Lawyers for victims of President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ regime said yesterday that the late leader was a despot and oppressor unfit for a hero’s burial as they argued at a hearing on petitions at the Supreme Court against President Duterte’s directive to have Marcos buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.
One of the lawyers, Rep. Edcel Lagman, urged the SC to prevent “a national tragedy” by prohibiting such a burial, saying it “would glorify a dictator, distort history, and aggravate the injustices to human rights violation victims.”
Duterte has remained firm in his decision to allow the burial despite growing opposition, saying he is only following the law, which allows former soldiers and presidents to be buried at the Libingan.
Marcos, who was ousted in the 1986 People Power revolt, died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. His remains are displayed in a glass coffin in his hometown Batac City, Ilocos Norte, but his family wants him buried at the Libingan. (AP)
