Should he or should he not allow the burial of Ferdinand Marcos’ remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani?
With the recent announcement of incoming President Duterte that he would do just that, I’m sure that most living patriotic Filipinos—those who still remember the atrocities of the martial law years—will be up in arms! And that’s understandable.
What is not understandable is President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s insistence to make Libingan ng mga Bayani the late dictator’s final resting place. (And, I thought Duterte was a very sensible person!)
By definition alone, Libingan ng mga Bayani suggests that it’s a final resting place for Filipinos who made their lives notable with a heroic or noble act(s) for their country. And I assume that all those buried there now are all heroes to the Filipino people.
What heroic or noble deed(s) did the feared dictator do in his lifetime that should now entitle him to a place in the company with the true heroes of this land, considering the suffering the Filipino people endured during the martial law years? Nothing, nada, zilch, wala, bokya! In fact, even his wartime exploits as a guerilla leader for which he claimed to have earned recognition and awards were found to be nothing more than a product of his imagination.
I realize, of course, that the incoming president may be only acting on a promise to bring change to this nation. But for the sake of the true heroes who now rest there, he may want to slow down a bit and exert some effort to really, really grasp the meaning of Libingan ng mga Bayani: In the hearts of every patriotic Filipino, it is a sacred ground, hallowed by those who gave much to our country and people, without asking or expecting anything in return.
—JUANITO T. FUERTE, jtfuerte@comcast.net