MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/08 August) — Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday expressed opposition to the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“How can we allow a hero’s burial for a man who has plundered our country and was responsible for the death and disappearance of many Filipinos? Those who have greatly committed crimes and moral turpitude to the Filipino people cannot be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” Robredo said in a statement.
She said the decision will not bring unity and will only “deepen the unhealed wounds of the survivors and family members of victims of the terrible years under the Marcos presidency.”
The Vice President said Marcos’ heirs “continue to deny that these sins against our people happened. They continue to have no remorse and still prevent the return of the wealth that they stole.”
“It is our responsibility to teach our children the heroism and sacrifice of our forefathers. And Mr. Marcos is no hero,” she added.
Robredo won by a slim margin against Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the May 9 elections. Her rival has filed an election protest.
During the campaign Marcos Jr. rejected calls that he apologize for the alleged crimes of his father, who rule lasted 20 years, 14 years of it under martial law. He said there was nothing to apologize for.
Tens of thousands were arrested and detained during martial law for resisting the Marcos dictatorship. Several others were either “salvaged” (summarily executed) or “disappeared”.
The Marcos family was ousted during the People Power Revolt in February 1986. A US aircraft evacuated the family to Hawaii as protesters started pounding the gates of Malacanang.
A ruling on a class suit filed in Hawaii by martial law victims found the Marcoses guilty of gross violations of human rights and ordered them to pay damages.
The strongman had presented himself as a decorated soldier during World War II and leader of a guerrilla group named Ang Mga Maharlika.
However, shortly before the January 1986 snap presidential elections where he ran against Corazon C. Aquino, historian Alfred McCoy, citing US war records found that Marcos had lied about his military feat and that his guerrilla unit was nonexistent. (MindaNews)
