SHOULD MARCOS BE BURIED AT THE HEROE'S CEMETERY?

By Bayawanon

The looming HERO'S BURIAL of Marcos can be likened to a hero's burial of Germany for Adolf Hitler, or for a hero's burial of Italy for Benito Mussolini, or a hero's burial of Spain for Francisco Franco. If this happens (Marcos hero's burial), all of the dictators of the world would have their rights to be buried at their respective HEROES CEMETERY invoking the Philippines' indecision to bury the former Filipino strongman Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, the author of the world's longest martial rule (1972-1981).

Marcos' decision of declaring martial law was the window of innumerable human rights abuses. Such dark part of our nation's history was the reason why the Writ of Habeas Corpus was suspended, thereby resulting to several missing dissidents to the government. As a result the families of the missing ones who were against Marcos could not petition the courts to produce the bodies of their loved ones for the pure and simple reason that the issuance of the Writ of Habeas Corpus by the courts was suspended.

Also, under the said forgettable epoch of our nation's history, the military was given immense powers by the president by giving the military big whigs during those hard and trying times vast military powers including the issuance of the so-called ASO or the Arrest and Seizure Order, a power which should have been solely enjoyed by the the courts only. These events contributed to the massive human rights abuses on the part of the military which even resulted to tortures, rapes and even executions by the so-called defenders of the state against some of the political activists whose aim and purpose was just to ask peace and justice for the good of the Filipino people during that forgettable era.

It is true that Ferdinand Marcos the most beloved son of Batac did not personally torture, rape and execute his oppositionist during his reign as the undisputed national leader of the republic, but because of his Presidential Decree 1081 a proclamation which placed the entire Philippine Islands under military power, the atrocities like rapes, tortures and executions happened, thus he was responsible for those reprehensible acts committed by the military under the so-called COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY DOCTRINE.

One big proof that Marcos was guilty of human rights violations was the decision of the Federal District Court of the United States of America based in Hawaii through the Honorable Judge Manuel Real finding the late strongman liable for the atrocities his administration committed via Martial Rule. This fact cannot be ignored by the one hundred million Filipino people for this decision has been written by the above court in the interest of justice without favor and fairly to all parties be they anti or pro Marcos.

Now the question is this, does Marcos have the right to be buried in the hallowed grounds of the LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI for being a former head of state and former soldier of the land when he himself violated the human rights of the same people who overwhelmingly voted him in power way back in 1965? Will the looming hero's burial of Marcos not desecrate the graves of the fallen heroes being buried there? To my fellow Filipinos, the answer is in your hands for one of the reasons why this country, the land of the Maharlikans called the Philippines is existing as one of the freedom loving countries in the world is YOU.