MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has informed the Marcos family that they can now proceed with the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani after the Supreme Court (SC) decided Tuesday to allow a hero’s burial for the late strongman.
President Duterte said Marcos’ son, former senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., talked to him in Tacloban City during last Tuesday’s 3rd commemoration of the devastating typhoon Yolanda that killed over 6,000 people.
”I saw Bongbong yesterday in Tacloban, I said, it’s your choice. He asked, can we now proceed? I said: ‘Yes, you can.’ I’ve said before. I will not take my word back,” President Duterte said in a media interview at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) before he left for Thailand and Malaysia.
President Duterte said he will stick by what the law says, “that soldiers and ex-presidents” can be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
”Now the question of this tussle about the dictatorship of Marcos is something which cannot be determined at this time. It has to have history,” the President said.
On the alleged human rights violations by the former strongman, President Duterte said: ‘That part of the sins of Marcos has yet to be proven by a competent court.”
”But those… as far as the right or the privilege to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, I simply follow the law. We can do nothing about it,” he said.
When asked if Marcos can be considered a hero once buried at the heroes cemetery, the President said: “Well, it depends on the beholder.”
”You know, let me just… I’m not promoting class struggle here, but all the Ilocanos are downhearted by the decision for so long, that Marcos be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. For them, Marcos has no sins and he was true to his word,” the President explained. Jelly Musico/PNA-northboundasia.com