Dead man stalking by Bless Salonga

The question “should Marcos be buried in the Libingan ng Mga Bayani?” has sparked mixed reactions from the public and I personally wish to tackle on 3 prime issues here;

1) Who is Marcos? (2) What makes a hero? (3) How will the decision affect the future generation?

For the sake of our children, we need to establish the connection between the three so they can make an informed decision and arrive to a stable conviction.

MARCOS AND HIS GOVERNMENT

Marcos was the 10th President of the Republic for over 2 decades. He was known for his infrastructure development and international diplomacy. His administration was equally known for its nepotism, corruption, political repression and human rights violations. He is also responsible for introducing a dictatorial government using the fateful Plaza Miranda bombings, during the Liberal Party’s rally, which occurred on 21 August 1971 as a basis for declaring Martial Law on 21 September 1972.

His regime was overturned by People Power Revolution – a series of popular non-violent revolutions and prayerful mass street demonstrations in 1986. These peaceful rallies were triggered by the assassination of Benigno Aquino in August 21, 1983 (coincidentally, exactly 12 years after the Plaza Miranda event) when he landed at Manila International Airport (supposedly) under the protection of Marcos’ bodyguards. The Marcos family fled Malacañang Palace and went on self-exile in Hawaii until he died surrounded by multiple cases of human rights violation and graft and corruption.

The Philippines today is still paying interest in public debts incurred during the Marcos era while people question monopolies of several vital industries under the control of Marcos cronies. Among many others include the coconut, tobacco, sugar, banana and manufacturing industries. The Marcos and Romualdez families became owners, directly and indirectly, of the nation’s largest corporations such as the Philippine Long Distance TelephoneCompany, Philippine Airlines, Manila Electric Company, Fortune Tobacco, San Miguel Corporation on top of numerous newspapers, radio and TV broadcasting companies such as ABS-CBN, several banks and real estate properties in New York, California and Hawaii. Unemployment rate ballooned from 6.30% in 1972 to 12.55% in 1985.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A HERO?

The dictionary defines it as “a man distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility and strength.” My question is – How is a man hiding behind his army and guns considered courageous? How can anyone possibly call murder and theft noble? Would you really see imposition of Martial Law (dictatorial government) or fleeing a trial (judgment of your people) strength? Who is taking responsibility for these crimes? If Marcos is innocent, why was he in hiding?

OUR MORAL OBLIGATIONS

As a Christian nation, we have been taught how to forgive our oppressors. We have forgiven our invaders (Japanese, Spaniards and Americans) for the abuse we have suffered under them but that does not change history. Facts still remain that our men have been murdered, our women raped, children deprived and freedom violated.

I personally would like to put things I have seen and heard during the Marcos years behind me, but when I saw Imelda with her bodyguards in Mega Mall years ago enter the restaurant where my family was enjoying dinner, emotions came flooding back for the people who suffered. I couldn’t help but make a loud comment for her to hear. “She couldn’t possibly be having dinner with us here,” I said. My mother thought they would wait for me in the car park and kill me that day but Imelda’s party (including her foreign lawyer at that time) left quietly. I could not believe after all those years I still harbor a dislike to their family who refuse to submit to humility, honesty and justice.

God wants us to forgive and we all can, if we want to. According to the Holy Bible, Acts 3:19 “Repent then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” We have no right to judge his soul but our law – our people – have the right to judge his actions. The Marcos family fails to accept responsibility for their actions. By denying our past, we are denying justice for all. By allowing these horrid actions and consequences to go under the radar, we are teaching our children that truth, peace, responsibility and justice can be ignored and that murder, theft, lies, abuse and selfishness are values we encourage. It was almost saying, “you do something wrong but if you’re rich and powerful you can get away with… it will be okay.” But it is NOT!

There is a limit to everything. This is the time to take your stand. This is the time to revisit the values we want to impart unto our future generations. Murder, corruption, cheating and abuse are never acceptable. It’s time people take accountability for their actions. It’s time we pay respect to our true heroes by not allowing unrepentant parties stain their dignity and stance. Let it be known that, NO, it is not okay to steal. NO, it is not okay to murder. NO, it is not okay to lie.

Let’s go back to basics. What attributes do heroes have? Aren’t they the freedom fighters, seekers of truth and justice, mentors/inspirations, epitome of peace and humility? Marcos was the exact opposite and his blind followers should stop being delusional. We are here to start a new beginning for the nation, not dwell on the rotten.

Statesmen should start putting their head down and work on the anything that would encourage progress for the nation and its people rather than wasting our valued resources on political agenda.

Now, a handful of people believe they have the right to propose this atrocious request (of burying Marcos in Libingan ng mga Bayani). We should also exercise the same right to ask the government to open all their (Marcoses) cases for retrial and demand public apologies to all those they have wronged. You can’t simply ignore the facts and wipe out history. We can definitely forgive but we shall never forget the scars left by the 20-year rule. The wounds were just too deep. I strongly say NO!