abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 02/15/2011 8:30 PM | Updated as of 02/15/2011 10:33 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said it is high time that the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
In an interview with reporters, Enrile said “he has not been tried of any crime although there are claims about certain behaviors and venalities in his government, but that is to be judged by the people and the courts in a proper case. I think in terms of his entitlement to become a resident of the Libingan ng mga Bayani, it should not be questioned.â€
The issue was raised anew after an Ilocos resident supposedly texted Senator Francis Escudero on the matter.
The texter supposedly told Escudero that if former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes could be buried there, so too should Marcos.
Reyes, who shot himself last week, had been dragged into allegations of corruption in the military.
Marcos’s body remains in a refrigerated crypt in the family mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
Enrile, Marcos’s defense chief, said the dictator had been a veteran of the World War II, and even went through the Death March.
“He got sick in Capas, Tarlac where he was confined. Then he joined the guerilla organization where he fought again. He was a member of the United States Army in Northern Luzon. He became a congressman, Senator of the Republic, Senate President. He became President of the country, and he did well as a President,†he said.
Enrile noted that there is no law that would stop the burial of Marcos at the Libingan in Fort Bonifacio.
He said it is the Department of National Defense which should implement the law.
This means that the decision now lies in the hands of President Benigno “Noynoy†Aquino, whose family experienced the oppression of the Marcos regime.
Asked if the revival of the topic could be offensive, he said: “You see, that is a separate issue all together. I think it will take a big portion of one's lifetime to heal the wound that created that division.â€
Malacañang remains mum on the matter.
In a press conference at the Palace, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said: “Well, we don’t know—this is news to us.... We will have to consult with the—I have to talk to the President about it. I have to inform the President about this development. So, let me hold-off any comments on that.â€
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