Former Vice President Jejomar Binay said the Aquino administration has missed an opportunity to lay the issue on the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to rest when it did not act on his recommendation to bury him in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
Binay claimed that his proposed burial of Marcos in his hometown in Batac with military honors had the approval of the Marcos family.
“However, Aquino did not act on the recommendation. That’s why the nation is once again torn by debates over a contentious issue that could have been buried a long time ago,” said Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesperson.
Binay submitted the recommendation as early as 2011 when Aquino tasked him to study the issue of burying Marcos remains at Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“In June 2011, VP Binay submitted to Aquino his recommendation to allow the burial of Marcos in Batac, Ilocos Norte,” said Salgado.
During that time, the Office of then Vice President solicited the comments of various political parties, sectors, organizations and the general public. The OVP even received over 3,000 responses through text, email, and letters in studying the matter.
But his recommendation went nowhere until Aquno’s term of office expired in June, 2016. (Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren)