Roque had filed a bill proposing to change the name of the Libingan ng mga Bayani to “Libingan ng mga Bayani at mga Dating Pangulo” (Cemetery for Heroes and Former Presidents) as a means to prevent public unrest in wake of opposition from some sectors to the planned burial of Marcos’ remains at the Hero’s Cemetery.
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She then put on the petitioners the burden to prove that only heroes must be buried at the national shrine when its basic goal is to honor “those who served the country in war and in peace time”.
Associate Justice Perlas Bernabe noted that there was no issuance that declares LNMB as national pantheon while Associate Justice Jose Perez noted that “there is no established body or agency who can determine who is a hero or not”.
They told the Supreme Court the evil that he has done.
But, the magistrate said it was the Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary of the Department of National Defense who have the final say who can be buried in the LNMB.
Now you heard one side of the high court.
Sereno also questioned the petitioners whether the judiciary is authorized under the Constitution to enact remedies for the petitioners.
Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo focused his questioning on where the petitioners would want Marcos to be buried if they were against at the Libingan.
She also said the interment of Mr. Marcos with full military honors goes against “the avowed intent of the members of the Constitutional Commission of 1986 to limit the powers of the President as a reaction to the abuses under the regime of Mr. Marcos”.
“President Marcos was dishonorably separated from the people in 1986”.
The OSG said Marcos earned his Medal of Valor for “prevention of the possible decimation of withdrawing USAFFE troops in a ‘suicidal action against overwhelming [Japanese] enemy forces, ‘ thus helping delay the inevitable fall of Bataan”.
The issue, Rep. Harry Roque of party-list group Kabayan also earlier said, is “whether he [Marcos] is entitled to be buried [at the Heroes’ Cemetery]”.
Mendoza said, citing information from Marcos’ daughter Imee, that even the Ramos administration that allowed the strongman’s remains to be brought to the Philippines provided it was buried in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Marcos’ hometown, hinged on national security considerations. The memorandum, dated August 7, informed Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Ricardo Visaya of Duterte’s verbal order on July 11 to prepare for Marcos’ hero’s burial.
RA 289 provides that the goal of the construction of a national pantheon is to perpetuate the memory of all the Presidents of the Philippines, national heroes and patriots for the inspiration and emulation of this generation and of generations still unborn.
The first batch of petitioners was led by former congressman and martial law-era political detainee Satur C. Ocampo, the second batch by former congressman Edcel C. Lagman, and the third batch by former Commission on Human Rights chairperson Loretta Ann P. Rosales, a victim of torture like Mr. Ocampo.
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Congress should have just named it the “Libingan ng mga Bayani at iba pa”.
