Philippines: No date yet on Marcos burial

There is still no firm date of when Philippines former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr would be laid to his final resting place at the Heroes Cemetery, an official said.

Col. Benjamin Hao, spokesman of the Philippine Army and the assigned protocol officer for the Marcos interment activities, said the family of the late President has yet to decide on when the latter would be buried.

“There is still no date for the burial” he said, adding that the family of the late President have yet to inform them on when the interment would take place.

The burial of the late President, who governed the Philippines for more than two decades, had been a controversial issue for Filipinos. Left wing groups and liberals who had suffered under the Martial Law had accused the President of autocratic rule, and human rights abuses, but others said the latter’s action to the country under military rule in 1972 was justified given the politically tumultuous situation at that time.

President Rodrigo Duterte had made good on his promise to the Marcos family during the latter’ presidential campaign to have the patriarch finally buried at the Heroes Cemetery (Libingan ng mga Bayani), but the human rights victims tried to persuade the Supreme Court to reject the President’s order.

On November 8, the Apex Court ruled to allow Marcos’ interment at the Heroes Cemetery, sparking protests.

Hao said security forces, particularly the Army, are well capable of handling the situation in the event the protests would continue.

“The Army is ready for any eventualities, we have contingencies for this,” Hao said.

Marcos would be buried within a former Army base, Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.

The former President’s remains had been kept inside a transparent refrigerated crypt in Batac, Ilocos Norte for several years.

According to Have, military is ready to accord Marcos with military honours if requested.

Aside from being President, Marcos had served during World War II as a guerrilla officer fighting the Japanese occupational forces.

“We will provide former President Marcos military honours befitting a late leader who had served the country,” he said.

“He will be accorded a 21-gun salute and be provide with honour guards for pall bearers,” he added.

The final resting place for the late President will be a 100 square meter portion of a section of the Heroes Cemetery allocated for former Presidents.

“We are expecting protests but we are ready for any eventualities” he said, adding that police would be on hand, aside from the Army, in helping secure the Heroes Cemetery area and areas where the funeral procession would pass through

source : gulfnews