What do we call the desecrated Libingan ng mga Bayani now that Ferdinand E. Marcos is buried in that cemetery for heroes?
We can’t call it Libingan ng mga Bayani anymore because we don’t consider him a hero. Although there are three presidents buried there, we cannot call it Libingan ng mga Pangulo, because Marcos forfeited that title when we kicked this “thief in the night” out of the country. We can’t call it Libingan ng mga Sundalo, because we do not recognize his feats during the war, much less his fake medals.
Now here comes Senate President Koko Pimentel suggesting the bright idea of calling the desecrated burial ground “Libingan ng mga Makasaysayang Pilipino”— like presidents, dignitaries, national artists and scientists.
What is makasaysayan about Marcos? The butchering of his opponents? His bleeding the nation’s economy dry? His stealing from the national coffers? Listing all his illicit activities one by one could be a mile-long exercise. Yan ang kasaysayang Marcos.
His loyalists claim he can now rest in peace where his remains now lie. The thing is, would the other three presidents and the genuine soldiers buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani be able to rest in peace knowing that, a thief, a scoundrel lies among them? It would not be news if the three presidents and genuine soldiers, were they in a position to make a request, ask for a transfer.
Oh boy, let’s just rename this cemetery, “Libingan na Walang Katahimikan.”
REY PEREZ, renaldo_per@yahoo.com