Activists to Duterte: Remember your mom, don’t give Marcos hero’s burial

Human rights activists on Thursday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to honor his late mother's anti-dictatorship stance by not allowing the remains of the late former dictator Ferdinand Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

"We will appeal to his emotions for him to be reminded that his family, especially his mother, was quite active in the movement against Marcos," Bobby Garcia, one of the conveners of newly formed Duyan ng Magiting, a coalition against Marcos' Libingan burial, told GMA News Online.

The President's mother, Soledad Roa Duterte, was one of the leaders in Davao City of the Yellow Friday Movement, which supported the candidacy of the late Corazon Aquino, who was catapulted to power following Marcos' ouster in February 1986.

"Ang mother niya was one of the opposition leaders during the time of Marcos. Tandaan lang siguro ang dating sinasabi ng nanay niya para malaman niya ang mga kadahilanan kung bakit binibigyan natin ng ganitong klaseng treatment si Marcos," Garcia said.

Duterte's consent has enraged the kin, friends and supporters of the victims of Martial Law, who have shown strong opposition to the burial and asked the President to reconsider his decision.

But the President justified his position by pointing out Marcos' role in the resistance movement against the Japanese during World War II.

Marcos' son and namesake, defeated vice presidential bet Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., had also said that a burial for his father at the heroes' cemetery would not only bring "closure" on the part his family but also healing to a divided nation.

The activists rejected this view, saying such scenario will only "reopen the wounds" of the past.

"On the contrary it will reopen wounds (of the past) rather than bring closure," Garcia said.

In a statement, the Duyan ng Magiting said Marcos was not a hero as he allegedly lied about his war record by claiming that he led a guerilla group called "Ang Maharlika."

The United States military debunked Marcos' claim in an article published by the New York Times a month before he was toppled by the People Power revolt.

Marcos was also a plunderer and a dictator who ordered the torture, detention, and death of thousands who dared to challenge his rule, the activists said which include Martial Law victims, the Akbayan Party, and former Commission on Human Rights chairperson Etta Rosales.

"The proposed burial of the late dictator at the Libingan is offensive to Filipinos, especially to the thousands who fought and died during his tyranny," the group said.

Instead at the Libingan, the activists urged Duterte to "permanently bury" the former president in his home province of Ilocos Norte, where he the latter is still honored. —NB, GMA News