PHL image may suffer from SC ruling on Marcos burial –experts

Foreign relations experts on Wednesday said the Supreme Court's favorable ruling on the hero's burial for the late President Ferdinand Marcos may pose a negative impact on the country's image, as it shows Filipinos have not learned from history.

"Ang magiging impact niya sa ibang bansa is they will see the Philippines as a country that doesn't know what it stands for, 'yung values niya, anong gusto niyang mangyari sa bayan," Prof. Aileen Baviera of UP Asian Center said in a forum.

Baviera said the problem stems from the Filipinos' lack of recognition to its national history.

"Ang unang problema doon, parang wala tayong pagpapahalaga sa kasaysayan. We are still in the process of nation building. How do we build the nation? It's by learning from our mistakes, our triumphs, or achievements," she said.

"Kung itong ibig sabihin ng paglilibing ay binabalewala na natin 'yung dictatorship, 'yung abuses ng nakaraan, pinapatawad na natin, then it opens the doors. Kung hindi tayo maga-agree as a nation, kung mali 'yun, then it's possible to make the same mistakes in the future," Baviera added.

Voting 9-5, the 15 SC justices on Tuesday dismissed the consolidated petitions seeking to stop the burial of the late strongman at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, which is backed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

No more EDSA celebrations?

For Engr. Jose Apolinario Lozada, former Philippine Ambassador to Palau, the problem will continue to exist until Filipinos learn to change its attitude toward history.

"Siguro hanggang hindi natin mapalitan ang ating ugali. We will always be there, we just keep on coming back, kasi hindi natin tinutuldukan ang ating ugali. Pabagu-bago ang ating desisyon," Lozada said.

Lozada even argued that with the recent turn of events, the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, which removed Marcos from power, should not be celebrated anymore.

"Siguro 'wag na rin tayong mag-celebrate ng EDSA. Otherwise, nakakahiya lang tayo. We witnessed the history unfolded, [but] what are we going to celebrate with what is happening now?" he said.

Troubleshooting

For historian and security and defense consultant Jose Antonio Custodio, one way of learning from history is to have a "sense of community and not discipline."

"If you try to impose discipline without the sense of community, your people will just only find a way to take advantage of it, and we had that during the time of Martial Law," he said.

"If you go to Japan, a country which a sense of community, there is no fear, but people are respectful of each other," Custodio added.

Meanwhile, Rex Robles, co-founder of Reform the Armed Forces Movement, said love of country is the best solution is recover from the mistakes of the past.

"If we could set a certain level of love for country, in our fellowmen, and in ourselves, malaking bagay," he said. —KBK, GMA News