At high noon on November 18, Ferdinand Marcos’ casket covered with a Philippine flag, were carried by honor guards and was paraded inside the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) on a carriage. The military in service uniform escorted the funeral parade and gave Marcos a 21-gun salute. Before the casket was lowered, the folded Philippine flag was offered to Marcos’ wife, Imelda Marcos. The ceremony was a military honor custom given to martyrs who died in service—a hero’s burial.
The casket was reportedly transported from Ilocos via Philippine Air Force’s helicopter.
“Like a thief in the night, Marcos was buried,” described Bonifacio Ilagan, spokesperson of Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses in Malacañang (CARMMA), on the unannounced burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in Libingan ng mga Bayani.
CARMMA led the campaign against Bongbong Marcos’ Vice Presidential bid in this year’s election and his father’s hero’s burial.
The burial was kept under wraps and was only confirmed to the media a few hours before Marcos’ casket was transported. The Libingan ng mga Bayani was off limits even to Marcos supporters and the media.
In a press conference after the burial, Ilocos Norte governor and Marcos’ daughter Imee Marcos explained why the burial was kept secret.
“Ako ay humihingi ng dispensa at pag-unawa na lamang ninyo sa naging pasya ng aking pamilya na gawing payak, pribado at taimtim ang paglibing sa aking ama upang hindi na masaling ang mga nagdaramdam (I am asking for apologies and understanding for the decision of my family to make my father’s burial simple, private and solemn to avoid hurting those who are against it),” said Imee Marcos.
However, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) described the burial as ‘sneaky’ and ‘hasty’.
In a statement, the NUPL expressed that Marcos was and will always be a coward who utterly lacks the bravery and courage that embed heroes to face up to his crimes and to face the peoples he has done so much wrong.
“Only cowards achieve their objectives by stealth and fraud, and his burial is nothing but stealthy and fraudulent,” NUPL said.
According to Atty. Neri Colmenares of NUPL, the burial at the LNMB is important for the Marcos family because they want to send the message that he is not a human rights violator, plunderer and traitor by giving him a hero’s burial.
On the other hand, youth group Anakbayan Secretary-General Einstein Recedes said that the thief-like manner of the burial speaks volume of the hollowness of Marcos’ heroism.
“Duterte regime must stop feigning ignorance about the burial, saying the army and the police deliberately chose to hide information about the burial until the last minute to forestall massive protests from stopping the burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” Recedes said in a statement.
Public outrage
A coordinated ‘Black Friday’ noise barrage protest across Metro Manila led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) was set on November 18 to oppose the planned burial at the LNMB. But as the burial was announced, the groups pushed through with their plan and convert their action into indignation rallies. Aside from the coordinated actions, more schools in Metro Manila went out to the streets to register their indignation over the burial.
(See Protests erupt as Marcos sneaked into Libingan ng mga Bayani)
Students from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and Manila campuses, Ateneo de Manila University, St. Scholastica’s College Manila, De La Salle University, College of St. Benilde, Technological University of the Philippines-Manila, Redemptorist and Carmelites seminarians, Manila Science High School, who were also joined by their teachers, school administrators, church people and Martial Law victims, held protests outside their campuses to register their outrage as Marcos was being buried at the LNMB.
In the afternoon, UP students including different sectors and progressive organizations converged at UP Diliman to hold a bigger indignation rally. Around 3,000 marched from UP Diliman to Katipunan Avenue and converged with Ateneo and Miriam College students.
Ben Te, a Councilor at the UP Diliman University Student Council expressed that the current generation recognizes the need to continue the fight against the return of the Marcoses’ to power and the former dictator’s symbolic absolution of his crimes.
“Pinakita natin na may malalim tayong [mga kabataan] pag-unawa sa nangyari noong Martial Law sa kabila na hindi namin ito naranasan (We showed that the youth have a deeper understanding of what happened during Martial Law even if we did not experience it),” said Te.
BAYAN Metro Manila Chairperson Raymond Palatino also emphasized that aside from students and martial law victims, the Metro Manila wide protests saw the active participation of communities from Alabang, Manila, Quezon City, Marikina and Caloocan.
Duterte, past admins’ accountability
Ilagan said that the protests are not only about the burial, it is about the return of the Marcosian ideology—fascism, dictatorship, and plunder—and the Marcoses’ return to power.
However, Palatino said that It is not simply enough to ask why the Marcoses are back in the political limelight.
“It is equally important to probe the shameful lack of political will of the post-Marcos governments when it comes to seeking justice, and accountability for the horrors of Martial Law,” said Palatino.
In CARMMA’s gathering on November 19 at the UP College of Law, former Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo, who was tortured and incarcerated for nine years during the Marcos dictatorship, said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s political patronage in favor of the Marcoses is contrary to fulfilling his campaign promise for change.
He added that the people must challenge Duterte, let him realize that this is not the change that the people need.
“Hindi ibig sabihin na nagtagumpay na sila [pamilyang Marcos] dahil nailibing na (It does not mean that the Marcoses have won even if the burial happened),” said Ilagan.
Ilagan is hopeful that the outrage over the burial will provide the reason for the people to continue the struggle and educate the people of the truth during Martial Law.
Another protest against honoring Marcos is set on November 25 in Manila.
Featured image by Efren Ricalde
