“On behalf of a grateful nation.”
These are the words that will be spoken to the Marcos family, as it had been uttered to the families of the soldiers, revolutionaries, and other national heroes who have been buried in Libingan ng Mga Bayani. Literally translated, Libingan ng Mga Bayani means Cemetery of the Heroes. Nowhere does it say the burial place of a corrupt tyrant. On November 8th, the Supreme Court of the Philippines had voted to approve the burial of former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos in one of the nation’s most important historical sites.
Months after the outcry against the dictator’s son, Bongbong Marcos following his grab for vice-presidency, the people have been reminding to #NeverForget Martial Law. What followed, after President Duterte’s presidency is seeing the swift motion for the burial of Ferdinand Marcos’ remains in the said cemetery. Presently, the country now stands divided over the Supreme Court’s 9-5 vote to approve.
While some may argue that it is his right as a former president to lay to rest in the cemetery, thousands of victims of unjustified atrocities beg to differ. With a reported 70,000 jailed, 34,000 tortured, and 3,240 deaths (note: reported, meaning there are still many that went unreported), his eligibility for the honor has been questioned. A great number of the families of the victims of Martial Law cry that they still have no bodies to bury, seeing as their loved ones were never found.
“Buti pa nga si Marcos, may katawan na maililibing—kami, wala.“ [At least Marcos has a body to bury—us, we don’t.]
Some continue to defend his right to lay to rest in the cemetery because he was once a soldier in the US Army during World War II. Then proclaimed “The Most Decorated War Hero,” Marcos had claimed to have won numerous medals during World War II, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Order of the Purple Heart, all of which are given to soldiers for heroic and courageous actions in combat.
However, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines has debunked these claims, confirming with the US Army that Marcos hadn’t received any of these esteemed awards. The commission had also noted that in the websites of these three medals, Maj—Marcos was not listed as a recipient, nor was his supposed guerrilla unit (Ang Mga Maharlika) recognized by the US government.
Amidst the chaos of disagreement, many fail to notice the fact that even Marcos himself did not wish to be buried in the cemetery. After dying in Hawaii in 1989, it was in 1992 under Fidel V. Ramos’ administration that the Marcoses were permitted to bring the dictator’s body back to the Philippines for burial. The agreement was that he would be flown straight to his native Ilocos Norte, where he wished on his deathbed to be buried, as there he was loved and could be buried next to his mother.
He was given the military honor of a major, his last rank in the Army, but was not allowed to be paraded around Manila nor buried in the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. The Marcos family signed this agreement and brought the body back in September of 1993, but never actually buried it. The supposed remains of the dictator are preserved in his museum/mausoleum in Laoag, open to those who wish to visit.
Supreme Court spokesperson Ted Te disclosed the details of the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss petitions regarding the burial of the former president, citing five main reasons:
- There was no grave abuse of discretion on the part of President Rodrigo Duterte in ordering the burial of Marcos at LNMB because it was done in the exercise of his mandate. There is also no law that prohibits the burial of Marcos’ remains at the LNMB
- President Duterte has the power to reserve for public use and for specific public purposes, any of the lands under public domain.
- Marcos’ remains, under regulations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, can be interred at LNMB because he was a former president, commander-in-chief, soldier, medal of valor awardee, and legislator.
- The Supreme Court disagreed Marcos was “dishonorably discharged,” saying the disqualification only pertains to the military
- Marcos cannot be disqualified from burial at LNMB because he was not convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.
Of 15 Supreme Court Justices, 9 voted in favor (Velasco, Jr.; Leonardo-De Castro; Brion; Peralta; Bersamin; Del Castillo; Perez; Mendoza; and Perlas-Bernabe), 5 voted against (Sereno, Carpio, Leonen, Jardeleza, and Caguioa), and 1 inhibited himself from the case (Reyes). The Marcos family expresses their deepest gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte, and hope that the ruling will “help the nation heal and move towards peace.”
But will it?
Thousands decry the motion, declaring the outcome as another form of perpetuating historical revisionism. Having a dictator in a cemetery meant for heroes sends the wrong message, particularly to the youth who already face conflicting accounts regarding Martial law and are therefore; unable to come to conclusions.
To many, this looks like an attempt to clean the name of Marcos after the heinous period that was his regime, one that aims to erase the truth of what happened and replace it with a seemingly more favorable outcome. However, more than anything, the ruling serves as an ultimate form of disrespect to those who survived the violence of that period.
To revere Marcos as a hero is to spit on the faces of all those harassed, raped, tortured, and killed in that era, who still continue to suffer the after-effects of that time. This is especially offensive to those whose family members were never found, never given a proper burial, and most importantly, never given justice.
To bury Marcos in Libingan ng Mga Bayani insults the memory of those who perished under his rule, who he and his family refused to apologize to, let alone compensate. It is betrayal to those who have fought for the freedom that the country knows lavishes in.
Multiple groups have convened and rallied against the decision, including student organizations from University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University. The coming weeks see more protests organizing, particularly as the details of the internment are discussed.
So again, will the words “from a grateful nation” have meaning, or will it just become part of a scripted ceremony?
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