A hero’s burial for corrupt dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos would be a dishonor to the people who overthrew him in 1986.
The Marcos dictatorship caused untold sufferings to many Filipinos. Thousands were abducted, detained, tortured and killed. Some of the disappeared remain missing to this day, probably already dead and buried without being accorded the dignity worthy of those who have sacrificed their lives for the people, and many of them young Filipinos put to death for joining the clamor for meaningful social change.
Marcos persecuted those who opposed him and his iron rule. Progressive organizations were declared illegal. How could we ever forget the horrors of martial law?
It would be a crime to honor Marcos as a hero. Not only that, it would redefine a hero as one completely opposite to the hero as we know him today.
Do we have to put Marcos in the pantheon of heroes, alongside Andres Bonifacio, Macario Sakay and Gabriela Silang who took up arms against colonial rule? Or side by side with the likes of Dr. Juan B. Escandor and Dr. Bobby dela Paz who sacrificed a life of comfort to attend to the health needs of the poorest of the poor? Or Liza Balando, a union leader; Lorena Barros, a founder of MAKIBAKA; and Liliosa Hilao, a student leader, all of whom were killed during Marcos’ rule?
Honoring Marcos as a hero would justify all the atrocities committed against those who fought for the civil, political and economic rights of Filipinos during his rule. Honoring him as a hero would be tantamount to absolving him of all the crimes he committed against the Filipino people.
Must we bury in oblivion the horrors of the Marcos dictatorship with a hero’s burial for Marcos?
A crime against a nation is not a personal offense done to individuals and families. It cannot be forgiven unless written on the pages of the nation’s history and its lessons are taken, and the offended people shout as one, “Never again!”
Let those who have been martyred by Marcos’ rule, those who sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom and democracy, let them be the ones to be honored. They deserve our greatest admiration and respect.
We call on President Aquino to spare the country from a historical distortion. It should not be difficult for a leader of a nation to decide in favor of the people and to uphold their collective memory.
—NARDY SABINO,
general secretary,
Promotion of Church People’s Response,
pcprnatl@gmail.com