Duterte defends stance on Marcos Libingan burial

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte stood by his decision to allow the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani days after the Supreme Court provided relief to groups opposed to the burial.

“This issue has divided the nation,” Duterte said in a press conference in Davao City. “It’s a nation that refuses to heal a wound.”

But Duterte vowed to comply with whatever decision the SC would render and insisted that he was just following the law.

“The law says that Marcos is qualified to be buried there, as a soldier. They are contesting whether Marcos was a hero. I don’t care. Whether he was a hero or not, he was a soldier… (With regard to the term) hero, politics is involved,” he said.

Duterte said Ilocanos were hurt by the refusal of previous administrations to inter Marcos at the heroes’ cemetery.

“All Ilocanos are Filipinos too. They are hurting because of what happened. Yellows like my mother refused (to bury him). My mother is dead. It’s over. It’s about politics,” the President said. 

Duterte’s mother Soledad was a leader of the Yellow Friday Movement in Davao City. The movement backed the presidential bid of the late Corazon Aquino, who assumed power after Marcos was ousted by the historic 1986 People Power Revolution. 

The SC has issued a 20-day status quo ante order on the Marcos burial, which has remained a controversial issue decades after the former president’s death.

The decision means that there can be no Marcos burial at the heroes’ cemetery for 20 days or until Sept. 12. The high court’s order will lapse six days before the scheduled burial on Sept. 18. The oral arguments on the case will be held on Aug. 31.

Six petitions challenging the legality of the Marcos burial have been filed before the SC.