opinion,
During President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign last May, he declared that he will allow former President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ burial in the esteemed Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) on the case that he was a former soldier and president. Now that he is in office, he gave the approval for Marcos’ remains to be transferred from Ilocos Norte to the LNMB on September 18, 2016.
In recent posts and tweets, a number of young Filipinos have showed support for this. As the youth, we are charged to first know our history and research about an issue before making a stand. Do we truly understand what it is we are fighting for? Should Marcos really be given a hero’s burial?
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) released the qualifications for those who are to be buried in the LNMB which is considered their property. Soldiers and former presidents are qualified but those who were dishonorably discharged from their service and those who were sentenced for an offense, including moral depravity, do not qualify.
Let us remember that President Marcos was dishonorably discharged due to moral depravity by the people in the 1986 People Power. This alone should already close the discussion on whether or not he is qualified to be buried in the LNMB.
What about his claim that he received the Medal of Valor, the highest military honor anyone can receive from the Philippine government? The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) released a pamphlet arguing that US officials specified that Marcos’ medals and promotion from major to lieutenant colonel were all fraud.
In a petition, progressive groups stated that there are laws that will be violated if Marcos’ burial in the LNMB will be allowed. They proclaimed that according to Section 1 of Republic Act (RA) 289 or An Act Providing for the Construction of a National Pantheon for Presidents of the Philippines, National Heroes and Patriots of the Country that was approved in 1944, the LNMB was built to inspire this generation and generations to come by preserving the memory of presidents of the Philippines, national heroes and patriots. His burial in the LMNB will only serve as a mockery to this law.
If the LNMB was made to inspire the Filipinos by preserving the memories of heroes, then what kind of image will Marcos leave to the youth of tomorrow? By burying him in the LNMB his sins will seem to be justified and only one side of the story will be relayed to the next generations. They will most likely see him as a great president who disciplined us and gave us security, peace and order during his reign instead of as a human rights violator, dictator, plunderer and liar.
In addition to this, RA 10368 or the Human Rights Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 says that the government recognizes the sacrifices of the human rights violation victims during the Marcos regime and must provide monetary and non-monetary reparation to the victims to restore their dignity. Allowing Marcos to be buried in the LNMB will not bring healing to the wounds of the past; it will be an insult to the victims of Martial Law who better deserve a place in the LNMB.
Based on the guidelines of the LNMB and the aforementioned laws, it is evident that he is not worthy to have a hero’s burial for the sins he inflicted on the Filipino people which his family continues to deny.
It is true that as the new generation, we need to forgive those who have wronged us as a people, but this does not entitle us to merely forget the pain of the past. It will do no good to disregard the sacrifices of our fellowmen and the injustice that prevailed during the Martial Law. Forgetting them is an insult to those who suffered and died; learning from them will honor the fallen heroes. We may not have experienced those times but we must remember the spirit of the 1986 People Power and make a stand against the issue at hand.
Being the new generation that interacts with other people through social networking sites, we can disseminate the truth about our history and mobilize our fellow youth to enlighten everyone that were misinformed regarding our history. We should be critical in accepting facts about what has happened in our country.
As the next generation of role models and the hope of our nation, we should rekindle the yearning of the youth during Martial Law to make a firm stand that will express our love for our country. Let us pass on the history of Martial Law to honor those who suffered and were oppressed. Let us not allow anyone to simply erase or revise our history that may manipulate the future. Remember the past and learn from it. Let us empower the present for the benefit of the future. // by Rachel Siringan
Sources:
http://manilastandardtoday.com/news/-main-stories/top-stories/213255/palace-welcomes-sc-suit-over-marcos-burial.html
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/08/09/1611745/palace-no-legal-basis-block-marcos-burial
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/reds-file-sc-suit-vs-marcos-lnmb-burial
http://opinion.inquirer.net/94244/great-hoax-marcos-burial
http://www.rappler.com/nation/134025-duterte-marcos-burial-heroes-cemetery
http://www.rappler.com/nation/142145-nhcp-objects-marcos-burial-libingan-bayani
http://www.rappler.com/nation/134509-heroes-cemetery-guidelines-afp
http://nhcp.gov.ph/errata-ferdinand-e-marcos-not-buried-libingan-ng-mga-bayani/
http://www.lmp.org.ph/default/images/LICC/human%20rights.pdf
Opinion: To the Youth, from the Youth: Marcos not a Hero
 |
| (c) Jem Torrecampo |
During President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign last May, he declared that he will allow former President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ burial in the esteemed Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) on the case that he was a former soldier and president. Now that he is in office, he gave the approval for Marcos’ remains to be transferred from Ilocos Norte to the LNMB on September 18, 2016.
In recent posts and tweets, a number of young Filipinos have showed support for this. As the youth, we are charged to first know our history and research about an issue before making a stand. Do we truly understand what it is we are fighting for? Should Marcos really be given a hero’s burial?
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) released the qualifications for those who are to be buried in the LNMB which is considered their property. Soldiers and former presidents are qualified but those who were dishonorably discharged from their service and those who were sentenced for an offense, including moral depravity, do not qualify.
Let us remember that President Marcos was dishonorably discharged due to moral depravity by the people in the 1986 People Power. This alone should already close the discussion on whether or not he is qualified to be buried in the LNMB.
What about his claim that he received the Medal of Valor, the highest military honor anyone can receive from the Philippine government? The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) released a pamphlet arguing that US officials specified that Marcos’ medals and promotion from major to lieutenant colonel were all fraud.
In a petition, progressive groups stated that there are laws that will be violated if Marcos’ burial in the LNMB will be allowed. They proclaimed that according to Section 1 of Republic Act (RA) 289 or An Act Providing for the Construction of a National Pantheon for Presidents of the Philippines, National Heroes and Patriots of the Country that was approved in 1944, the LNMB was built to inspire this generation and generations to come by preserving the memory of presidents of the Philippines, national heroes and patriots. His burial in the LMNB will only serve as a mockery to this law.
If the LNMB was made to inspire the Filipinos by preserving the memories of heroes, then what kind of image will Marcos leave to the youth of tomorrow? By burying him in the LNMB his sins will seem to be justified and only one side of the story will be relayed to the next generations. They will most likely see him as a great president who disciplined us and gave us security, peace and order during his reign instead of as a human rights violator, dictator, plunderer and liar.
In addition to this, RA 10368 or the Human Rights Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 says that the government recognizes the sacrifices of the human rights violation victims during the Marcos regime and must provide monetary and non-monetary reparation to the victims to restore their dignity. Allowing Marcos to be buried in the LNMB will not bring healing to the wounds of the past; it will be an insult to the victims of Martial Law who better deserve a place in the LNMB.
Based on the guidelines of the LNMB and the aforementioned laws, it is evident that he is not worthy to have a hero’s burial for the sins he inflicted on the Filipino people which his family continues to deny.
It is true that as the new generation, we need to forgive those who have wronged us as a people, but this does not entitle us to merely forget the pain of the past. It will do no good to disregard the sacrifices of our fellowmen and the injustice that prevailed during the Martial Law. Forgetting them is an insult to those who suffered and died; learning from them will honor the fallen heroes. We may not have experienced those times but we must remember the spirit of the 1986 People Power and make a stand against the issue at hand.
Being the new generation that interacts with other people through social networking sites, we can disseminate the truth about our history and mobilize our fellow youth to enlighten everyone that were misinformed regarding our history. We should be critical in accepting facts about what has happened in our country.
As the next generation of role models and the hope of our nation, we should rekindle the yearning of the youth during Martial Law to make a firm stand that will express our love for our country. Let us pass on the history of Martial Law to honor those who suffered and were oppressed. Let us not allow anyone to simply erase or revise our history that may manipulate the future. Remember the past and learn from it. Let us empower the present for the benefit of the future. // by Rachel Siringan
Sources:
http://manilastandardtoday.com/news/-main-stories/top-stories/213255/palace-welcomes-sc-suit-over-marcos-burial.html
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/08/09/1611745/palace-no-legal-basis-block-marcos-burial
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/reds-file-sc-suit-vs-marcos-lnmb-burial
http://opinion.inquirer.net/94244/great-hoax-marcos-burial
http://www.rappler.com/nation/134025-duterte-marcos-burial-heroes-cemetery
http://www.rappler.com/nation/142145-nhcp-objects-marcos-burial-libingan-bayani
http://www.rappler.com/nation/134509-heroes-cemetery-guidelines-afp
http://nhcp.gov.ph/errata-ferdinand-e-marcos-not-buried-libingan-ng-mga-bayani/
http://www.lmp.org.ph/default/images/LICC/human%20rights.pdf
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