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Robredo chides Marcos family: Why hide burial like a shameful criminal deed?
Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday scored the family of the late Ferdinand Marcos over the surprise execution of the burial of his remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
In her sharpest statemenet yet on the matter, Robredo reiterated that the late dictator is "no hero," saying this is backed up by "several decisions" by the High Court.
"Ferdinand Marcos was a thief, a murderer, and a dictator," she said.
"He is no hero. If he were, obviously his family would not have to hide his burial like a shameful criminal deed," she added.
Friday's burial, backed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte, comes 10 days after the Supreme Court ruled to dismiss the consolidated petitions seeking to stop it, voting 9-5-1.
In its decision, the High Tribunal said there was no law prohibiting the burial at the heroes' cemetery, despite allegations of rights violations and corruption against him.
The burial came as a surprise to many, with word spreading about the matter only on Friday morning. Police officials said they were informed about the matter the previous night.
Marcos' remains were flown via helicopter from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, and arrived at past 11:30 a.m.
Like a thief in the night
The Vice President said the Marcos family "obviously flouted the law," with the Supreme Court decision that allows the burial not yet final and executory, with petitioners about to file their appeal.
"Like a thief in the night, the Marcos family deliberately hid the information of burying former President Marcos today from the Filipino people," she said.
"This is nothing new to the Marcoses—they who had hidden wealth, hidden human rights abuses, and now, a hidden burial—with complete disrespect for the rule of law," she added.
Robredo also said she is "disturbed" that the matter was carried out discretely in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
She said this demonstrated "further that the judicial process has been thoroughly disregarded."
The Vice President has repeatedly scored the Marcos family for neither acknowledging nor apologizing for the alleged atrocities during Martial Law.
She narrowly beat the late dictator's only son and namesake, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in the May vice presidential polls. He is contesting her victory with an electoral protest lodged before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), a body composed of magistrates from the Supreme Court.
She said she tries to stay optimistic despite this, and would rather focus on her office's anti-poverty program and her work as Housing czar. — JST/RSJ, GMA News
