My exclusive analysis
By Raïssa Robles
Vice-President Jejomar "Jojo" Binay - PHOTO by Raissa Robles
It sure seems like he did.
When Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay gave President Benigno Aquino III his recommendation to bury Ferdinand Marcos with “military honors,” a smoking-gun document was attached to his recommendation, according to sources I interviewed.
My sources came from all sides of the issue, including the Marcos camp.
The document was to show that the Philippine government had promised the Marcos family way back in August 1992 to bury the dead dictator with military honors.
This is the promise that the Marcoses had been nagging PNoy to fulfill.
The problem is that Binay did not tell PNoy the entire story behind this document, which is an agreement between then President Fidel Ramos and the Marcoses. From what my sources told me, Binay did not put the document in context.
In other words, if you read only this document, you will really think that the Marcoses have the right to be very angry with the government for not fulfilling its end of the bargain.
But the one whose signature is on the document told me that he recalled Imelda Marcos making a handwritten note on this document. You will see that this note in Imelda Marcos’ own handwriting is missing from this very document that Binay gave PNoy.
In addition, behind this document were verbal promises made by both parties. Taken altogether, these would mean that it was the Marcoses who had broken their end of the bargain, and not the Philippine government.
Binay’s office refused to give me a copy of the document
I tried to get a copy of this document from Binay’s office after he had recommended “full military honors” for Marcos.
Unable to reach him directly, I personally phoned his spokesman Joey Salgado to please give me a copy of the recommendation Binay had submitted to PNoy, along with the attachments.
I also tried to ask Salgado questions about the attached document.
Salgado said he could not answer my questions nor could he fulfill my request to release them since both the recommendation to the president and the accompanying document were “confidential”.
I told him the documents were not a matter of national security so I could not see why they could not be released.
He told me to ask Malacañang Palace instead.
And so I asked the Palace to release them both officially. I got promises to have these cleared with PNoy, but these were not officially released to me.
Hmmm. I guess this was the price I had to pay for asking PNoy if he plays video games.
Out of the blue, though, one of my sources leaked the document to me.
Before I go any further, I’d like you to read it yourself so we can discuss it together. Here it is below:
Rafael Alunan's letter to Imelda Marcos is missing the words "temporarily interred", handwritten by Imelda Marcos, Alunan told me
First of all, the document was dated August 26, 1992 and signed by Rafael Alunan, the Local Government Secretary then of President Fidel Ramos.
Alunan told me earlier that Ramos had assigned him to deal directly with Imelda Marcos on the burial issue.
Ramos told me the same thing in my interview with him last June entitled:
Ramos also told me that he recalled imposing the following three preconditions on the Marcos family in exchange for the return of the body. First, it would NOT be buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani but would bypass Manila and be transported directly to Ilocos Norte. Second, it would be “given the honors befitting a major of the armed forces.” And third, it would be buried at once.
Ramos told me:
The major stipulation was signed by Imelda Marcos and Alunan. His remains shall be buried at the family burial grounds in Batac itself…The remains shall be buried on the 9th of September more or less, depending on the arrival of the direct flight.
At that time they were still negotiating clearances from the US FAA (Federal Aviation Authority).
I asked Ramos what kind of written agreement was signed by Alunan and Imelda Marcos. Ramos paused to think and said, “to my recollection it was an MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) or MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between Alunan and Imelda.”
Ramos said he was not there when the agreement was signed because his presence was not needed since it was such a low-level document.
So I asked Alunan if he could recall that document he had signed with Mrs. Marcos.
At first, Alunan told me that he did not sign any MOA or MOU with Mrs Marcos. Initially, he said that as far as he could recall, everything between them was verbal.
However, I asked him to check again. He got back to me and said:
Raissa, I did some research to check if I did sign an MOU with Imelda. Blame it on E.D.A.D. I don’t have it but I was informed that it matched what you wrote about. He was supposed to be buried on sep. 9, 1992 but mrs marcos wrote on the MOU “temporarily interred” which was considered an acceptable compromise at the time. The MOU was signed in Aug ’92. Hope we can put this dead issue to rest so to speak as there’s really no point in resurrecting it.
“Sent via BlackBerry from Smart”
I asked him if he had a copy of the MOU and he replied:
Yes i am informed that I did sign an MOU with Imelda Marcos in Aug ’92. No, like I said, I don’t have it. I’ll try to get a copy but that’s would be a long shot. Most likely it’s in the Presidential archives in Malacanan. Enough has been said of this matter and should not be resurrected. Imelda did agree to those points I stated earlier except that in the case of the burial on sept. 9, ’92 she indicated “temporarity interred.” that’s all I have so, i’m signing off.
I asked Malacañang Palace for a copy of the said MOU and was told it didn’t have it.
And then, VOILA!
A letter to Imelda Marcos with Alunan’s signature on it surfaced as an attachment to Binay’s recommendation to PNoy.
Without Ramos and Alunan’s explanations of what had transpired, this document gives everyone the impression that the government has an unfulfilled obligation to the Marcoses.
I asked Alunan to clarify the promised “military honors”
Among the questions I had asked Alunan via e-mail were the following –
1. Were military honors actually given to Marcos’ body? I learned yesterday that a seven-gun salute was given to the body. But the person I talked to (not Pres. Ramos) could not say whether it was given plane-side as the body was transferred to a caisson or during the wake.
2. Do you think the military honors given to Marcos’ body upon its arrival already satisfy the demands of the congressmen to give Marcos military honors? [Note: I was referring here to the House of Representatives resolution urging Marcos’ burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani with full military honors.]
3. Why did the Ramos administration, especially you as DILG secretary, never compel the Marcoses to actually bury his body between 1993 and 1998 as per prior agreement?
Alunan gave the following reply via Blackberry:
The AFP provided honors befitting a major but Marcos’ retired generals gave unofficial full military honors at his “burial”/entombment. Gun salutes are not done plane-side for safety and security reasons.. The answer to the second question is yes since FVR’s decision in 1993 was official. As for the third point, that he wasn’t buried is the Marcos family’s call. I believe FVR gave them that allowance for political reasons.
Then Alunan e-mailed me again:
As for the second question I leave that to the incumbent administration to tackle and find out for themselves given the Marcos’ track record of telling the truth.
I sure would like to hear Binay’s explanation on the document and why he did not talk to Ramos or Alunan about it.
_________________________________
Related Stories
Marcoses broke promise to bury FM’s body at once in Ilocos – Fidel Ramos
Part 2: PH gov’t bestowed Marcos’ body military honors in 1993 – Rafael Alunan
Part 3: Ferdinand Marcos’ magic tomb
enriqueb says
This might help i have a letter of then President elect Estrada approving the burial of Pres Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani i am trying to post it here but i cant paste it here
raissa says
copy it word for word na lang.
enriqueb says
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES. OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES COMPLEX MANILA. June 21 1998. Dear Mrs Marcos. I am writing you and your heirs concerning the burial of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. I have decided to grant permission upon my assumption to office,for his remains to be interred at the military cemetery in Fort Bonifacio.My motivation is simple i hope that by finally laying to rest his mortal remains the decade-long turmoil over this issue will subside. We can face our uncertain future as a united nation. I am confident we can agree that it is in everyone’s interest to keep the funeral rites as simple and solemn as possible.I have therefore decided to state the condition under which my agreement to the burial would be forthcoming. 1.The remains will be ferried to Villamor Airbase and forthwith brought to the cemetery for burial.There shall be no stops and no organize group shall be allowed along the route to the cemetery. 2.The funeral shall be limited to the immediate Marcos family members of not more than fifty (50) persons. 3.The rites should be religious in nature; no political statement should be made. These are my general conditions. I have instructed my Defense Secretary-designate Orlando Mercado to meet with you or your representatives to discuss other details. I hope that i can count on your understanding and cooperation in this regard. Very truly yours Signed. JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
enriqueb says
Does the approval of the Pres Estrada supercedes the letter of Sec Alunan
leona says
Capt./Lt. Ferdinand E. Marcos really a war hero in the Philippines in WW II? Is there truth or any doubt about this?
I have heard of this story long ago since about 1965-66 and on into the late ending of 1986. I personally and obviously do not know is he was a hero or not.
In the NEW YORK TIMES publication Jan. 23, 1986 (ww.nytimes.com/1986/01/23/world/marcos-wartime-role-discredited-in-t) it goes like this:
” WASHINGTON, Jan. 22— The Army concluded after World War II that claims by Ferdinand E. Marcos that he had led a guerrilla resistance unit during the Japanese occupation of his country were ”fraudulent” and ”absurd.”
“But documents that had rested out of public view in United States Government archives for 35 years show that repeated Army investigations found no foundation for Mr. Marcos’s claims that he led a guerrilla force called Ang Mga Maharlika in military operations against Japanese forces from 1942 to 1944.”
“Mr. Marcos declined today to respond to six written questions about the United States Government records, which came to light only recently. The questions were submitted to Mr. Marcos’s office this morning in Manila.”
“After repeated telephone calls to the Presidential Palace this afternoon, an aide explained that Mr. Marcos was busy with meetings and a campaign appearance and ”didn’t have the opportunity to look into the question.” The aide said the President might have a response later.”
“Between 1945 and 1948 various Army officers rejected Mr. Marcos’s two requests for official recognition of the unit, calling his claims distorted, exaggerated, fraudulent, contradictory and absurd. Army investigators finally concluded that Maharlika was a fictitious creation and that ”no such unit ever existed” as a guerrilla organization during the war.”
“In addition, the United States Veterans’ Administration, helped by the Philippine Army, found in 1950 that some people who had claimed membership in Maharlika – pronounced mah-HAHR-lick-kuh – had actually been committing ”atrocities” against Filipino civilians rather than fighting the Japanese and had engaged in what the V.A. called ”nefarious activity,” including selling contraband to the enemy. The records include no direct evidence linking Mr. Marcos to those activities.”
“Alfred W. McCoy, a historian, discovered the documents among hundreds of thousands of others several months ago while at the National Archives researching a book on World War II in the Philippines. Dr. McCoy was granted the access normally accorded to scholars, and when he came upon the the Maharlika files he was allowed to review and copy them along with others. Archives officials did not learn what the documents contained until after they were copied Richard J. Kessler, a scholar on the Philippines at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, said, ”Marcos’s military record was one of the central factors in his developing a political power base.” A War Hero at Home”
“The issue of Mr. Marcos’s medals is not addressed in the Army records.”
“Shortly after the war, the Army did recognize the claims of 111 men who were listed on the Maharlika roster submitted by Mr. Marcos, but their recognition was only for their services with American forces after the invasion of Luzon in January 1945. One document says the service that Mr. Marcos and 23 other men listed as Maharlika members gave to the First Cavalry Division in the spring of 1945 was ”of limited military value.”
“The Army records include conflicting statements on whether the United States intended to recognize the 111 men as individuals or as a Maharlika unit attached to American forces after the invasion. It is clear throughout the records that at no time did the Army recognize that any unit designating itself as Maharlika ever existed as a guerrilla force in the years of the Japanese occupation, 1942 to 1945.”
“These officers served in the Philippines during the war, supervising Filipino guerrillas in the areas where Mr. Marcos said his unit had operated. Even though most of them say they are strong supporters of Mr. Marcos today – one, Robert B. Lapham of Sun City, Ariz., said he spent 90 minutes with Mr. Marcos while in Manila last week -the officers also confirmed the basic findings in the records and said they had not been aware of Maharlika’s activities during the war. They also said they had not known of Mr. Marcos as a guerrilla leader until they read his claims later. ‘This Is Not True’ ”
“Ray C. Hunt Jr., a 66-year-old former Army captain who directed guerrilla activites in Pangasinan Province north of Manila during the war, said: ”Marcos was never the leader of a large guerrilla organization, no way. Nothing like that could have happened without my knowledge.”
“Mr. Hunt, interviewed at his home in Orlando, Fla., said he took no position in the current Phillipine election campaign, although he believed Mr. Marcos ”may be the lesser of two evils.”m
“Still, as he read through the records for the first time, including Mr. Marcos’s own description of Maharlika’s wartime activities, he said: ”This is not true, no. Holy cow. All of this is a complete fabrication. It’s a cock-and-bull story.</b?'' Cock-Bull mine.
"Today Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard L. Armitage, the senior Pentagon official in charge of military relations with the Philippines, said his aides had been unable to find any record that the original Army decision denying benefits to Maharlika had been challenged or investigated after the 1948 ruling. ''Subsequent to '48 I am unaware of any further appeals,'' he said."
"Donna St. John, a spokesman for the Veterans' Administration, said, ''We're not paying any benefits to Ferdinand Marcos.''
"Most of the document is written in the third person and describes a variety of exploits by Maharlika and Mr. Marcos, who was in his twenties at the time. ''It seemed as if the Japanese were after him alone and not after anyone else,'' it says at one point, referring to Mr. Marcos. The author is never identified, but in two places he lapses into the first person in discussing Mr. Marcos's exploits, indicating the writer was Mr. Marcos." [The 29-page document as 'the application' written by Marcos]
"The official records indicate that the Army grew suspicious of Mr. Marcos's claims right away. Mr. Marcos contended that he had been in a northern province ''in the first days of December 1944 on an intelligence mission'' and was not able to get back to Maharlika headquarters at that time because the American invasion force on Luzon cut him off from Manila."
"But in the first recorded response to Mr. Marcos's recognition request, in September 1945, Maj. Harry McKenzie of the Army noted that the American invasion of Luzon had not actually begun until a month later and ''could not have influenced his abandoning his outfit.''
"As a result, Major McKenzie suggested an ''inquiry into the veracity'' of Mr. Marcos's claims. And almost two years later, the Army wrote Mr. Marcos to notify him of the official finding that his application for recognition ''is not favorably considered.'' Why the U.S. Said No."
"* Maharlika had not actually been in the field fighting the Japanese and had not ''contributed materially to the eventual defeat of the enemy.''
* Maharlika had no ''definite organization'' and ''adequate records were not maintained.''
* Maharlika was not controlled adequately ''because of the desertion of its commanding officer,'' Mr. Marcos, who eventually joined an American military unit while in northern Luzon at the time of the American invasion.
* Maharlika could not possibly have operated over the wide area it claimed because of problems of terrain, communications and Japanese ''antiresistance activities.''
* ''Many members apparently lived at home, supporting their families by means of farming or other civilian pursuits and assisted the guerrilla unit on a part-time basis only.''
"x x x But one document, dated May 31, 1945, says 6 officers and 18 men led by Mr. Marcos and indentifying themselves as Maharlika had ''been employed by this unit,'' the Army's First Cavalry Division, ''guarding the regimental supply dump and performing warehousing details.'' Their work, the document added, was ''of limited military value.''
"In 1982 and 1983 journalists in the Philippines and the United States, as well as Representative Lane Evans, Democrat of Illinois, tried to determine the validity of the American awards to Mr. Marcos, including the two Bataan-related medals. The Pentagon, in replying in 1984 to Mr. Evans, noted that no official ''citations for these awards'' could be found, but ''they were both attested to in affidavits by the Assistant Chief of Staff'' of the Philippine Army."
"After he was turned down, Mr. Marcos asked for reconsideration. An Army captain, Elbert R. Curtis, inquired further but concluded that ''the immensity'' of Mr. Marcos's claim that Maharlika served over the entire island of Luzon was ”absurd.” Bold mine.
“After checking intelligence records, Captain Curtis wrote that there was no mention of Maharlika being a source of intelligence information. He wrote that the unit roster was a fabrication, that ”no such unit ever existed” and that Mr. Marcos’s claims about Maharlika were ”fraudulent,” ”preposterous” and ”a malicious criminal act.”
“Another Army document said Maharlika ”possessed no arms prior to the arrival of the Americans” despite Mr. Marcos’ claim that the unit had 474 assorted weapons and 3,825 rounds of ammunition. The second investigation concluded that ”it is quite obvious that Marcos did not exercise any control over a guerrilla organization prior to liberation” in January 1945.”
“Although there is no record that Mr. Marcos filed any further objections to those 1948 findings, another Filipino, Cipriano S. Allas, who was listed as a senior Maharlika officer, wrote the Army in 1947 asking for reconsideration of the unit. That request was denied, too.”
“Mr. Allas said he had commanded Maharlika’s intelligence section. But numerous American officers and Filipinos who were interviewed by Army, Veterans’ Administration and Philippine investigators said Mr. Allas and some of his men had in fact been selling commodities to the Japanese during the war.”
“In a 1947 Army document titled ”Report on Ang Mga Maharlika,” Lieut. William D. MacMillan wrote that two American officers, including Mr. Lapham, and one Filipino officer had told investigators that ”they had heard” Mr. Marcos’s name ”in connection with the buy and sell activities of certain people,” referring to the black-market sales to the Japanese, but that the three had added that they had no firm information about Mr. Marcos.”
“In a file titled ”Guerrilla Bandits and Black Marketeers,” a Philippine Army document concluded that Mr. Allas and several other men listed on the Maharlika roster ”engaged themselves in the purchases and sale of steel cables,” an important wartime commodity, to the Japanese. ‘What a Farce!’ ”
“A United States Veterans’ Administration investigation concluded that some men who claimed membership in Maharlika and another organization were ”hoodlums” who had committed ”atrocities” and were ”tied together only for nefarious reasons.”
“One man who said he was a member of Maharlika told investigators that the unit ”had committed themselves to trafficking in the sale of critical war materials to the brutal enemy,” the report said, ”but only to provide means of watching that enemy.”
”What a farce!” the V.A. investigator concluded.
“None of the former officers interviewed this week said they remembered any involvement by Mr. Marcos in the black-market activities or abuses of civilians.”
“Mr. Hunt said he met Mr. Marcos only once during the war, sometime in 1944. A Filipino military officer ”brought him into my guerrilla headquarters,” Mr. Hunt recalled. ”He was barefoot, unarmed. We talked for 15 or 20 minutes about this or that. He was never identified to me as a guerrilla, and we didn’t talk about guerrilla activities.”
”I had no further contact with him,” Mr. Hunt added, ”and I didn’t hear anything more about him.”
Did VP Binay make any efforts to this NYTimes report dated Jan. 23, 1986 to check for truth whether FM is a hero or not?
Politics or no politics, I would have if I were the one commissioned by PNoy to make a recommendation whether FM should be laid to rest as a hero and given military honors etc. And maybe get all the hatred for what I’d recommend in honest truth of the whole WW II story of FM.
:-)
leona says
Link of NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/23/world/marcos-s-wartime-role-discredited-in-us-files.html?pagewanted=1
leona says
What is the truth? – How A Traitor Became A Dictator – The Marcos Myths of World War 2
Link
https://alwayswearingblack.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/the-marcos-myth-of-world-war-2-how-ferdinand-marcos-became-president/
leona says
Marcos Blasts U.S. Reports He Was a Phony War Hero : American Records Fail to Back Him
January 23, 1986|From Times Wire Services
http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-23/news/mn-28079_1_war-record
leona says
Ferdinand Marcos’ so-called Medal of Valor – the Philippines’ highest war medal awarded to a soldier for bravery – is “highly suspicious”, military historian Dr. Ricardo Trota Jose said.
Raissa Robles
https://raissarobles.com/2011/05/22/part-2-marcos-medal-of-valor-highly-suspicious-says-filipino-war-historian/
leona says
If Binay VP did try to mislead PNoy, Binay VP will try to mislead Pinoys!
Thanks Raissa Robles.
Gabrielino says
Did Fidel Ramos really believe the family of his first cousin were capable of living up to any of their commitments?
Did they really have any right whatsoever to demand any arrangements only suited to their warped whims?
With al the plunder they did and still keep for themselves, they actually don’t even deserve to be allowed to BEG for the carcass to be transported to Ilocos by the sea and fed to the sharks.
Manuel C. Diaz says
Marcos body should have been tied on a post and shot by a firing squad not 21 gun salute. Marcos should be given similar treatment to Cromwell a British usurper and a dictator whose body was exhumed and hanged!
Manuel C. Diaz says
Marcos body should have been tied to a post and shot by a firing squad not 21 gun salute. Marcos should be given similar treatment to Cromwell a British usurper and a dictator whose body was exhumed and hanged
arrow says
Ang problema, ang mga tao ngayon nag wisen up na nga, wisen up to recieve money tuwing election. Lahat naman ng mga kandidato tuwing election namimili ng boto sa ibat ibang paraan kaya di tayo makapili ng mabuting candidato para sa posisyon. Dapat din sana pagkatapos ng election, lahat ng mga natalo mag cooperate at makipagtulungan sa mga kandidatong nanalo para maibigay sa mga pilipino ang mga kinakailangang ibigay para mamuhay na tiwasay at maunlad na bayan. Wag na sana pointing of fingers on who did this and that. What we need is a true democracy and cooperation to be successful.
baycas says
Bakit hindi dapat ilibing si Marcos sa LNMB?
1. Dahil buhay pa si Marcos at mga kampon niya…este…ang Marcos Ideology ang tinutukoy ko.
2. Dahil hindi lang ang pangalan niya ay “Bayani” kungdi si Marcos ay hindi naman talaga bayani.
3. Dahil ayokong makapiling ni Levi Celerio at Nick Joaquin si Marcos.
4. Dahil…wala lang…ayokong mailibing doon si Marcos dahil naging isa siyang diktador.
baycas says
Buti na lamang ay nasa Taguig ang LNMB…
Dahil kung ang ‘himlayan’ ay nasa Makati…
Baka ngayo’y tatawagin na siyang “Libingan ng mga Binay.”
baycas says
Ang LNMB ay minsan nang naging pre-wedding pictorial (o pre-nup photo shoot) venue.
Nguni’t, datapuwa’t, subali’t, ang LNMB ay sadyang inilaan para sa himlayan ng mga yumaong magigiting:
baycas says
‘Facts’ coming from Alquiza through Pascual:
TRIUMPH says
mga bayani ba talaga ang nililibing sa Libingan ng mga Bayani? Marami rin sa kanila ay corrupt..palitan na lang ang pangalan nito….LIbingan ng mga Sundalo. then… Saka ilibing si Marcos.
raissa says
you’re kidding, right?
why don’t we just put up a separate cemetery and call it – Plunderers’ Row.
leona says
. . . or The Burying Fields of Unknown Corrupt Soldiers
he he he
chit navarro says
Written in 2011 October but very relevant today, almost 3 years to the day it was written.
Yes, the VP has the habit of turning things to his advantage. And if he selects Bongbong Marcos as his VP, what will happen to our country?
Only two things will happen –
we will either sink to the bottom of the sea
OR if the Holy Spirit descends on them boith strongly and whacks their consciences, Philippines will become the richest country in the wiorld, beating probably US and Japan –
if the Marcoses will brinbg out all their gold and bullions and cash deposits, etc.
and Binay will make the PHilippines an enlarged version of Makati City and will provide every citizen with a yellow card, senior citizens card, free education from elementary to college, etc.
We can always dream, can’t we?
Atin says
This should go viral. Thanks, Raissa.
raissa says
pero ano ang kapalit?
vander anievas says
“We can always dream, can’t we?”
pag ang dalawa ang nailuklok, ewan kung makuha pa nating mangarap.
baka sa kapapalatak pa lang mag-collapse na tayo…
palagay ko lang ay puro kasiphayuan ang mag-aantay sa atin…
leona says
. . . or another TWO things can happen –
a consolidated/joint IMPEACHMENT and Senate trial against Binay and Bong2 Marcos a wacko fiesta!
he he he
El Bobo De Camino says
VP Binay is a master of hiding something in order to camouflage his real intentions. He made the recommendations because he was looking ahead to his presidential ambitions, knowing fully well that PNoy will never, ever allow that burial. He was courting the support of the Marcoses and his loyalists! Now that he is leading in the surveys he is assured of the Solid North support and perhaps with Bongbong Marcos as his running mate! GOD SAVE THE PHILIPPINES!
I wish Raissa to write about the unexplained wealth of VP Binay.
deftones_83 says
Kaya wala kayong karapatan mgreklamo na maraming corrupt walang trabaho,una palang dapat alam nyo kong bkit pinatupad martial law! hndi ung nasaktan, human rights, daw kuno! dala ng walang disiplina s sarili democracy nyo ipagyabang nyo ngaun rape,nakawan,patayan,gutom,prostitute,corruption ….minamaliit ng ibang bansa…. ung respeto nila noong s pilipino napakataas ngaun….pero di nyo alam halos lahat ng ginawa nya s bansa ntin pinapakinabangan ntin…..ito p ung gaganti nyo s kanya simple lng ung gsto nya! gets nyo! bkit my martial law? tigas kasi ng ulo kya habang buhay din ntin pgba2yaran yan! s kanya….
jampi says
oo baka habang buhay na natin babayaran ang napakalaking pag kakautang ng pilipinas dahil kay marcos sa loob ng 20 years di man lang nya kaya bayaran kahit punti unti kung matalino siya, bobo.
tagasampaloc says
I find your writing concise and factual. I am loving it.
I am against FM burial in LNMB. Like you said he set the gold standard of corruption for all; but the worst was corrupting the military to buy their loyalty, a practice that causes many crimes to emerge like murders, human rights abuse/violation, abduction and kidnapping and others. The military has become powerful that the generals would rather be “the revolving door ” that determines who is the president that will stay or exit than soldiers. It’s not like this before FM and we can’t undo what he did!
Virgilio Aviado says
Welcome back Raissa, your articles really rock!
Dan says
Raissa,
I truly enjoyed your work.
Thanks.
Dan
raissa says
Thanks, too, for reading.
lina villa says
yes binay misled pnoy. he did not attach the attachment (letter of sec. alunan to imelda) which has the full instructions at giving the late marcos a heroes burial with full military honors as a war veteran and as afp.
it is marcos’ constitutional rights to be interred into the libingan, considering that he used to be president of the country for long.
binay should have acted sincerely on this issue because this divides the nation. this could have been done long time ago.if he is aspiring for presidency come 2016, he should have been very careful at posting his recommendation on the marcos burial. now that this issue came up at misleading his boss, most likely he won’t get nothing during the election.
and pnoy had no intentions of allowing a heroes burial for marcos, even at the inception of his presidency, why binay was given the task to source out information on the issue and provide the needed recommendation, only to find out that it was just a game. what a waste of time and time wasted never returns.
chijap says
At no part in our constitution that a President must be given a spot at the LNMB. Quezon is an obvious example of a President who did not claim this constitutional right.
It is a military order to make plot available to categories such Presidents. Its an honor extended for services rendered, but not a right.
notchfilter says
Then, maybe what other’s thought was PNoy’s indicisiveness for handing down to Binay the task of making the decision regarding the burial issue could be in fact a clever move to test the leanings of Binay.
It seems to me that PNoy is really decided from the start never to allow the burial.
I’ve received a number of Binay’s text blasts, I hope he doesn’t become a president of PH.
Maria Elizabeth Embry says
Raissa,
P-Noy underestimated the height of VPBinay’s political ambition.
akala ni P-Noy dahil pro Cory si Binay ay ang magiging desisyun ay walang military burial sa Libingan nang mga Bayani at walang military honor para kay Macoy
nung araw yun
ngayon political strategy ni Binay ay mamangka sa dalawang ilog
kaya nga ba sinabi nang isa sa mga Marcos (si Imeee yata) maghihintay nang susunod na Presidente
hindi pa ba sapat ang misplaced sentiments nang mga Pinoy na patuloy na bigyan nang karangalan ang mga kurap na politico at kanilang pamilya?
kaya tayo ay pinagtatawanan nang buong mundo dahil marami sa ating Pinoy ay enablers nang mga kurap
Sincerely,
Maria Elizabeth
jorge bernas says
@ Maria Elizabeth Embry,
Tama po kayo, Pagtatawanan tayo nang buong Mundo kapag pinayagan natin ilibing sa Libingan nang mga Bayani si dating presidente Ferdinand Marcos Sr. dahil sa mga kasong katiwalian, dayaan sa eleksiyon, abuso sa kapangyarihan, patayan at marami pang iba kaya nga nag PEOPLES POWER tayo para mapatalsik at mapalayas nating mga Marcoses noong 1986.
NO TO MARCOS
NO TO BINAY
NO TO UNA
YES TO MIRIAM / DUTERTE for PRES./ VICE PRES. or
YES TO ROXAS / CAYETANO for Pres. / V.P. or
YES TO CAYETANO / TRILLANES for Pres. / V.P.
dar cortez says
Let’s not foget the past, dont let this one take our democracy.
Bart Molina says
Die with the past too, BECAUSE TOMORROW IS ALREADY MADE BLEAK DUE TO YOUR INSISTENCE OF LOOKING BACKWARDS.
RamonaBulbulugan says
BUGOK!!! learn from tha past, not live in it.
chijap says
For those who advocate simply forgetting about the past, then you are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Its a pity you haven’t thought that Filipinos forgive and forget way too fast that politicians run off from their crimes by taking advantage of this defect.
Dar Cortez says
Let’s not forget the past , don’t let this ambitious one take our democracy.
Dar Cortez says
Thanks to all filipinos who cares for democracy,Binay’s political ambition was revealed.We learn from the past let’s not allow the Marcoses to change the history.
Rochie says
i was a 2nd year college student at UP in ’72. at kamia residence hall, we were always reminded to prepare wet towels at night, before going to bed, as a precaution against tear gas effects just in case the military decides to forcibly enter the dorms and put us all in stockades for being “reds”. those were very scary days and nights. two of my best teachers in Filipino disappeared during the martial law years, never to come back to their families. hundreds of thousands more stories of terror come to light now, and the Marcoses still insist their patriarch is a hero? beats me!
Lorena says
I remember his inauguration to office as veep was calculated to grandstand Noynoy’s
Gintong Lahi says
VP Binay can’t hide his true colors. Political ambition is foremost on his personal agenda. He will blackmail anybody just to attain his ambition. He will keep Pres PNoy on the dark and will screw the President left and right just to get pogi points to enhace his presidential ambition. WE must be careful and must always watch for this political animal – HE is showing many indications to taking advantage of the Filipino people. He is one silent greedy politician. Read his background. He already had compromised with the Marcoses to obtain Ilocandia’s votes in future elections.
raissa says
Let’s see.
leona says
subaybayan mo sa tagaytay mayroon seisenta hektarya doon puno ng imported items pero pangngalan ng karetaker lang ‘di sa kanya
a. hernandez says
Agree ako. Dapat talagang bantayan yang si Binay. Maraming diskarte yan na sumisira kay P-Noy. Huwag pakakabulag ang presidente natin na kasangga niya yan dahil nagCory-Cory yang Binay na yan. Ginamit lang niya si Cory to further his ambition. Tignan ninyo ang Makati. Hindi na binitawan ng pamilya Binay yan hanggang ngayon. Tatay ay bise-presidente, ang anak na lalake ay mayor at yung anak na babae eh congresswoman. Yan na ang kapalit ni Marcos mientras hindi nakaka-upo yang si Bongbong sa Malacanang (maka-upo naman kaya?). Sana mag-dugasan na lang sila ni Bongbong kung sino ba talaga papalit kay Macoy.
jorge bernas says
@ a. hernandez,
Dagdag kolang dahil 2014 na ngayon, Ang dating OJT na anak na si Nancy Binay ay pinatakbong senador at nanalo naman dahil sa mga BOBONG BOTANTE….at lima na sila dahil ang asawang si Dra. Binay ay naging mayor din nang makati at mas kaso na naman hinaharap ngayon tungkol sa Ghost Employees sa Makati? Ganyan sila sa Makati?
No to Binay
No to Marcos
No to UNA
nida50 says
MAY TANONG AKO HALIMBAWA SI BINAY ANG MAMATAY ANO ANG I ADDRESS SA KANYANG LIBINGAN ? LIBINGAN BA NG CORRUPT? ME TOO.
ABSOLUTELY
NO TO BINAY
NO TO MARCOS
YES MAR ROXAS
YES.GRACE POE
YES MIRIAM
CAYETANO
TRILLANES
jjvillamor says
true colors? What color is that? LOL
I think his home stretch black propaganda against Roxas using Chit Escudero is the dirtiest election propaganda last 2010.
berto de los santos says
a lot of commotion over a few bones
raissa says
Yes.
but if you don’t make a commotion right now, those bones will form the skeleton of a brand new Marcos presidency.
Bart Molina says
You may already be irrelevant by then, as supporters are growing. Just the same, I wiah I could lick all wounds.
raissa says
You wish.
chijap says
Don’t be too sure of what you say fellow poster.
People are not always stupid. They may be from time to time but they wisen up.
VGAIII says
Binay cannot be trusted. He himself exposed his true colors, it is something the Filipino people should be aware of. The Marcoses don’t deserve any kind of honors, respect and gratitude from us. Their 20 yrs of ruling the country was a very very bad influnce especially to the Arroyo. They should be punished for their wrongdoing.
raissa says
Tell him what you think.
nida50 says
I BELEIVED BINAY IS BALIMBIMG. He has no word of honor .
HOW CAN WE TRUST HIM TO BE A LEADER OF PHILIPPINES.
I never trust him at all.
Ernie C says
Binay’s side has not yet been heard, so every brickbat thrown at him right now is not fair.
raissa says
I agree.
But the longer he keeps quiet, the more bricks…
Bart Molina says
As long as those bricks only come from haters’ walls. And then they will all be bare naked of their true skin tones, that they only hated just to be “in”.
chijap says
Exposing the truth is not equal to hate.
Hate is when one reacts to someone hiding from the truth.
Unfortunately, the more Binay hides the truth or avoids addressing this confusion, the bigger the probability people will doubt his sincerity and may actually hate him.
hiddendragon says
Bart, perhaps you do not realize why we throw bricks at Binay.
Yes, we hate Binay, For a bunch of perfectly good reasons.
We hate Binay because we believe he espouses corruption, deception, double-crossing, thievery. If you disagree, that’s your opinion, we respect that, but don’t lay suspicion or malice on our motives. Let’s just focus on what kind of values we believe someone destined to run our country should espouse.
hiddendragon says
It is not as if he does not have a fair chance to respond.
That he does not is his choice, and his choice alone.
So let us not call this unfair. Instead, let’s call it what it is: a calculated ploy of silence to wait it out or in preparation for a counterattack.
nida50 says
No need to hear the side of BINAY BECAUSE IT IS PROVEN THAT HE IS A LIAR.
D'Arcy says
Marcos did serve the first half of his administration wisely.
Binay on the other hand must’ve been pressured to give such a recommendation to PNoy. We all know politics is neither this nor that. If he had aspirations for 2016 I personally don’t think the Marcoses are gonna support him.
Simply put it: A dead leader/dictator waits to be buried, all the victims of Martial law are either buried or will be buried eventually. In short, we’ll all end up six feet below the ground. A burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani with full military honors will not change how history will look upon Marcos. We have a duty that wherever a hero or a dictator or a former president be buried, we shall make their stories known to the younger generation. In Marcos’ case, wouldn’t it insult his proud soul to lie among people loved in life and death? While he is despised among many other things..
raissa says
Oh, but burying Marcos at Libingan is intended to change the future course of our history.
Sen. Bongbong Marcos will use this as a platform to launch his presidency.
Bart Molina says
So you’d rather have Pacquiao than Bong bong, duh?
raissa says
You’re a clown.
Pacquiao can’t run for president yet in 2016. He’s too young. Only 38.
Bart Molina says
He’ll be eligible by age in no time.
chijap says
But not in 2016.
There are better candidates than Binay, Bongbong, or Pacquiao.
I’m just surprised si Pacquiao ang una mong naisip.
Let’s hope none of the three will be President in the near or far future.
leona says
ano kamo? pacman para presidente? baka naloloko na sila! tapos na tayo kay noli de cas…may isa nanaman? “I support human trafficking!”…hehehe…pacman yan!
wendy says
Fat chance that he will still turn around for the better, Ms. Raissa. He has the word AMBITION written all over his forehead in big capital letters. He just lost my vote and that of my family. He cannot be trusted to put our countrys’ welfare over his own.
Gani Manalo says
Hi Raissa,
I was a high school senior when martial law was declared and experienced the negative effect of it to the fullest. Many are experiencing lost of memory on how this bloody part of Philippine history is now being caterred to our Pinoy Youth. We need a responsible journalist like you to lead and provide accurate picture of martial law regime to the current breed of Pinoy Youths & Nationalists from where a new “NInoy” may come out. Thank you once again.
raissa says
Pls. share your experiences with others so we won’t ever forget.
Thank you for visiting my site.
Bart Molina says
You can never ever dream of a bright future as even all your wisdom is already embraced by bad thoughts and negative vibes.
raissa says
You mean negative vibes toward the Marcoses?
And you?
Bart Molina says
Teach your children about the Marcoses too. Because you have all the luxury of time – and that they’d surely love it more than for them to be minding what they want in life.
pinoy524 says
why don’t you write your own commentary/blog since you seem to be full of great thoughts on this.
chijap says
We are reminding our children, the future, of what the past is trying to hide.
Dr. Sid Phil says
Binay did it only with one thing in mind which is to be in the palace after 2016 election. He was a street Parlimentarian during the Martial Law years and now, he lost his principle for what he stands for. And eventually, lost all the votes of the Aquino loyalists. Why give the dictator full military honors when he left the country dying? Thank God we know Binay and his intentions this early! Marcos doesn’t deserve any honors at all and I do not know why some Filipinos elected the Marcoses in office. Clearly because of their tons of money that they bleed the country dry during the dictator’s rule.
Thank you Raissa Robles for enlightening the people.
michael says
Gusto ko lang po itanong ito sa mga Kristyanong naturingan: Paano mo iibigin ang Diyos na di mo nakikita kung di mo kayang ibigin ang kapwa mo na nakikita mo???
1. Marunong ka bang magpatawad sa mga taong nagkasala sa iyo kahit hindi siya humingi nito? (para sa mga Human Right Victims)
2. Marunong ka bang humingi ng tawad kahit alam mo na hindi mo ito ginawa? (para sa Marcoses)
Kung OO ang sagot sa 1 and 2. Tapos ang issue.
Walang issue. Walang naisulat si Raissa Robles.
raissa says
Alam mo, baluktot yung logic mo, lalo na yung No. 2.
Inaasume mo na na wala silang ginawa.
pinoy524 says
masyado mong pinasimple ang 20 taon na pagnanakaw ng pamilyang marcos. ininsulto mo pa ang maraming pilipinong nagdusa sa administrasyon ni makoy, lalo na ang mga biktima ng martial law years. sa tingin mo, tatanggapin kaya ng mga biktima at ng kanilang mga pamilya ang suhestiyon mo?
walang naisulat si raissa robles? ikaw, asan ang mga isinulat mo? bakit hindi mo ilantad ang mga nasasaisip mo sa isang komentaryo gaya nito para malaman mo kung maraming pilipino na katulad mo rin.
pinay710 says
@michael. feeling righteous ka ba? tanungin mo ang sarili mo.
Rafael M. Alunan III says
Raissa, your account is accurate as far as I know. i think the word negotiate is a misnomer. “Official position” is more like it. I delivered the Ramos administration’s position as follows in 1992:: the late-FM’s body to be flown directly to Ilocos Norte; it would have to be buried there immediately; and that mlitary honors due a major in the Armed Forces would be rendered. These were contained in a MOA signed between Mrs Marcos and me. The conditions were met or carried out except for the requirement for an immediate burial, which Mrs Marcos decided that it be an interment instead ala Stalin. Bongbong Marcos, then a Congressman, called for a hearing to demand an explanation why his father was being prevented from being buried at the Libingan. I told him that FM’s regime was overthrown just six years earlier antd that the wounds inflicted by the dictatorship on society were still fresh. To allow it would heighten the probabilitty of bloodshed and as Interior Secretary I said that I would never allow that to happen, not on my watch. It didin’t happen and still hasn’t. (So what is that idiot screaming about?) .
leona says
tama yun tawag na “idiot.”
chijap says
Thank you Mr. Alunan and Raissa on clarifying/re-stating facts.
From what i can see, the family should have simply buried the body at their estate. There is no shame if Marcos is not at the LNMB. It does not make him a lesser man. Its his acts when he was a man that would do such a thing.
Of course the only real reason they want the body buried at the LNMB is for one simple thing: publicity.
Joe says
Binay is playing safe! Baka nga naman mawalan cya ng boto sa Norte.
pinoy524 says
sana mawalan sya ng boto so buong pilipinas.
chijap says
Assuming the reason for his “travel” abroad does not get him first before he runs for president.
Nasa Europe for “vacation” si Binay.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/7753-binay-on-koko-bahala-na-siya-doon
raissa says
Baka for stem cell rejuvenation therapy.
pelang says
From the looks of it, Binay’s color is typical of a person suffering from liver and kidney infection. My late father died of cirrhosis of the liver and during his last few months while he was still working, his color changed. His complexion became very dark. and only later on he was found out to be sick and it was already too late.
Karl says
this is interesting and at the same time very informative! me linaw na ang issue ngayon salamat sa iyo Ma’am Raissa.
coach says
si binay kasi ay election nya pagka presidente ang nasasa isip. gusto nya na makakuha ng pogi points sa mga marcos loyalists at maski prinsipyo nya ay ipagpapalit. ayun , nawalan siya tuloy ng suporta sa mga biktima ng martial law at mga dati nyang kasamahan na mga anti marcos rallyistas….
.
raissa says
bigyan natin siya ng pagkakataong magpaliwanag.
Maria Elizabeth Embry says
Raissa,
VPBinay’s action speaks louder than his words
numero unong opportunist!!
Al says
Yes, I agree with Equalizer Post. Ewan ko ba bakit may naniniwala pa kay Jejomar Binay hanggang ngayon.
Mark Anthony Bolivar Andrade says
BINAY is at his best today serving as VP, he needs to invest for a dream that may possibly become a reality. I had nothing against VP Binay until he came to a recommendation of full military honor for marcos burial. For me, I mean just for me, MARCOS even a former member of the Philippine Armed forces does not deserve the military honor. . . What he’s done “good or even best” as a former military was erased during his mis management of the government during his presidency. It pushed our gov’t to the brink of bankruptcy, recession while other nations are growing, there was no peace and order, democracy is not in effect during his regime, and most of all – HE KILLED NINOY AQUINO –
Bart Molina says
Yeah, I saw Marcos pulled the trigger.
chijap says
I’m sure figuratively right?
The EQualizer Post says
Nothing surprises me about Jojo Binay. What really surprised me is the letter of Raffy Alunan.
I always thought Raffy had always a principled stand on the issue of the Marcoses.
Raffy: AKALO KO,KUNG MAY PANIWALA KA,MANINDIGAN KA!
raissa says
He was directed by Ramos to negotiate.
Nidalyn says
when i first learned Mr.Binay as a vice president, i was already very very dis appointed co’z i knew he will never ever do any good thing for our beloved country, except for his own interest and ambitions. Even in making decisions in the government,we always noticed that Mr Binay makes or choses the decisions contrary to the decisions of our good and rigthful president Benigno Aquino Jr.
raissa says
He may still surprise us all.
I hope.
Rallie F. Cruz says
Great men of the Old Testament said to be chosen by God were just as cunning and cheat as Jojo Binay. the best of them was Solomon (next to Jacob who deceived his father posing as Esau) who made sure his competition will not be a hindrance to his assumption to the throne.
So, I would agree with you Raissa on this matter.
I just hope that the negatives that we see from JB is merely a political placings of his interest in the coming biggest event in 2016.
I just hope also his actions will not be overcooked like his skin which may expose the dark side of his ambition to become another one who will plunder the nation.
ROMAN RAMA GUERRERO says
We cannot allow them – Binay and Marcoses – to change the future course of our history which is why it is now imperative that we, the People, as PNoy’s BOSS should intervene to undertake a People’s Initiative and Referendum (PI & R) pursuant to RA 6735 in order to correct – among 5 other factually erroneous or ambiguous – provisions of the 1987 Constitution to effect the (a) re -commitment of our people to our People Power-restored Freedom and Democracy and (b) start a new beginning for the 6th Philippine Republic with the make-overed and re-ratified 1987 Constitution to put closure to all the divisive issues surrounding the EDSA 1986 Event.
leona says
not suprise but SHOCKED us all!