(Statement of Konsyensya Dabaw)
September 11, 2016 is the 99th birth anniversary of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. On this occasion, we Konsyensya Dabaw make known our prayer and call that the Supreme Court (SC) favorably decide with finality on the petitions for Marcos Sr. not to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).
On his birth anniversary we deem it fitting that Philippine society be reminded of the deathbed wish that Marcos himself expressed to former Vice-President Doy Laurel: that he be laid to his final rest beside his mother, Doña Josefa Edralin Marcos who is buried in Batac.
The plan to bury Marcos at the LNMB is being used by Marcosian forces not necessarily to honor Marcos but really to further the agenda of the unrepentant Marcos family and their fellow oligarchs, which is to continue the whitewash of the Marcos years.
We note the disinformation fostered by campaigns like #ilibingna which, by not providing truthful and adequate information, mislead people. As if Marcos had been denied a decent burial, which is untrue because the 1992 agreement of the Philippine Government with the Marcos family allowed the remains of Marcos to be brought back to the country provided they comply with four conditions, the most important of which the Marcoses have not honored (that “the burial will have to be done in Ilocos Norte, there will be no burial in the LNMB”). As if the infrastructure projects undertaken during the 21 years that Marcos was in power were personally funded by him, and not from government money that he and his cronies systematically plundered through graft and corruption.
These are examples of uncritical and ahistorical thinking that will soon enough be made the norm with a Marcos burial at LNMB.
Soon, Muslim Filipinos will join other believers of Islam around the world in the celebration of the Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), Islam’s holiest festival. In this spirit, the sacrifices that the Bangsamoro made under the time of Marcos should not be forgotten:
“Massacres, notably those known as “Jabidah,” and the ones in Palembang, Tacub and Manili, among others, happened during the time of Marcos. Tortures, hamletting, destruction of houses and religious structures, violation of the women and forced evacuation are among the legacy of impunity and violence committed by the Marcos dictatorship against the Bangsamoro.
These are the past but also the present because until now, these human rights violations and injustices have not been addressed, and to some extent, are still continuing.” (excerpted from a statement of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society)
We thank the SC for issuing a status quo ante order which has since been extended to October 18, 2016. We note that the presentation of oral arguments at the SC provided opportunities to hear the voices of the victims of Martial Law, and clarify what are truly at stake. We are concerned that on two instances in front of the SC compound forces that identified themselves as Marcos loyalists bullied others who were gathered there.
Our prayer is that the hero’s burial for Marcos would no longer be a source of continuing divisions and conflicts among Filipinos, and that the sacrifices for freedom that were made during Martial Law would not be in vain.
These would be accomplished in a big way by a final Supreme Court decision not allowing the burial of
Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. at the LNMB.
KONSYENSYA DABAW (Hugpong Dabawenyo para LNMBatac)
Contact Person:
Mags Z. Maglana
; magszmaglana@gmail.com
Konsyensya Dabaw is composed of Dabawenyos and supporters who want Marcos buried in Batac and not at the LNMB