Pacete: To bury or not to bury Ferdinand

THE Supreme Court has spoken (the majority of the justices). The justices are not gods. They are just men of wisdom who can be persuaded politically or can be motivated (by whom?) accordingly. I am not a lawyer and I am out of politics, but I am a child of Martial Law.

The Libingan ng mga Bayani is a cemetery (burial ground) for the heroes. A hero who died could be buried there. Who are the heroes? Heroes are men (women also) of exceptional quality who won admiration by noble deeds, especially deeds of courage. The people of a nation make their own hero. Lapu-lapu is a hero before the eyes of the natives of Mactan because he fought the invaders.

Bonifacio is a hero because he opted to fight to oppose oppression. Rizal is a hero because he used his ideas and the power of his pen to expose the abuses of the Spaniards. Ninoy Aquino is a hero because we believe in his leadership against the dictatorship of Marcos.

To bury or not to bury Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani is the question. The Supreme Court said yes because he was a soldier and a former president. Probably, just probably, the name Libingan ng mga Bayani should be changed before the burial of Marcos. No one can do that. No politician in his lifetime will dare to do that, not even President Digong.

Let us not equate the shining political career of Marcos and his bridges, his roads, his schools, and other public works with what he did in the dark years of Martial Law. Corruption of the worst kind happened. The rich became richer, the poor poorer. Ferdinand and Imelda became the leaders of a conjugal dictatorship. “What Marcos wanted, Marcos got. What Imelda wanted, Imelda got.”

There were no more political parties. To create confusion, he would put up his puppet political opponents. There was no free press, no academic freedom, no respect for human rights, no justice, no accountability to the people. Many of the Martial Law babies are still alive today. They have stories to tell. Marcos is no hero! Those who were puppies in Marcos Regime, they consider Marcos as a sacred cow… their hero of doom.

Marcos loyalists believe that he should be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani because as a soldier leader he provided leadership for his group of soldiers. (He got medals, as alleged.) He was president from 1965 up to 1986. Somehow, he provided a kind of astute leadership. He is a leader!

What is a leader? A leader believes in the delegation of powers. Dedicated leadership is persuasive, not dictatorial. The leader solicits an exchange of ideas among his members when circumstances demand it. A leader has no selfish motive. He does not send to prison other men who tell him that he is wrong. A wrong start ends at the bottom of hell!

“Leadership is a mission. It means self-forgetfulness. It does not seek material wealth. It is not service-for-self-alone, but service-for-others, and better yet, service-for-God. It’s work of love and dedication.” Did Marcos possess this kind of leadership?

Oppositions were apprehended by the Marcos military in the dark days of Martial Law. Many did not return. Many were missing. Many (those who survive) are still seeking justice. The relatives of the victims of Marcos are not even insisting that their dead be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Those who died in the Marcos years fighting for freedom are heroes. They deserve the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

There is always a burial place for Marcos. He can be buried in his hometown. His cronies can be there to make an epic send-off for him. Marcos is history. He should belong there. We can always say NO to what we do not want. One dog barks at something, and a hundred barks at the bark.