Using umbrellas, members of Konsyensya Dabaw movement renew their call to President Rodrigo Duterte to have the burial of the late strongman, President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., in Batac, Ilocos Norte and not at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The group held their protest action in front of the Ateneo de Davao University on Sunday, August 21, 2016. (Medel V. Hernani/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY – A local movement opposed to the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. lauded the Supreme Court declaring a status quo for 20 days, pending the hearing of six petitions filed against the plan to bury the late strongman at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The 20-day period covers calendar days from Tuesday, August 23 to September 11.
In a statement on Tuesday, Konsyensya Dabaw called on Davaoeños to “use the 20-day window to discern more about the issue instead of just waiting for the the SC decision.”
Konsyensya Dabaw is composed of Dabawenyos and supporters who want Marcos Sr. buried in Batac, Ilocos Norte and not at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The group believes that a burial for Marcos “would erase the massive human rights violations and the plunder of the national coffers that happened during the time of Marcos, and also abet the full return to power of an unrepentant oligarch family.”
“In particular, we call on schools to conduct fora and discussions to broaden the discourse beyond the soldier and former President status of Marcos, Sr., and to also connect it to the history of the Davao region,” it said.
The group also said that the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), and organizations associated with the Society of Jesus “also expressed opposition to a hero’s burial for Marcos, citing among others, that such would not bring about healing, and instead continue to fuel divisions in the country.”
The group also appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to consult with the Martial Law victims and survivors and their families first.
“Such a move would further demonstrate the claim that the Duterte administration is one that listens and has tunay na malasakit (genuine compassion),” it said.
Duterte said he will be violating the law if he prohibits the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“The law does not even mention heroes. It simply says that if you are a soldier and in another section of the law, there is the President,” he said in a previous press conference here on August 12.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on August 7 ordered Armed Forces Chief, General Ricardo Visaya on Sunday, August 7 to start the planning and preparations of the burial of Marcos.
The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, which supervises and administers the Libingan ng mga Bayani, is designated as the “overall overseer of the event”.
Lorenzana requested the Army chief to submit an implementing plan “as soon as possible”. (davaotoday.com)
