The family of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos may now proceed with preparations for his burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB), President Duterte said yesterday after assuring he would not change his mind on the matter.

After the Supreme Court allowed the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani with a vote of 9-5, with one justice inhibiting, former Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. apparently called up the President to ask, “Can we now proceed?” Duterte said he replied: “Yes, you can.”

And speaking in behalf of the Marcos family, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos said they do not plan to have a grand state funeral for the former President.

“Mailibing siya sa Libingan, simple, at katulad nga ng pangkaraniwang sundalo (To bury him at the Libingan in simple rites like an ordinary soldier)” Marcos added.

“Wala nang bonggang-bongga. Tutal hindi naman state funeral, kundi libing lang ng isang kawal, ng isang sundalo, ang minimithi ng ama ko (There will be no pomp preparation because it will not be a state funeral but a funeral for a soldier. This is what my father wished for),” she said.

Imee, the eldest of the three Marcos children shared, “talagang ‘yon ang gusto niya (FM)… Sundalung-sundalo kasi ang tatay ko.  Maski sa ospital… gusto niya, Veterans, V. Luna (That is really what he wants because my father was really a true soldier. Even in the choice of hospital, he prefers the Veterans, V. Luna hospital),” referring to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and the V. Luna General Hospital also known as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Hospital which provide medical care to Filipino veterans and military personnel.

The late strongman’s military service record describes him as a guerilla under both the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), for the Bataan Death March in 1942, and the United States Army Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon (USAFP-NL).

In a radio interview yesterday, Marcos said they were willing to airlift the remains of the former president from Batac to Fort Bonifacio to make things easy for everyone.

Meanwhile, Rev. Fr. Joey Ranjo, the parish priest of Sta. Monica Church in Sarrat town, said the church has been prepared for the wake of the former president as agreed earlier between the Diocese of Laoag headed by Bishop Renato Mayugba and Governor Marcos.

The Sta. Monica Church, the Immaculate Conception Church in Batac City, and the Saint Augustine Church in Paoay town have earlier been prepared for the wake of the former president before its burial at the LNMB.

IT’S THE LAW

President Duterte maintained he was simply following the law that allows former presidents like Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Besides, Duterte pointed out the “sins of Marcos” have yet to be proven in a competent court.

“I’ve said before, I will not take my word back,” the President said in a press conference at the Manila airport before he left for Malaysia, a day after the Supreme Court handed down its ruling.

“As a lawyer, I stick by what the law says. The law says that soldiers and ex-presidents, ‘yung namatay o maski hindi siguro ex, basta presidente ka, doon ka ilibing,” he added.

Former president and now Manila City Mayor Joseph Estrada was the first to initiate the move to bury Marcos at the Libingan but the move did not push through.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Genalyn D. Kabiling and Freddie G. Lazaro

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