Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Noynoy Aquino rejected a hero’s burial for Marcos during his pres’l campaign

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Just my opinion

By Raissa Robles

A year ago when Benigno Aquino III was courting the people’s vote to clinch the presidency he “unequivocally rejected the idea of allowing a state and hero’s burial for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos which his rival, Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel Villar, is supportive of.”

That was what Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter Gil Cabacungan reported on February 24, 2010 and I believe him.

One of the reasons I believe Gil is that I was the one who recruited him into news reporting and then trained him when he was a fresh graduate applying for a job at Business Star newspaper, then the business publication of Philippine Star. I used on Gil the techniques I had learned at the Institut für Journalismus in Berlin where I was lucky enough to take a course taught mainly by British editors.

Here is what Gil wrote:

MANILA, Philippines—Liberal Party presidential candidate Sen. Benigno Aquino III has unequivocally rejected the idea of allowing a state and hero’s burial for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos which his rival, Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel Villar, is supportive of.

“I would like to apologize to the relatives and those who love Mr. Marcos but we still carry the memories of his long years in office, from 1965 to 1986. What has he done that is so special that makes him deserving to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani?” said Aquino.

In an interview with reporters following a Makati forum, Aquino said the country continued to suffer from problems that were created under Marcos’ rule and the promises he made that he turned his back on.

“Why should we honor him by burying him at the Libingan ng mga Bayani?” he said.

Aquino said it was not surprising the NP would support a hero’s burial for Marcos considering that his son, Ferdinand Jr., was on its senatorial slate.

In a press conference at LP headquarters, Aquino campaign manager Florencio Abad Jr. said that while the issue of a hero’s burial was never discussed among the party’s senatorial candidates, he said the LP had consistently opposed the idea.

“That is reserved for heroes and we do not concede that Marcos is a hero. We still have to find closure to many abuses our people suffered in terms of political repression, the conjugal hypocrisy and many other issues,” said Abad.

Aquino said his family and supporters had celebrated the Edsa People Power Revolution of 1986 for the past 24 years because this has been the “defining moment of the country’s departure from the darkness.”

“Those who are attacking Edsa and its ideals are actually helping us clarify the principles that we are fighting for,” he said.

Aquino said he remained keen on uplifting the quality of politics in the country by sticking to the issues and avoiding making personal attacks against his rivals.

Now, instead of rejecting outright the plan for a hero’s burial for Marcos, PNoy has chosen to pass on the political hot potato to Vice-President Jejomar Binay.

In turn, Binay has chosen to pass it on to the Filipino people. Text and Facebook me, he says.

Binay is probably trying to find a way to please both the Marcos supporters and non-Marcos supporters. But he is also smart enough to know that if Marcos gets a hero’s burial, he could be facing THE SON OF A HERO as a rival in the 2016 presidential elections.

I can understand both their reluctance to decide on this subject. PNoy’s advisers are probably telling him it’s not good to take on so many political enemies at the same time. They tend to band together. He has to choose which battles to fight. And for now, he has chosen to fight Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by having one of her closest allies, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, impeached.

The battles, though, are intertwined.

If PNoy lets Marcos be buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani because Marcos was once President, then the Filipino nation can look forward to letting Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo be buried there for the same reason that she was once the president.

 

If you bury Ferdinand Marcos at Libingan ng mg Bayani, you will have to bury Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo there someday - http://raissarobles.com

But not burying Marcos there gives the signal to future generations that hey, when you are the President, if you betray the people’s trust you don’t deserve a place there.

It’s like being impeached from the presidency forever and ever.

I mean, if the name Libingan ng mga Bayani never meant diddly-squat before, isn’t it high time it gets to mean SOMETHING?

(As for the late military chief Angelo Reyes being buried there, the Philippine military sneaked that one past a shocked nation.)

Comments

        • Faye, if you will call all the people who disagree with you a Clown, I say this “You are just a FART” of your idol.

        • @Faye, “fart is a gas not a person”. Well, that’s the point. Clowns make people laugh and you are calling people here as clowns, the more you laugh, the more you fart. Now do you understand why I call you a fart? Regarding the Aquino’s, sorry, I haven’t met anyone of them.

        • Vibora, don’t u think it’s so “dumb” when someone says “d easiest to fight violence is violence and when someone say “Cory is d mother of democracy knowing that she massacred those who were practicing democracy? D word “dumb” is a little bit too heavy and I regret using those heavy words before, so I try to improve my self but at d same time not too light because no fish will bite. Alan calls it trollbaiting. More fish to bite d better for me, it gives me more opportunity to show Marcos and Aquinos in different angle.

          Vibora, next time u think of me as fart of Marcos, think of yourself as “vomit of Aquinos”.

  2. youtube?!. harharhar! huwag ka nga magpatawa. kelan pa naging reflective of history ang mga videos sa youtube? how can it be said na “well” documented ang mga ito? mas bibigyan mo ng bigat ang mga youtube video makers na nagtatago sa ibang pangalan over real historians with real names? napaka-babaw ng appreciation mo ng history and reality…

  3. Gud pm, Mr. President, I am a supporter of your mother Cory Aquino. Makacory ako through and through. Pero after all these years, pagbigyan mo na mga marcoses. Cge na ibigay mo na ang kagustuhan nila. Pag nagawa mo, ikaw ang magiging bida. Tularan mo si King David sa bible, na kahit na ilang ulit siyang patayin ni King Saul, ay hindi nia magawang paghigantian nito. Maraming krimen c King Saul, pero noong namatay ito, nagluksa c King David. Binigyan nia ito ang state honors that befits a king and leader. At napag-isa nia ang kaharian ng Israel. Bigyan mo naman ang katahimikan ang pilipinas, ngaun na. Kay Marcos ka na makisama, huwag kay Obama. please

    • Pero bakit mo gustong pagbigyan ang mga marcos na hindi pinagbiyan ang bayan nila?

      Na kumamkam na limpak na limpak na salapi na dapat ay nasa kaban ng bayan?

      At ni walang sori?

      Hindi ba dapat pagbigyan muna ng mga Marcos ang bayan?

      • Ang sa akin lang naman, para magkaroon ng compromise ang gobyerno at mga Marcoses. Pag pinagbigyan cla ay sana naman magkaroon sila ng konsyensya. Total ang mga tao ang makapagsasabi kung talagang hero siya. Kung tutoo na kaya nila gusto tumakbo para mabawi mga frozen assets at mga perang nabawi ng gobyerno, di na yan maganda. Hindi magandang hakbang para sa isang tunay na reconciliation.

        • compromise without punishment promotes the idea of impunity. it encourages criminal behavior.

        • Just like d massacres done by Cory at Mendiola and Hacienda. No punishment for Cory, left a bad example for d next presidents.

        • Faye, get your facts right. The massacre was not done by Cory. But by forces under the direction of Alfredo Lim.

    • ate ang ganda ng sinabi mo.. isa ka ngang kristiyano.. i was just wondering, sa kaluluhod ni Pnoy sa Altar ng simbahang katolika.. bakit siya di niya naiisip iyan? :D well let the dead rest, and let us not only look on the bad side.. on the other hand, Mr.Marcos brought a lot of good deeds on our country.. Hindi NYO maidedeny iyan.

      • your opinions are very biased, you base your political analyzations on your own perspective and not on the people’s opinion when you are a journalist you should not put too much opinion because you are presenting a political hot potatoe to the republic not to yourself…

  5. wow ….what good thing.Then let noynoy be the president.Farewell marcoses….no comment.Hasta la vista baby……

  6. Raissa, thank you for the story. I am yet to read anything in the media that gives detailed background on the decision-making process on who gets to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The trusty Wiki page says it is administered by the PVAO, another website says it administered by the Grave Service Unit. I couldn’t find online the text for the original Executive Orders or Administrative Orders by which the Libingan ng mga Bayani was created. It would be interesting to see what the original intent of its creation was and whether there are any guidelines provided on the decision.

    I find it bizarre that we have a President delegating the decision to his VP, and a House Resolution on this but not a whisper from the people who actually manage the place.

    You might have more luck than me in finding out what the Libingan was actually created for (other than the obvious implied by its name) and the rules the institution has followed in selecting the heroes to be buried there.

  7. The Filipinos would be the laughing stock of the international community if we gave Marcos a hero’s burial.

    What was EDSA for? EDSA was a total rejection of Marcos. We booted him out. We were the model for the whole world. We reaped praise and accolades. And we kept on celebrating EDSA year in and year out.

    And now, Marcos is a hero? These Congressmen once again have shown their true character. No spines.

    • Phil, d philippines is already d laughing stock in d world. Philippines is now a joke in Hollywood, they say “Philippines is a big sewer.”. Philippines also buried Cory as a hero even though she massacred and plundered, wha d joke.

      • because there was no punishment for marcos and his cohorts. after martial law, they hung around to continue to wreak havoc on our country. and then some, like gma, followed his footsteps because of impunity.

  8. I agree with you, Raissa. In fact the message should be emphasized here that Marcos is not only disqualified from being buried as a hero but should be remembered as someone who did some criminal acts against Filipinos. Our country is in such a sorry state because of what he did. He not only stole, murdered, and violated several human rights, but also left a culture of corruption that we cannot seem to be rid of. I am sorry but Noynoy owes it to his parents and our people to stick to his guns. It will be his undoing if he allows Marcos to be buried as a hero. I really need a drink.

    • Cordi, when u talk, u talk like Cory did not murdered, massacred or plundered. U guys r a joke.

      • What i find murderous is your revision of history and your grammar. Level up on your grammar and history, girl!

        • Revision of history? Dude, it’s well documented, it’s in UTUBE, videos doesn’t lie. Those history u r talking about r all FABRICATED, just like d story about Bong2 being killed in London and d Bong2 right now is not d real Bong2. It’s a CONSPIRACY designed to lessen support 2 d Marcoses. Ur mind has been poisoned by those fabricated “history.”

        • I have this feeling you’re the type who believes that Jose Rizal is the father of Adolf Hitler, that the Apollo 11 moon landing was faked, and that Obama is a Muslim.

          Aside from your murderous grammar, I dont know if you are worth explaining to.

        • …and I have d feelin’ that u don’t believed those video footage of d massacre shown over and over again on all major TV networks here in d U.S. and there in RP when it just happen there at Mendiola Bridge. U can deny and deny, lie and lie until u die but that history, Mendiola Bridge Massacre, will always b there.

          U don’t know if I’m worth explaining to? Then why did u? That makes u sound so stupid.

        • Raissa,

          I think it’s a good idea to do a feature on these Fil-Ams who were born way after EDSA and have no idea what the Marcoses did and are now falling prey to youtube videos and revisionist history by those who want to resurrect the Marcoses.

          Faye, there are youtube videos of Bigfoot, alien abductions and Corona’s ever changing definitions of property ownership that you may want to watch. :)

        • Andrew, don’t make me laugh, I was born there and live there a good portion of my life. When I left d Philippines, Manila used to b so clean. In my vicatiions, it is now so dirty and smelly. Is that d change Cory made u r so proud of? Philippines is now a big joke in Hollywood. They say Philippines is a big sewer. Can u imagine d embarrassment we, Fil-Am, have to go to when they ask where we came from? Andrew, I hope u realize that a “sewer” is full of shit. That’s mean Andrew, Hollywood is calling u a piece of shit. Sad, isn’t it?

        • @Faye,
          You claim that Hollywood people are saying that Philippines is a big sewer. Well, who are these people anyway? Are they the same guys who were invited by the Marcoses to help them spent the moneys of the Filipino people?
          You seem to know more about Mendiola massacre, how about the Jabidah massacre during the time of Marcos? Did you know what happened after this murders particularly in Mindanao? If you still have no idea on what Marcoses had done to the Philippines, better ask your elders.

        • Massacres, murders and plunders happened on both presidents, therefore, they r both disqualified to b in d LNMB. But u guys “perverted justice” by allowing Cory and denying Marcos. Is that fair?

        • Faye, dont make me laugh. I went to the US last year for a vacation (that’s the correct spelling, not vicatiions) . I am proud to report to you that the bathrooms of In and Out Burger, even Shake Shack, the streets around Times Square in NYC and the bums all over Union Square in SF all stink. Is dirtiness and smelliness a monopoly of the Philippines? Do you take the subways in NYC?

          If you are embarassed as a Fil-Am then you are the one with a problem, since you dont have a firm grasp of who you are. All you have is your self-loathing, which the guys in Get Real Phils. blog do 24/7.

          I hardly care what Hollywood calls me. If Kim Kardashian is your idea of a role model, then I have nothing more to say. :)

        • Andrew, thanks 4 d correction, sometimes this so called “smart phones” try to “outsmart d user.

          Hey buddy, did u catch your mistake on your comments, u r comparing RP to d bathrooms of NY. Don’t u realize, bathroom also where shit are. Isn’t that proving my point?

          Andrew, u don’t have to say anymore. Well said, well said buddy.

        • Faye,

          The comparison was bathrooms in US fastfood joints to bathrooms in RP fastfood joints. I find the latter always cleaner. :)

          I presume you live in the Hollywood, CA area? There are a lot of Filipinos there, who when we meet there or when they come here, do not loathe themselves or their heritage. They know themselves well and lead productive, positive lives.

        • Andrew, welcome back buddy, I thought u said u have no more to say.
          I think u r a very smart guy, but just in case I’m wrong, let us look at it in a different angle. If your mom tells u “Andrew clean up your room”, would u say ur mom is loathing herself and u, or would u say that ur mom is trying to instill in u a higher value? If u still don’t understand, then, I understand. We r all have limits.

  9. I reject the Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani…Why??…he does not deserve it….for so many reasons..

    • I reject Corys burial to d libingan. Why? She massacred her own people and never said sori.

      • @Faye:
        How about the Marcoses? They plundered this country and us, its people. They killed so many, some of whom have not been found and may never BE found. And yet they maintain they have nothing to be sorry about. Apply your logic to your own patrons please and try to see.

        • Idde, I’m aware of Marcos and Corys record, they r similar except d massacre done by Cory. But now, u guys r PERVERTING JUCTICE by allowing Cory and denying Marcos at LNMB. Why? Is it because Cory went d extra mile called “massacre”. If u really apply logic like u said, then both of them r disqualified. And remember Idde, Cory did not say sorry, so why should d Marcoses.

        • @faye:
          I’m sorry, but it seems to me that you are either ignoring a large part of factual history. And your response to @andrew lim shows that you lived here for a long time before going to the US. The economy of the Philippines was actually improving. Yes, during marcos’ time it was improving. But the depth of his plundering negated that progress and even sunk us low into the abyss. He left the country with crippling debt and a bad reputation in the international community. The succeeding presidents (including Cory) were unable to get us out of that quagmire. Do I hold those presidents accountable. Definitely. But I can’t help but think that if our country hadn’t been dragged down so low, we wouldn’t be in this situation. You say Hollywood thinks we are a sewer? Sure. They may think that. But this sewer is my country. Somebody dragged my country into the status of a sewer should be held accountable I don’t care whose politics they have. However the root of the problem is the ultimate cause of this. The succeeding administrations may be inept, but we would not be in this if not for the very person who dragged us down.

          Please note that I am not thinking this way because I cannot move on. I am trying very hard not to repeat our mistakes and that was a huge one, letting a dictator rape and pillage and plunder our country with impunity.

          Long story short, you are obviously a loyalist. I am not saying I am the most objective person in the world, but I know I am more objective than you. You fail to see the faults of your patron and insist on nitpicking the faults of other administrations. Yes, they erred. Yes, they were not perfect. But you know what? On a net disadvantage to advantage ratio, they still did the country good.

          Why don’t you count yourself lucky you are in the U.S., where the worst that is happening to you is that the country you were born in is called a sewer. While most of us back here in OUR country are actually living in this “sewer”. The difference between us is we are working in our own way to change things for the better.

        • Former president of d U.S. Ronald Reagan once said, “You can accomplish a lot if u don’t care who will get d credits. Ninoy Aquino knew this, but he chose to work against Marcos and not with Marcos. Why? Because he wants d credit 4 himself. So, he led and encourage demonstrations against Marcos. D results of those video footage of demonstrations and chaos in d streets of Manila shown around d world drove tourists and businesses away. So, who is to blame in dragging d economy down? D demonstrators especially Aquino. I’m very please that Bong2 Marcos is not following Aquinos footsteps, it shows that he cares. D goods of d country that now showing is because he is willing to work with Pnoy, a wisdom that Ninoy did not understand. D facts that u don’t realize these makes it obvious that u r
          also a loyalist, an Aquino loyalist.

        • @Faye:
          You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine own. Just an FYI, I am not an aquino loyalist. I did not vote for him in the last presidential election. But now that he is here, and he seems to be doing a good job I totally support him.

          Back in Marcos time, when the killings, the disappearances were at their worst, I think a lot of people lost the stomach for him. I mean really, how much of that can a decent person take? I notice you gloss over that fact in each of your comments. You focus on Ninoy’s demonstrations against marcos. Tell me, did Ninoy kill anybody or have anybody killed during those demonstrations? Despite the fact that the Marcos administration resorted to silencing his critics with threats of murder and torture and the fact the Ninoy still chose to fight using non violent means tells me who is the better man of the two.

          Tell me, Faye. If all Ninoy wanted was the credit, why did he not stoop to Marcos level? You know that the easiest way to fight violence is with violence. But Ninoy knew that the cycle of violence will only end if it was ended through peaceful means, even though it was astronomically hard to do so and required so many sacrifices.

          You quote famous presidents but you know what? You hardly know anything about basic humanity. Democracy is freedom for all BUT as much as possible without curtailing the freedom of others. Selfish people will never get that right.

        • I am entitled to my own opinion and at d same time u r trying to negate my opinion? Idde, r u trying to make me laugh? If u do, I did not know I was talking to a clown.

          Demonstration is a double edge sword. Any time someone dies in d name of politics is always painful no matter with side your on, but do u really believe that they were killed if they did not demonstrate? If u do, then u r indeed a clown

          Demostration is causing trouble with d government, do u really believe that if u go look for trouble, u won’t find trouble? If u do, then, u r indeed a clown.

          Do u rally believe that d easiest way to fight violence is with violence.? If u do, then no doubt, u r a clown. It is actually d hardest and d most painful, it cost too many lives not to mention material things.

          I hardly know humanity? Do u really believe that u r more

        • Addendum (accidentally click on submit):
          …humane when all u do is clowning around.

          Do u really believe that “Democracy is freedom for all…”. if u massacre them while practicing democracy? If u do, then no doubt u r 100% a clown.

          Idde, please stop clowning around, no one is laughing at your joke, but chances r, people r laughing at u.

        • @Faye:
          I apologize if I came out a bit strong. I admit I disagree with you, but that’s no reason for me to comment that way. I feel strongly about this topic that is all. It was not my intention to negate your opinion. I was trying to convince you, really. But if you still disagree, then lets agree to disagree.

          Happy Easter!

      • Correction: Cory made it clear she DID NOT WANT to be buried at the Libingan. The Marcos family desperately wants their chief Sewer Rat planted there. Quite a contrast I must say. And yet another demonstration of how far behind the news you are. Or it must be hard to read in the darkness of a troll’s cave

        • Cory did not want to b at LNMB? Why did u guys chose to disrespect her wish?
          D fact that u guys also disrespect Marcos, means, u guys r group of people who don’t have respect. Yeah, admit, I’m late, I discovered this site only recently. But it’s better late than never.

        • did your high school teacher ever remark – frustratedly – on your idea of what passes for logic? You did go to high school, right?

        • Hmm….maybe your right, maybe my teacher failed to teach me. So, here’s your chance to educate me Alan. Let’s pretend u r my teacher, here is my question; “Mr. Robles, sir, what passes for logic?

    • Just a general comment. It is a wonder how many people fall prey to propaganda. But it is a greater wonder to me how some people take advantage of this for their own ends. I mean how much is enough for them? Will they stop if they own everything and everyone? Or will they continue on and move on to other places where they can impose their own will on other people?

      When will they be satisfied?

        • Ah, then that is a pit with no bottom. Instead of saying poor Filipinos and poor Pilipinas, let us strive to make sure we do not repeat our mistakes.

          Onward OPM!

        • Raissa, didn’t u read d part where I said “I’m pleased that Bong2 Marcos decide to work WITH Pnoy, instead of AGAINST Pnoy, unlike Ninoy who worked against Marcos? Do u still remember when I suggested to form a “Committee on Beutification and Cleanliness”? Is that sound like I really care who is in power? Pnoy will get all d credits, but that’s not important to me. What’s important is to get RP in a higher level than a sewer. A better place 4 your children and your grand children.

          Raissa, stop clowning around, it’s already bad to have 1 clown, but to make 2 clowns? That’s gonna make it worst. So, please, leave d clowning around to Idde.

        • Raissa, didn’t u read d part where I said “I’m pleased Bong2 Marcos decide to work with Pnoy and not against, unlike Ninoy who worked against Marcos? And do u still remember when I suggested to form a Committee on Beautification and Cleanliness? Is that sounds like I really care who is in power. And yeah, Pnoy will get all d credits, but that’s not important to me. What’s important is make RP in a higher level than a sewer. A better place for your children and grand children.

          Raissa, please stop clowning around, it’s already bad that we have 1, but to make 2 clowns, it’s gonna make it worst. Just leave it Idde.

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