The sneaky burial of the remains of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani last Friday caught most Filipinos by surprise.
Those opposed to a hero’s burial accorded to the former President said they were still about to file a Motion for Reconsideration to the Supreme Court decision allowing the burial at the Libingan. They said the Marcoses should have waited for the MR to be denied before they proceeded with the burial.
It was obviously a well-orchestrated funeral — from the schedule to fly the body from Ilocos Norte by military helicopter, to the selection of the casket, to the decorations adorning the carriage, to the elaborate funeral march inside the Libingan compound, and the many other details that could be seen from the exclusive video taken by same-day-edit providers. Those details couldn’t have been a product of an overnight decision, as the police and military claimed.
Adding to the surprise was a seeming diversion, which was the arrival in Manila of alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa. There were many other days to get him from Dubai and extradite him to the Philippines but it had to happen on that day.
Several journalists say it may have been so perfectly-timed to get media attention away from the Libingan as preparations were taking place, the same time Espinosa was being presented to the media in a press conference by PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa.
Just what does it mean to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani? It is every soldier’s wish. But does that automatically make one a hero? Did it vindicate Marcos from the sins of his regime?
The body of Marcos was put on display at an air-conditioned crypt in his hometown of Batac, Ilocos Norte for nearly three decades, and most people seemed fine with the idea. But the burial of the strongman’s remains last Friday, characterized by stealth, reopened old wounds and hurt feelings of the many who were victims of the Martial Law regime.
President Duterte has said the burial of Marcos was simply to comply with the law that soldiers and former presidents may be buried at the Libingan. And that the issue of Marcos’ heroism, Duterte said, will have to be addressed in another forum. Burying Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani was his campaign promise, after all.
Especially for those who bullheadedly voted for Duterte to become President, would you now fault him for sticking to his campaign promise?
But the bigger question is: Will the Marcos burial at his final resting place put this divisive issue to rest?