No To Marcos Burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani

OFFICE OF AKBAYAN PARTY-LIST REP. TOM VILLARIN
S513 South Wing Building, Batasan Complex, Batasan Hills, Quezon City

PRESS RELEASE
August 8, 2016

NO TO MARCOS BURIAL AT LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI - AKBAYAN SOLON

Joining hands with millions of Filipinos who reject Marcos' claim to heroism, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin urged the government to scrap its plans of burying the body of the dictator and human rights violator at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani.

"Burying Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani is tantamount to burying the numerous atrocities he committed under his authoritarian regime," the lawmaker stressed.

President Duterte himself stated that he will have the dictator buried in a manner suited for heroes and fallen soldiers who died for the country.

This, despite numerous reports from local and international think tanks that attribute the victimization of more than 70,000 people who were either abducted, tortured, or summarily executed during the Martial Law period imposed by Marcos.

The State has also recognized this by enacting Republic Act No. 10368, which provides for the reparation and recognition of victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime.

The Commission of Human Rights (CHR) has previously reported that about 75,000 claimants await their compensation, which will be paid out next year from the P10-billion fund allotted for the implementation of the said law.

Even the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has publicly denied claims that Marcos was a war hero, saying that such claims are "fraught with myths, factual inconsistencies, and lies."

Villarin also warned the government that allowing Marcos to be buried with full state honors at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will have serious implications not only on the government's popularity, but on its resolve in its anti-corruption drive as well.

"Such act might send a wrong message that this government is not as serious about its pursuit of social justice as it claims to be," he remarked.

The lawmaker also emphasized how crucial this issue is as far as public interest is concerned.

"The burial issue is a governance issue as this concerns how we judge the Marcos government. It has been proven that Marcos led a corrupt, brutal, and dictatorial rule that impoverished our people and nation," Villarin said.

"It would do the administration much good to reconsider its position on this issue," he added.