by MLC | Nov 18, 2016 | News
By Rose-An Jessica Dioquino
Source: GMA News
The remains of the late President Ferdinand Marcos have been buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The burial took place at noon Friday, after the body was flown from Laoag, Ilocos Norte late Friday morning, apparently only hours after a decision was reached on the matter.
The remains arrived at the heroes’ cemetery past 11:30 a.m., with burial rites conducted shortly after.
Confirmation of burial was made public only at past 10 a.m. by the Philippine National Police.
National Capital Region Police Office chief Dir. Oscar Albayalde said they met with Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos on Thursday night, where they were informed about the decision.
Media coverage was not allowed inside the cemetery. In a statement, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said the family requested that it “be a private burial … held in confidentiality.”
Military spokesman Colonel Edgard Arevalo said “the will of the Marcos family” had to be respected after they requested a simple, private ceremony, Reuters reported.
Video taken from the gates of the cemetery showed the late dictator’s children, Bongbong and Irene, and others walking behind the hearse that carried the coffin, draped in the Philippine flag.
‘Like a thief in the night’
Victims of human rights abuses during the Martial Law regime, meanwhile, condemned news of the 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 1973. 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.”
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.
Backed by Duterte
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.
In its decision, the High Tribunal said there was no law prohibiting the burial at the heroes’ cemetery, despite allegations of rights violations and corruption against him.
Duterte knew about the burial of late former President Ferdinand Marcos on Friday, according to Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
“Alam niya. Alam niya iyan. Hindi naman siya maba-blind. Wala naman tayong special attention dito,” Dela Rosa said in an interview with reporters.
Duterte left for Peru on Thursday to attend at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.
The President had earlier said he would allow the burial as part of his campaign promises. On November 9, Duterte in a press briefing said that he gave former Senator Bongbong Marcos the go-signal to proceed with the burial.
21-gun salute
Marcos was accorded military honors, including a 21-gun salute.
There was also a flower drop.
The epitaph simply reads: “Ferdinand E. Marcos 1917-1989 Filipino”
https://twitter.com/maloutalosig/status/799467557195378688/photo/1
by MLC | Nov 18, 2016 | News
By Katharina Charmaine Alvarez
Source: GMA News
Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday said he was surprised just like any other Filipino when he learned of the schedule of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).
“Naisahan kayo ‘no? Ako nga naisahan din ako eh. Kahapon ko lang nalaman. Pareho tayo,” Dela Rosa told Senate reporters in jest during an interview.
Dela Rosa said he learned of the plan to have Marcos buried at the LNMB Thursday morning.
He said he did not coordinate with any Malacañang official nor President Rodrigo Duterte, who was then on his way to Peru for the APEC, as the PNP’s role was just focused on maintaining peace and order around the cemetery.
“I presume alam niya (Duterte) dahil nag-uusap [naman sila] sa pamilya [ng Marcos],” Dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa said it was Supt. Oscar Albayalde, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), who informed him of the scheduled burial.
Asked if there was a deliberate attempt to hide from the public information related to the burial, Dela Rosa paused and laughed, saying it was the military which was in coordination with the Marcos family.
Dela Rosa said he was preoccupied with the arrival of alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, who arrived from Abu Dhabi, Friday morning.
“Wala naman sigurong magka-interes na patayin yan dahil patay naman diba? Doon ako nag-concentrate kay Kerwin kasi baka mamaya, mamatay na naman, mamroblema tayo,” he said, referring to the death of Kerwin’s father, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa.
“Basta ang samin, let us be very clear on this, yung papel namin diyan is to maintain peace and order sa palibot ng Libingan ng mga Bayani kung may ralyista,” Dela Rosa said.
“As far as the specifics ng libing, bakit ililibing, kailan ililibing, saan ililibing eh ang may hawak niyan is the military, [at] yung mayari ng Libingan ng mga Bayani so sila at tsaka yung pamilya ang nag-uusap diyan,” the PNP chief stressed.
Asked if it was the military who hid the information, Dela Rosa said: “Meron ka naman sigurong Logic 101. Bakit ako pa magsabi sayo? Hindi naman nagtago. Sila ang nagasikaso.”
He said that on the part of the PNP, they have been ready since the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed the petitions blocking the hero’s burial for Marcos.
He said he also advised NCRPO police deployed within the vicinity of the LNMB to exercise maximum tolerance on rallyists.
by MLC | Nov 18, 2016 | News
By JST
Source: GMA News
The burial of late former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani was set at noon on Friday.
The ceremony, which was only made public on the morning of the burial, comes 10 days after the Supreme Court ruled to dismiss petitions against the move.
GMA News’ Malou Talosig tweeted a photo of the Marcos epitaph:
https://twitter.com/maloutalosig/status/799467557195378688/photo/1
The epitaph simply reads: “Ferdinand E. Marcos 1917-1989 Filipino”
by MLC | Nov 16, 2016 | News
By Joseph Tristan Roxas
Source: GMA News
The youngest sibling of the late President Ferdinand Marcos on Wednesday said no apology is needed from the family since there is no proof that her brother was responsible for the atrocities during Martial Law.
“[Apologize] for what? Yun ang aking question, for what? They talk about atrocities. How come they conclude already that he was the one responsible for these atrocities when they cannot even prove it?” Fortuna Marcos-Barba said in a report by Chino Gaston on “24 Oras.”
Fortuna said the critics of Marcos bear the burden of proof, as she blamed the military for the human rights violations and abuses committed during her brother’s reign.
“They have to prove that talagang he was the one responsible sa karahasan. Hindi naman ganon, hindi ganon ang pagkakaalam ko. Most of it I guess must be because of the military. Siyempre iba-iba rin ang pag-iisip ng tao,” she said.
Fortuna led the first of the nine-day palualo, a special prayer for the deceased, in Ilocos Norte in preparation for Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, which has been allowed by the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, petitioners against the granting of hero’s burial to Marcos stressed that the Supreme Court ruling is still not final and executory.
Former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said the Marcos family should wait for the Supreme Court to rule on their motion for reconsideration first before pushing through with the burial.
“Ang sinasabi lang naman namin doon, i-recognize naman ng mga Marcoses ang due process rights ng mga biktima na mag-MR. Otherwise kung ilibing nila ng madalian, baliwala na yung MR,” Colmenares said.
“Ano ba naman na maghintay ang mga Marcoses ng isang buwan pa or so para masolusyunan ang MR?” he added.
A group supporting President Rodrigo Duterte, who is in favor of giving Marcos a hero’s burial, said the issue should not be taken as something else other than a fight between two political families.
“Yan ay talagang issue ng away between two families: ang pamilya Marcos at pamilya Aquino. Unang una, ang mga Aquino ang unang tumututol sa pagpapalibing ni Marcos,” PDU30 Core convenor Lorenzo Gadon said in the report.
Bantayog ng mga Bayani spokesperson May Rodriguez, on the other hand, described the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani as another move to sway public opinion in favor of the Marcoses.
“I think ito ay device ng mga gustong magpaliit sa paglaban kay Marcos, device sa paglito sa mga tao na ‘yan nga ang katotohanan,” Rodriguez said.
The Marcos family has yet to issue the exact date of the burial for the late dictator but the Philippine Army confirmed the resumption construction works at the elder Marcos’ grave site at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
by MLC | Nov 16, 2016 | News
By Erwin Colcol
Source: GMA News
Upset by President Rodrigo Duterte’s “reductionist” statement, Martial Law victims on Wednesday said that the raging issue on the burial of Marcos’s remains in the heroes’ cemetery cannot be reduced to a mere conflict between the Marcos and the Aquino families.
“Ang issue namin ay hindi dahil kay Ninoy (Aquino). Noong ako’y naging chairman ng Student Catholic Action, walang kune-koneksyon si Aquino doon,” former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, a human rights violation victim during Martial Law, told reporters at a forum in Quezon City on Wednesday.
Last Tuesday, Duterte described the issue on the burial of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani as a fight between two political families, referring to the Marcos and the Aquino political clans.
It’s basically an away (feud) between the two families,” Duterte told reporters.
But Colmenares said Duterte’s statement is “reductionist.”
“Hindi mo mare-reduce ang pain [ng mga biktima].”
Hundreds of suspected “enemies of the state” were killed, tortured, and made to disappear during the Marcos’ iron rule.
May Rodriguez, spokesperson for the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, shared Colmenares’ view.
The Bantayog ng mga Bayani or heroes’ memorial wall located in Quezon City bares the names of the victims of human rights violation, murder, torture, and enforced disappearances during the Marcos era.
“Hahamunin ko sinuman na nagsasabi na ito ay Marcos at Aquino conflict dahil ako ay tatayo dito at magsasabing hindi ito totoo dahil wala akong pakialam sa pamilya Aquino,” said Rodriguez, also a victim of Marcos dictatorship.
“Huwag pasaklawan ‘yung buong issue ng pang-aabuso ni Marcos sa pamilya Aquino. Hindi mo talaga makikita ang kasaysayan sa wasto kung ‘yun lang ang makikita mo.”
“Kahit sabihin mo na ang pulitika natin nasa pagitan ng mga pami-pamilya, let us not miss the truth na sinira ni Marcos ang demokrasya, dinurog niya ‘yung democratic institutions noong siya ay nag-declare ng Martial Law,” she added.
Ally in some policies
Colmenares, a former lawmaker of the House of Representatives, admitted that he and some of is associates favor some of the president’s policies, but disagree with Duterte’s position on the issue of Marcos’ burial.
“Part kami ng alyansa ni President Duterte. Sumusuporta kami sa kanyang [laban sa] kontraktwalisasyon, ‘yung kanyang peace process, ‘yung independent foreign policy,” Colmenares said.
“Pero siguro ‘yung alyansa, hindi lahat ‘yan ‘Yes, man.’ Dapat ang isang ka-alyado, sasabihin mo kung saan siya tama. Tama siya doon sa mga issue ng kontraktwalisasyon, pero dito sa Marcos burial, hindi,” he added.
Colmenares urged the president to review the history of the Marcos dictatorship in order to fully understand the issue.
“I think President Duterte should recognize the history and the context of Martial Law to explain the inflamed emotions that continuing to erupt,” he said.
For her part, Rodriguez said that Duterte’s statement is a “device” to water down the issue of the Marcos dictatorship.
“I think ito ay device ng mga gustong magpaliit doon sa paglaban kay Marcos. Device para malito ang mga tao na iyan nga ang katotohanan. Malayo ‘yan sa katotohanan,” she said.
Colmenares and fellow former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, through their legal counsel from the National Union of People’s Lawyers, filed a motion last Friday to call on Supreme Court justices to issue an order preventing the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani pending finality of its decision in favor of the interment.
Voting 9-5, the Supreme Court on November 8 dismissed the consolidated petitions seeking to stop the burial of the late strongman at the heroes’ cemetery, which is backed by Duterte.
by MLC | Nov 14, 2016 | News
By Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez
Source: GMA News
The resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos is “unfit” to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani lost with a plenary vote of 8-6-6 Monday.
The motion to approve Senate Resolution 86 was lost after it failed to reach the needed majority votes of at least 11.
Twenty senators were present in Monday’s plenary session.
Those who voted in favor of the resolution were:
- Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV
- Sen. Leila de Lima
- Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon
- Sen. Risa Hontiveros
- Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan
- Sen. Grace Poe
- Sen. Joel Villanueva
- Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
Those who voted against the resolution were:
- Sen. Richard Gordon
- Sen. Gringo Honasan
- Sen. Panfilo Lacson
- Sen. Manny Pacquiao
- Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III
- Sen. Cynthia Villar
Six others abstained in the voting:
- Sen. Sonny Angara
- Sen. Nancy Binay
- Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero
- Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
- Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto
- Sen. Miguel Zubiri.
Aquinos vs. Marcos
In explaining his abstention, Escudero said there must be an end to the 30-year debate on the life and death of the former President.
“Thirty years na tayong nahahati sa ating bansa sa pagitan ng dalawang apelyido: Aquino o Marcos. Tama naman na siguro, sapat na ang panahon na ginugol natin para sa away at bangayan na ito,” Escudero said.
“Tama naman na siguro na bigyan ng konting pansin, mas mahabang panahon yung nakakaraming kababayan na hindi sikat ang apelyido,” he added.
In 2011, Escudero’s father, the late Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III authored a resolution at the House of Representatives urging then-President Benigno Aquino III to allow the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The resolution got close to 200 signatures.
Sen. Bam Aquino, however, said the issue was not just about two families.
“Nahihiya ako kapag sinasabi na ito’y issue lang ng Aquino at Marcos. Nahihiya ako sa libu-libong namatay, sa libu-libong nawala, sa libu-libong na-torture,” Aquino said.
“Ang isyu po ng libing ni former President Marcos sa Libingan ng mga Bayani ay hindi lang isyu ng ilang pamilya. Hindi lang po ito isyu ng mga biktima ng Martial Law, kundi isyu ng ating bayan at ng ating kasaysayan,” he added.
Bam is the nephew of the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., a key opposition figure during the Martial Law era.
National referendum
Most of those who voted against the resolution said they did so out of respect for the Supreme Court (SC), which decided 9-5 to dismiss petitions opposing the hero’s burial for Marcos.
Senator Angara, for his part, said a referendum should be conducted on the issue.
“Of the many issues that are important in our public life, it is through a national referendum that we can move on from this issue,” Angara said.
In the barangay and Sangguiang Kabataan (SK) elections next year, Angara said a line can be placed in the ballot which asks voters if they are in favor or not of Marcos being buried at the Libingan.
Hontiveros, the author of the resolution, said it was a “missed opportunity.”
“I am sad that the Senate missed the opportunity to defend the truth and our history from the Marcoses’ historical revisionism and negationism. It missed the chance to be on the side of real heroes,” Hontiveros said.
De Lima, who intends to appeal the SC decision, said the Senate should take a stand on the matter considering that it is the Executive branch, co-equal and separate branch of government, that will implement the burial.
A group representing families of victims of enforced disappearances during Martial Law had earlier asked the SC to reissue its stay order against the burial.
