Akbayan Party today claimed victory regarding the recommendation made by Vice President Jejomar Binay not to to bury the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani even as it expressed concern over Binay’s proposal to provide the late dictator full military honors.
“This is certainly a victory of the Filipino people especially those who fought, sacrificed and died under the brutal Marcos dictatorship. It is a triumph of our history and truth,” Akbayan Representative Kaka Bag-ao said.
Fellow Akbayan lawmaker Walden Bello echoed the same sentiment.
“While we believe this issue was already settled as early as the first people power uprising, we nonetheless express gratitude to the Vice President for heeding the people’s sentiment on the matter,” Bello said.
Military honors, uncalled for, offensive
However, Bag-ao expressed apprehension over Binay’s suggestion to give the late Marcos full military honors.
“The proposal is a lopsided compromise. It is uncalled for and offensive. It is not Solomonic. It is foolish,” Bag-ao said.
Bag-ao said the proposed military honors to the late dictator gives the “unrepentant” Marcos family enough space to improve on the dictator’s tarnished image at the expense of the military.
“It is an insult not only to the public but also to the soldiers who tried to reform their institution away from the dark past of the Marcos dictatorship,” Bag-ao asserted.
Bello, who is also an anti-Marcos veteran agreed. He said it “institutionalizes the Marcoses’ fiction.”
Unnecessary fiction
“We don’t mind the Marcos family’s delusional tall tales as long as they keep it to themselves. Everybody’s entitled to his or her own fiction. But to use state resources much more the military institution to purport a dictator’s rehabilitated image is another thing. It becomes unnecessary fiction,” Bello said.
Bello appealed to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to junk the military honors proposal.
“I appeal to the President to do away with the posthumous military honors. Let us not feed the monster. For goodness’s sake, let’s just bury the guy and get it over with,” Bello said.
"New proposal"
Bello also made an alternative proposal for the burial of the dead dictator:
“The government should borrow a US aircraft carrier to dump the mummy off Ilocos coast, with firecrackers going off in the background,” said Bello alluding to the way Osama Bin Laden was buried at the sea by a United States vessel.
Parallel tribute activity
For her part, Bag-ao said in any case Marcos is given full military honors; their group will organize a parallel activity to remind people of the atrocities of the Marcos regime and honor the heroes and martyrs who fought it.
“Certainly, the truth has better authors than fiction. The people will not be denied of the truth,” the lawmakers ended. ###
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