move to have a hero’s burial for Ferdinand Marcos hopes the Supreme Court would end all questions today, October 18.
They repeat their call for the High Court to declare that Marcos does not deserve a hero’s burial. It is worth repeating today.
For the family members and supporters of the late dictator, they would like a new venue for their visits this Nov. 1 and 2 after the Supreme Court decision. If they are allowed by the Supreme Court to move Marcos’s body from the family mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte, they would then pay their All Souls Day and All Saints Day visits at the Libingan nga mga Bayani (LMB) in Taguig City, Manila. Unless there would not be enough time to make the transfer. That is, if the Supreme Court rules today, October 18, in favor of Marcos’s burial at the heroes’ cemetery.
Unless the status quo order is extended further, the wait that started during the campaign for the elections held last May, ends today. Whatever the decision, there are those who will be celebrating and those who will be grieving.
The Supreme Court heard six petitions that said Marcos should not be buried at the LMB because of his record as a murderer and thief during his martial law years. The opposite side was taken by the Marcos family who said their position was premised on Marcos having been President of the Philippines.
The Supreme Court first issued a status quo ante against the preparations for the Marcos burial at the LMB on August 23 to last for 20 days. On September 7, the Supreme Court extended its order for a status quo ante until October 18.
President Rodrigo Duterte had strongly pushed the idea to have Marcos’s remains interred at the heroes’ cemetery. Duterte said Marcos was a former President, a soldier who earned the right to be buried at the LMB. "I will allow the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The law provides who is allowed to be buried there – presidents and soldiers. Definitely, he was a President and a soldier. You choose between the two. He is qualified to be buried there. If other Filipinos don't like it, fine. I can't (please them)," Duterte said. He had then ordered Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to tell the Armed Forces of the Philippines to undertake necessary preparations for the hero's burial. This was what the Supreme Court had temporarily stopped.
The coalition of groups opposing a hero’s burial said Marcos was a human rights violator and a corrupt leader who victimized thousands of Filipinos. He was not a hero, they insisted. It would also be a gigantic insult to those who were killed or tortured during the martial law years if Marcos were to be named a hero.
The Supreme Court petitioners and their lawyers will join groups opposed to a Marcos hero’s burial in a mass and vigil at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation in Manila at noon Tuesday. Their message to Supreme Court justices, “Your decision on October 18 will determine whether it will weigh you down in the future or make you proud of the institution.” Organizers came up with the hashtags #MarcosNotAHero and #PrayforEight so those on social media could follow developments.
As what the organizers said - May the justices make themselves the heroes in this case.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)