Calculated risks

Last Friday, the last will of the late president Ferdinand Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani was carried out, though stealthily. It would have been the most successful secret mission ever carried out by combined military and police forces in keeping purportedly with the wishes of the Marcos family.

Military choppers supposedly carrying relief goods for Lawin-affected areas in Ilocos Norte took off from Villamor Airbase. Suddenly, the flurry of activities did not escape attention of the people around the areas.

Until it could no longer be kept secret to the Filipino people. Words still leaked out a few hours before the high noon burial time. It only meant there are still men of conviction who cannot in conscience allow such sneaky attempts to mislead the Filipino nation.

Though the intentions were maybe noble, the efforts to blow the whistle on the secret burial came too late already to stop the inevitable.

The late president’s widow and now Ilocos Norte Congresswoman Imelda Marcos, along with their three children namely Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and Irene and their respective families were in full attendance for the “private” interment rites at the Libingan.

Described as a “simple soldier’s burial” laid out, some 5,000 composite personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were deployed for the military funeral rites. The burial planners also included the Philippine National Police (PNP) headed by director general Ronald dela Rosa and National Capital Region Police Office chief superintendent Oscar Albayalde to secure the areas outside Libingan.

Who would not suspect anything with such huge troop movements at the crack of dawn around the Libingan?

The Libingan ng mga Bayani was formerly called the Memorial Cemetery put up within Fort Bonifacio in Western Bicutan, Taguig City. It was established in May 1947 as a fitting resting place for Filipino military personnel from privates to generals who served during World War (WW) II. It was former president Ramon Magsaysay who renamed the Memorial Cemetery on Oct. 27, 1954 to what we now call as the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

By virtue of a law passed on June 16, 1948 by the First Congress of the Philippines right after WW II, the burial grounds were expanded to provide also a national pantheon for presidents of the Philippines, national heroes and patriots of the country.

Records from Congress show that this law came out of House Bill (HB) No. 1842 that was introduced on April 29, 1948 by the late congressman Santos Diaz from the first district of Rizal.

In his sponsorship speech, Diaz expressed the legislative intent of HB 1842 stating: “xxx burial place of the mortal remains of all presidents of the Philippines, national heroes and patriots. This is in response to a popular clamor to put them in that greater democracy and equality beyond the reach of the present – the perpetual equality of death, the living symbol of which should be a common mausoleum for all presidents, national heroes and patriots.”

On May 20, 1948 or barely a month after, the House of Representatives approved HB 1842, with 57 affirmative votes and no negative vote. HB 1842 was transmitted to the Senate on same day for concurrence. The Senate passed and adopted en toto, or without amendment the House version.

Then, President Elpidio Quirino signed HB 1842 into law as Republic Act 289, also known as “An Act Providing for the Construction of a National Pantheon for Presidents of the Philippines, National Heroes, and Patriots of the Country.” When he died on Feb.29, 1956, Quirino became the first president laid to rest at the Libingan. Two other former Philippine presidents were later buried at the Libingan following their deaths. They were Carlos P. Garcia (June 14,1971) and Diosdado Macapagal (April 21,1997).

On May 28, 1967, Marcos issued Presidential Proclamation No. 208 ordering the reservation of 142 hectares of land within Fort Bonifacio for the Libingan to serve not only as a cemetery for military personnel but also as a national shrine for fallen heroes. He ordered it placed under the administration of the Military Shrines Services of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), an agency under the Department of National Defense.

Following the transition from the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, then AFP chief of staff Gen. Fidel Ramos issued AFP General Order 161-373, also known as “The allocation of Cemetery Plots at the LNMB.” This is the military-issued regulation governing the internment policy that continues as the basis for the burial of personalities at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

When he himself became president, Ramos issued Executive Order No. 131 on Oct. 26, 1993 that included National Artists and National Scientists of the Philippines also eligible for interment at the Libingan.

Simply put, the evolution through the years of the laws and executive fiats involving the use of Libingan went on without any specific amendment of provisions that could apply to Marcos.

When the SC handed down its 9-5 ruling on Nov.8, it paved the way for the interment of Marcos at the Libingan. Thus, all legal – as well as non-legal – arguments against it were dismissed, including the invoked AFP regulation that prohibits “personnel who were dishonorably separated/ reverted/ discharged from the service and personnel who were convicted by final judgment of an offense involving moral turpitude.” It was because all plunder, graft and alleged human rights cases died with Marcos without him being convicted of any.

The family, relatives and supporters of the late president have waited patiently for 27 years to finally lay to rest his mortal remains. With approval of President Rodrigo Duterte, there is no reason for the Marcos family to doubt it would finally be done. So why did the Marcoses not wait for another few days or weeks for the SC to resolve with finality pending appeals of anti-Marcos groups?

The sneaky manner by which it was carried out – purportedly to stave off projected violent objections to it –  may have achieved its purpose. I guess for now, perhaps. Is it one of those calculated risks that President Duterte was willing to take?