VP Leni Robredo opposes Marcos burial at Libingan

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday said she is opposed to the planned burial of late former President Ferdinand Marcos' remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“We strongly oppose the decision to bury former President Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” Robredo said in a released statement.

The vice president lamented the plunder, crimes and abuses attributed to Marcos during his decades-long regime as reasons that the late president does not merit a hero’s burial. Robredo said the interment of Marcos “will not bring unity to the country” as President Rodrigo Duterte, who made the Marcos burial a campaign promise, believes.

“How can we allow a hero's burial for a man who has plundered our country and was responsible for the death and disappearance of many Filipinos? Those who have greatly committed crimes and moral turpitude to the Filipino people cannot be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” Robredo said.

“This decision will not bring unity to our country; it will only deepen the unhealed wounds of the survivors and family members of victims of the terrible years under [the] Marcos presidency,” she added.

Robredo further cited the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses and their cronies, some of which the government has already recovered. She said it is the older generation's responsibility to teach “children the heroism and sacrifice of our forefathers” adding that Marcos is “no hero.”

“Furthermore, his heirs continue to deny that these sins against our people happened. They continue to have no remorse and still prevent the return of the wealth that they stole,” Robredo said.

The vice president made the statement following President Duterte’s announcement that he will fulfill his campaign promise to allow the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani since he is a former soldier and president. During his campaign, Duterte said the burial will unite the country, citing the Ilocanos’ clamor for it.

RELATED: WATCH: Duterte on favoring Marcos’s burial: It’s time to move on | Rody OKs FM Libingan burial

Robredo on the other hand expressed opposition to the burial saying Marcos does not deserve to be buried at the national hero's cemetery.

The late president has long been kept at the Marcos Mausoleum in Ilocos Norte.