by MLC | Nov 19, 2016 | News
By Erwin Colcol
Source: GMA News
A massive protest action to oppose the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will be staged on November 25.
The announcement was made by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary-general Renato Reyes during a press conference at the University of the Philippines-Diliman campus in Quezon City on Saturday.
“Sa November 25, it’s a weekday, magsama-sama po tayo, 4:00 p.m. pataas para sa isang malaking rally,” Reyes said.
That day was chosen for mobilization as it coincides with President Rodrigo Duterte’s return to the Philippines from Peru next week after attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Peru.
“Kailangan pong gawin ito sa lalong madaling panahon pagbalik ni Duterte sa Pilipinas galing sa Peru,” Reyes said.
Reyes said they may stage the protest action in one of these venues: Rizal Park, Liwasang Bonifacio and Mendiola in Manila, and in Makati City. However, these are not yet final as they have to secure permits first.
The protest action aims to gather different sectors of the society to denounce the surprise interment of the late strongman at the heroes’ cemetery.
“Kailangan po magpakita tayo ng malaking pagkilos, aksyon, protesta, malawak na pagkakaisa against the Marcos burial, against the revision of history and against Duterte’s alliance to the Marcoses,” Reyes said.
“‘Yun lang po ang dapat nating igiit dito. ‘Yung hatol ng kasaysayan, ‘yung pagpigil sa pagbabalik ng Marcos sa poder, ‘yung pagpigil sa paglaganap ng kaisipang Marcos sa loob ng gobyerno at ‘yung pagtuligsa natin sa napakabulok na sistema,” he added.
Marcos’ remains were flown from Ilocos Norte to Manila late Friday morning, with the private burial held at noon at the heroes’ cemetery.
As news of Marcos’ surprise burial at heroes’ cemetery spread like wildfire across social media on Friday morning, protesters began to gather in different parts of Metro Manila.
Major protests actions were held along Katipunan Avenue and People Power Monument in Quezon City, along Taft Avenue near Padre Faura Street in Manila, and at the Ayala Triangle in Makati City.
by MLC | Nov 19, 2016 | News
By Erwin Colcol
Source: GMA News
A former lawmaker on Saturday said President Rodrigo Duterte’s support to the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani is not move towards change, but a major step back to the country’s dark history.
“Meron sanang pagtatagpo sa kanyang panawagan na ‘Change is coming.’ This is not the type of change! Ito ay pagbabalik sa nakaraan, pagpapanauli sa isang masamang panaginip, ng masasamang karanasan na dapat manatiling nakabaon,” former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo said in an assembly of Martial law victims, civil libertarians and progressive groups at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City on Saturday.
The assembly was held a day after the surprise burial of the late strongman at the heroes’ cemetery.
Voting 9-5, the 15 Supreme Court justices on November 8 dismissed the consolidated petitions seeking to stop the burial of the former president at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, which is backed by Duterte.
Ocampo, a victim of Marcos dictatorship himself, is one of those who filed the petition against the burial.
Duterte earlier aired his support to the burial, maintaining that it abides by the law and “the law is the law.”
“Kaya itong kay President Marcos simply what is the law. The law is the law. That has no emotions at all,” Duterte said in a speech during the launching of the Pilipinong May Puso Foundation in Davao City on November 11.
In the same speech, Duterte said the law does not specifically disallows people who have “a record of dictatorship” to be buried at the heroes’ cemetery.
Being a soldier and president is enough, he added.
“It says that if you are the president, and that does not say you have a record of dictatorship or whatnot, or being a gentle despot, walang sinabi,” Duterte said. O
campo, however, said these statements only show Duterte’s adherence to Marcos’ “rotten” values and political stance.
“Ang takbo ng pag-iisip, political stance, mga mali at bulok na values ng mga Marcoses, tumagos sa pangulo ng Pilpinas, tumagos sa mayorya ng Korte Suprema,” he said. Sinusuportahan natin ang kanyang independent foreign policy. Pero dito sa usapin ng Marcos, tahasang magkasalungat ang paninindigan dito. Hindi natin matatanggap na ang pagbabalik ng mga Marcos,” he added.
Despite the recent turn of events, Ocampo urged the public, especially the victims of Marcos abuses, never to stop fighting.
“Kailangan natin gumawa ng counter-move sa iba’t ibang paraan para mapigilan. Dapat hindi natatapos ang labang ito. Kinakailangang hindi makapanibago. Hahamunin natin ang gobyernong Duterte,” Ocampo said.
Marcos’ remains were flown from Ilocos Norte to Manila late Friday morning, with the private burial held at noon at the heroes’ cemetery.
by MLC | Nov 18, 2016 | News
By Trisha Macas
Source: GMA News
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday urged human rights victims during Martial Law to file a case against the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos while pointing out at the same time that liability is personal.
“Well, it seems to be a very raucous issue for the nation, but I would like to pray that everybody would find a space in his heart for forgiveness. And for those who have been somehow hurt or injured that they can take some other, for those detained for so long and suffering, they have this option to file a case against the late President Marcos,” he said in an interview shortly after his arrival in Lima, Peru to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting
But he presented a catch.
“You know, the sins cannot visit the children. And liability is always personal. That’s a principle of law na sinusunod natin. Sana at the day of the burial, they might just want also to stretch more of their understanding of what happened to our country,” Duterte said.
The President also said that he was only following the law when he greenlighted the burial of the late dictator at the Libingan ng mga Bayani amid oppositions from various groups including victims of human rights violations during the Martial Law period.
Duterte repeated that the issue divided the nation, although not widespread. He said again that Ilocanos have been dismayed for a long time.
“It’s been there floating like a flotsam. We have to decide once and for all. And me, I was just being legalistic about it. President Marcos was a president for so long and he was a soldier. That’s about it. Whether or not he performed worse or better, there’s no study, there’s no movie about it. It’s just the challenges and allegations of the other side, which is not enough,” he said.
by MLC | Nov 18, 2016 | News
Source: GMA News
Victims of human rights abuses during the Martial Law regime on Friday condemned news that late former President Ferdinand Marcos would be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in hastily-organized rites.
Boni Ilagan, an activist who fought the Marcos dictatorship, compared the surprise burial to the declaration of Martial Law in 1972.
“Like a thief in the night, Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972. Like a thief in the night, he is being buried today. It is the Marcos style all over again,” he said in a statement.
“We condemn this latest assault on justice by the Marcos cabal.”
Police officials said the decision to bury Marcos on Friday only came on Thursday night.
Ilagan enjoined everyone to join mass protests scheduled all over the country on Friday in response to last week’s Supreme Court decision allowing the burial to happen.
Friday’s burial, backed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte, comes 10 days after the Supreme Court ruled to dismiss the consolidated petitions seeking to stop it, voting 9-5-1.
Meanwhile, those who filed the total of six petitions — including lawmakers, human rights victims during Martial Law, and families of the so-called “desaparecidos” — said they would file an appeal before the Supreme Court.
by MLC | Nov 18, 2016 | News
By RIE TAKUMI
Source: GMA News
The Marcos family is mistaken in thinking that the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will bring closure to human rights issues and lead to unity among Filipinos, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Friday.
“Kung inaakala nila na ito’y closure, nagkakamali sila. Dahil ang katunayan, muling binuksan ang mga sugat ng pang-aabuso, ang sugat ng torture, ng rape, ng pagpatay, ng pag-abduct na naranasan ng tens of thousands, libu-libo, ng ating mga kababayan,” Pangilinan, the president of the Liberal Party, told a press briefing moments after Marcos’ surprise interment at the heroes’ cemetery.
“Kung akala nila mananahimik na at magkakaroon na ng pagkakaisa sa ating lipunan dahil dito sa paglibing sa mga libingan ng mga bayani, nagkakamali sila,” he added.
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Pangilinan said allowing the burial to take place made a “laughing stock” of the Philippines as it disparaged the historic uprising that ended Marcos’ dictatorship in 1986.
https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256
“Kahiyahiya at katawa-tawa. Sabi ko nga, magiging laughing stock tayo sa buong mundo dahil pinatalsik natin yung diktadura nung 1986 dahil sa pang-aabuso, pagpatay, pagnakaw, at ngayon nililibing natin sa Libingan ng mga Bayani,” he said.
UP professor Susan Villanueva believes the secretive nature of the burial befitted Marcos’ nature as a thief and a dictator.
“Itong libing na ito parang libing para sa magnanakaw, ‘di ba? Libing ba ito ng bayani? Ang paglilibing ba sa bayani e sinisikreto, tinatago, kinahihiya?” she said.
By burying Marcos in secret, Villanueva said, the Marcos family showed their inability to counter public sentiment against the former dictator.
“Alam nila yung damdamin ng taumbayan, natatakot sila sa damdamin ng taumbayan. Hindi nila mabigyan yung diktador ng libing na gusto nila dati kaya tuloy, na-pwersa sila ng ganitong kalihim,” she said.
“There was admission in their part na hindi nila kayang bigyan ng libing na para sa isang bayani yung dating diktador,” Villaneuva added.
Pangilinan said the LP will not file a motion for reconsideration with the SC to relocate the remains of Marcos, but will be in support of groups who will file the necessary petitions.
Along with Pangilinan and Villanueva, visual artist Toym Imao believes the burial of the late dictator transcended political divisions and could only be combated by a united front.
“The government through its aiding the Marcos family has whitewashed the historical legacy, although dark, ng pamilyang Marcos sa bansa na ito,” Imao, whose family was affected by the burning of Sulu during Martial Law, said.
“Wala po itong kinikilalang alyansa, party lines. I think this is something that we can bond [over] together. ‘Di na po tayo magkukulayan kasi yung nagkulay dito e yung gobyerno eh. Kinulayan nila ng puti yung napakasamang history sa ating bansa,” he added.
by MLC | Nov 18, 2016 | News
By JST
Source: GMA News
Victims of human rights abuses during the Martial Law regime on Friday condemned news that late former President Ferdinand Marcos would be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in hastily-organized rites.
Boni Ilagan, an activist who fought the Marcos dictatorship, compared the surprise burial to the declaration of Martial Law in 1972.
“Like a thief in the night, Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972. Like a thief in the night, he is being buried today. It is the Marcos style all over again,” he said in a statement.
“We condemn this latest assault on justice by the Marcos cabal.”
Police officials said the decision to bury Marcos on Friday only came on Thursday night.
Ilagan enjoined everyone to join mass protests scheduled all over the country on Friday in response to last week’s Supreme Court decision allowing the burial to happen.
Friday’s burial, backed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte, comes 10 days after the Supreme Court ruled to dismiss the consolidated petitions seeking to stop it, voting 9-5-1.
Meanwhile, those who filed the total of six petitions — including lawmakers, human rights victims during Martial Law, and families of the so-called “desaparecidos” — said they would file an appeal before the Supreme Court.
