Malacanang to allow Marcos burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani

**mantoy** · July 28th, 2005 11:05 AM

ano na naman tong naisip ni GMA?
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GMA open to FM burial at 'Libingan'
By Paolo Romero
The Philippine Star 07/28/2005

Almost 16 years after dying in exile in Hawaii, former strongman Ferdinand Marcos may be accorded a hero's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani at Fort Bonifacio in Makati City.

President Arroyo appears to be open to having Marcos, who defeated her father in the 1965 elections and stayed at Malacañang for the next 20 years, buried in the national heroes' cemetery in an apparent effort to reconcile all the forces that deposed Marcos in 1986 and former President Joseph Estrada in 2001.

"I want to have healing of the wounds of EDSA I, II and III and I still want that," she said in a statement yesterday.

After seven weeks of avoiding interviews, Mrs. Arroyo held a press conference in Malacañang and discussed issues of governance, declining to comment on the accusations raised against her by critics and the political opposition.

"You can see that I don't hit back at the opposition. I don't attack the opposition on a personal level. What I'm saying is that I have a clear plan. They conspire to topple me but despite that, I will still continue to reach out my hand so that we can have principled reconciliation with everybody," Mrs. Arroyo said.

Asked whether she met with former First Lady Imelda Marcos on Tuesday night, Mrs. Arroyo replied: "What I can say is that I bump into her occasionally on social... there are social events and I bump into her."

She evaded questions from the media on reports that she made arrangements with the Marcoses to have the body of the deposed strongman buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

But Mrs. Arroyo stressed she had been pushing for the passage of legislation in the Senate and the House of Representatives to compensate the human rights victims of the Marcos regime.

She said the compensation would come from the $684 million in recovered ill-gotten Marcos wealth stashed in Swiss banks.

Under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, all recovered ill-gotten wealth should go to land reform. The pending bills, however, set aside a portion for the human rights violations victims, the President pointed out.

Marcos died in Hawaii in September 1989. His remains were brought back to the country during the Ramos administration and have since been kept in a refrigerated crypt in his hometown in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

The Arroyo administration has been generous in allowing persons of national stature to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, including national artists and national scientists. Among those who have been buried there is the late Foreign Affairs Secretary and former senator Blas Ople in December 2003.

A hero's burial at the cemetery would require an order from the Office of the President to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to allow the interment.

A senior Palace official, however, expressed doubts that a firm agreement had been made between Mrs. Arroyo and Mrs. Marcos on the burial of the late strongman.

"If ever that is true, it would not help that, such (as) it is being floated around, it would have a negative effect and it would not push through because of a premature disclosure. If that report is true," the official said.

But Mrs. Arroyo's critics led by Estrada declared they are amenable to such arrangement.

Estrada said yesterday it is time for the remains of the late strongman to be buried "out of respect" for the dead in a Christian nation.

"Kaya tayo naka-karma, si Apo di pa nila pinalilibing (So that is the reason why the nation is suffering from bad karma, because we have the body of Apo [elder] still lying around that needs to be buried properly)," Estrada told The STAR.

Estrada recalled he received his most bitter attacks from the supporters of former President Corazon Aquino and the late Jaime Cardinal Sin when he agreed to give Marcos the hero's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

"If there is no law against it, why not? We're a Christian country but (in this instance) we don't respect the dead," Estrada recalled replying, which elicited adverse reactions from militant groups.

Saying he is no Marcos loyalist, Estrada said it does not matter now whether there was an arrangement between Mrs. Arroyo and Mrs. Marcos.

Senators Rodolfo Biazon and Panfilo Lacson also agreed to having the late dictator afforded a hero's burial.

"Yes, he (Marcos) became a soldier," Biazon, a former Marine general, said.

Lacson, for his part, said it is time to give Marcos "the honor he deserved not only for being a soldier who fought during the war" but for serving as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

"Politics should be set aside for once, if only to preserve the time-honored tradition of the AFP in his regard," Lacson said.

On the other hand, Sen. Joker Arroyo, a staunch anti-Marcos activist, said such an arrangement might even further divide the nation.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., for his part, said he greatly appreciated the gesture from Mrs. Arroyo but this would not affect his stand against the President on the allegations against her.

The Marcoses supported the presidential bid of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. who ran but lost against Mrs. Arroyo.

"Whatever she (President) does with my father, she needs to explain (the) jueteng issue and (the allegations of) cheating in the (2004) election. That doesn't change," the younger Marcos said.

Upon learning the reports, Marcos disclosed his immediate reaction was "Ano kaya ang pakay (What could be the motive)?" referring to Mrs. Arroyo's reported approval of having the body of his late father transferred to the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

"So I would thank her (Mrs. Arroyo) very much if she decided to allow my father to be buried where he rightfully belongs being (the) President and being (a) soldier," Marcos said.

Marcos claimed he is not personally aware of such an agreement but reiterated his family's stand that the remains of the late strongman deserved to be buried at the Libingan since his father was a former President of the Republic and a decorated war hero.

"First of all, that decision, of course, would have to be made by my mother," he said.

"Karapatan talaga ng tatay ko na ilibing siya sa Libingan ng mga Bayani (My father deserves to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani). Do I need to be grateful that somebody is giving me what rightly belongs to me anyway?" Marcos riposted.

"This is our right that is given to my family by the Constitution no less. And should I be thankful? I don't think any citizen should have to be thankful to exercise their own rights," he said.

Marcos said the burial of his father at the Libingan "will be nothing more than exercising the right."

The young Marcos explained his family's stand on the issue during his regular press conference with local media at the provincial capital in Laoag City.

Marcos insisted his late father's administration "was not a dictatorship."

He pointed out that many people still respect the legacy left by his father with his election as governor of Ilocos Norte and his elder sister Imee Marcos being elected as representative of the province. - With Marichu Villanueva, Christina Mendez

**Juan Tamad** · July 28th, 2005 11:10 AM

Divert lang niya yun news of impending impeach niya. Kaya kahit anong news that would make GMA's name clean.. papatulan niya

**yebo** · July 28th, 2005 11:18 AM

it's like when you're sinking in quicksand, you'd grasp the hand of the devil just to save your butt, nevermind if you lose your soul in the process.

i am beginning to pity her! i would not be surprised if finally she is brought out of malacanang in a fetal position!

**tinky** · July 28th, 2005 11:18 AM

this is a very sensitive issue but i think it's about time

**yebo** · July 28th, 2005 11:28 AM

about time for what?

you can be a hero during the war but that is expected of all filipinos at that time. to not be a hero during world war II is cowardly and even treasonous. so what was it that marcos did during the war that is so special that countless others did not? NONE!

but marcos ceased to be that hero when he took advantage of the power that the people he was purported to serve lent to him. he abused, stoled, imprisoned and murdered his people. what ever heroism he attributes to himself had been negated by his actions when he was president. he does not deserve to be buried at the libingan ng mga bayani where true heroes rest in peace and triumph!

**Karding** · July 28th, 2005 11:30 AM

galeng naman ni GMA, sa Libingan pa ilalagay si Marcos.

**kimpOy** · July 28th, 2005 11:36 AM

mukhang mataas na ang kuryente sa refrigarated crypt ni marcos he..he PPA pa.

**johnnyd** · July 28th, 2005 11:36 AM

marcos was no hero. even his wartime medals are fake. it will be a big insult to all filipinos if marcos will be buried at LnMB. ninakawan ka na ng dilat, ginawa mo pang bayani. ano ba naman ang naiisip ni gma? she is desperate already.

**tinky** · July 28th, 2005 11:43 AM

well don't get me wrong,i said it's about time not because of what he did or what he did not do for the Philippines.He was a President.with that being said don't you think that was a good enough reason which entitles him to be buried at "Libingan ng mga Bayani" which I think was supposed to take place 16 years ago.