Many of us commiserate with those who petitioned the Supreme Court not to allow the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. But we need to recognize the validity of the policy laid down by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on the burial of soldiers and former presidents in the Libingan. Without clear criteria to determine whether someone is a hero or not, the official capacity in which they served the country is, therefore, the only way their qualification for the honor can be measured. And Marcos served in both capacities—as a soldier and, later, as president.
Martial law victims have expressed frustration with the Supreme Court decision allowing the burial. What kind of justice do they seek when they themselves have somehow ended up causing injustice to a dead man? Marcos has been called vicious names (tuta, traitor, tyrant and plunderer, among others), though he had never been convicted of any crime. He should not have been denied the opportunity to defend himself before a court of law, yet he was prevented from returning home from exile in Hawaii. Hence, everyone continues to engage in endless arguments that can no longer be substantiated, simply because the intended respondent has been dead for years.
President Aquino during his rule, or any of his predecessors during theirs, could have declared illegal a Marcos burial in the Libingan and imposed sanctions for the many crimes he was shown to be guilty of. How come all of them chose to remain complacent during their presidential terms lasting three decades combined?
It is only now that we realize the door had been left ajar, so to speak, for a possible burial in that hallowed ground.
The ball was in the petitioners’ court but they failed to score the crucial point.
To attribute all the atrocities during martial law to Marcos alone needed a competent court. On hindsight, some would admit that it could be assumed that the intent and purpose of implementing martial law was good. Its enforcement, however, is another story. It obviously got out of bounds. (His cohorts may have exploited the situation to create more chaos.) Then to further complicate matters, he got ill and was ousted.
Once Marcos’ remains is finally buried, may the door that was kept open be finally closed… and locked. The point of contention is why in the Libingan? Why not? Let it be, if only out of respect (even minimum courtesy) for the recent 9-5 vote of the Supreme Court which found no legal impediment to the burial.
The martial law years may have been turbulent indeed, but we Filipinos need to move on. We just need to come to terms with this sad reality.
ARMANDO LIBRANDO ALPAY, c/o judithalpay@yahoo.com