By Rolan John Alberto
SOME people can consider the mock funeral of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Inayawan dump site by militant groups as being in bad taste. Even if only a Marcos effigy was buried, the act, which had Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and former city administrator Francisco Fernandez looking on, may not look good for some. It contradicts the Filipino tradition of not speaking ill of the dead.
But then Marcos is not an ordinary dead. He presided over a dictatorship that brought the worst in the country's governance. That is precisely why many are protesting the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the burial of his remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the Supreme Court ruling supporting it.
In a way, the issue, instead of providing the basis for Filipinos to move on from that unfortunate episode in our history, is opening old wounds. No matter how much one may say that Marcos deserves burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani because he is a former president and soldier, it would always be awkward to separate a portion of his life from his dictatorial rule.
Unfortunately, even as we call on the people to respect the decision of the Supreme Court, it has become apparent that the issue is being pushed into the streets. The mock Marcos funeral at the Inayawan dump site is one example. As the street protests gather steam, Marcos's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani would also increasingly become a challenge for the Duterte administration.
There is no doubt that the current administration is banking on the popularity of the President to implement its policies, some of which are rather controversial. That popularity has prompted many politicians and political groups to gather around the administration. But on the matter of burying Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Duterte forces are obviously split.
Note that when Presidential Communications Office head Martin Andanar criticized those who are opposing Marcos's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in a newspaper column, he was promptly put in his place by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, whose father was among those jailed by the Marcos dictatorship.
There are now plans to block the transport of Marcos's remains from Batac, Ilocos Norte to the Libingan ng mga Bayani. We just hope the protest actions won't reach that stage, though, before the issue is resolved.
SOME people can consider the mock funeral of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Inayawan dump site by militant groups as being in bad taste. Even if only a Marcos effigy was buried, the act, which had Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and former city administrator Francisco Fernandez looking on, may not look good for some. It contradicts the Filipino tradition of not speaking ill of the dead.
But then Marcos is not an ordinary dead. He presided over a dictatorship that brought the worst in the country's governance. That is precisely why many are protesting the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the burial of his remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the Supreme Court ruling supporting it.
In a way, the issue, instead of providing the basis for Filipinos to move on from that unfortunate episode in our history, is opening old wounds. No matter how much one may say that Marcos deserves burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani because he is a former president and soldier, it would always be awkward to separate a portion of his life from his dictatorial rule.
Unfortunately, even as we call on the people to respect the decision of the Supreme Court, it has become apparent that the issue is being pushed into the streets. The mock Marcos funeral at the Inayawan dump site is one example. As the street protests gather steam, Marcos's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani would also increasingly become a challenge for the Duterte administration.
There is no doubt that the current administration is banking on the popularity of the President to implement its policies, some of which are rather controversial. That popularity has prompted many politicians and political groups to gather around the administration. But on the matter of burying Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Duterte forces are obviously split.
Note that when Presidential Communications Office head Martin Andanar criticized those who are opposing Marcos's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in a newspaper column, he was promptly put in his place by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, whose father was among those jailed by the Marcos dictatorship.
There are now plans to block the transport of Marcos's remains from Batac, Ilocos Norte to the Libingan ng mga Bayani. We just hope the protest actions won't reach that stage, though, before the issue is resolved.
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