Malacañang said that President Duterte was not informed of the burial of President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City yesterday.
“As far as I know he (Duterte) was not sure about the exact date, as far as I know,” said presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella in a televised press briefing in Lima, Peru.
According to Abella, there was no direct conversation between the President and the Marcos family regarding the schedule of the burial as the Chief Executive’s attention was focused on his trip to Lima, Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Abella said that the decision to bury Marcos yesterday “is a personal decision of the Marcos family.”
“We respect their choice of date for the interment. The Supreme Court lifted the status quo ante order and allowed the burial of the remains and the President adheres to the ruling of the High Court,” he said, adding that the government extended the necessary assistance in matters related to protocol and honors. (Elena L. Aben)
SOLONS WANT EXHUMATION
Congressmen and anti-Marcos groups were clueless about yesterday’s sneaky burial of Marcos at the LNMB but have not lost hopes of denying him an honorable interment as they moved to push for exhumation.
Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman remained optimistic that the majority who joined the SC ruling authorizing the LNMB burial will reconsider their decision and uphold the legal contentions raised by him and anti-Marcos groups who petitioned for the denial of a hero’s burial for him.
He disclosed plans to ask the SC to exhume the Marcos remains “which was precipitately and stealthily interred in the LNMB.”
“If the ‘remains’ of the dictator are exhumed, then it is opportune that a forensic examination be conducted to determine whether what was buried were his mortal remains or a mere wax replica,” said Lagman.
A principal petitioner of the SC case seeking to prevent Marcos’ burial at the LNMB, the opposition lawmaker also vowed to ask the High Court to declare in contempt “all those involved in the premature burial of Marcos without the Supreme Court decision having become final and executory.”
“The clandestine burial of Marcos is in the malevolent mold of the Marcoses’ propensity for abuse, deception, deviousness and underhandedness,” Lagman said. (Ben R. Rosario)
NO ORDER TO STOP BURIAL
Supreme Court spokesman Theodore O. Te said there was no order from the High Court stopping the burial of Marcos at the LNMB yesterday.
“There is no order prohibiting it because the status quo ante order has been lifted,” Te said in a text message to a television network which he confirmed.
Last November 8, the SC allowed the LNMB burial of Marcos with a ruling that President Duterte “acted within the bounds of law and jurisprudence” and “notwithstanding the call of human rights advocates, the Court must uphold what is legal and just; and that is not to deny Marcos his rightful place at the LNMB.”
The 9-5 decision with one abstention automatically lifted the SQAO issued in August 23.
The SC decision did not state that its ruling is immediately executory. Thus, petitioners in seven cases dismissed by the SC have 15 days from receipt of the official copy of the decision to file their motion for reconsideration.
But Te said that “even if there is a 15-day period (to file motions for reconsideration), there was no order restraining the act.” (Rey G. Panaligan)