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NHCP chairperson quits post, hits Duterte for allowing Marcos burial


The chairperson of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has resigned in protest of the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).

In a statement on Tuesday, NHCP chair Maria Serena Diokno said her resignation, effective December 1, was a move towards the "right side of history."

"At this moment in our history, every voice counts, and I wish to place mine on the side of history: not the history that the Duterte government ignores, but the history that beckons our people to demand justice that even the highest court of the land will not bestow," Diokno said.

Diokno said the burial of Marcos at LNMB erases the horrors of Martial Law.

"The burial of Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani is wrong; it denies our history, erases the memory of lives lost and destroyed, mocks the collective action action we took to oust the dictator, and denigrates the value of our struggle for freedom," Diokno said.

Diokno criticized Duterte for citing the lack of studies about Marcos' leadership and dismissed the claims of Martial Law victims.

"Notwithstanding the narrow view adopted by nine members of the Supreme Court, President Duterte could have taken the higher ground," Diokno said.

"But he chose not to. Worse, he justifies his 'legalistic' action by claiming, falsely, that 'there's no study, no movie about it [Marcos' record as a leader], just the challenges and allegations of the other side," she added.

Diokno said she was still filled with hope despite her departure at the NHCP because of the younger generation of Filipinos defending history.

"The multitude of especially young Filipinos who have come out in defense of history and are prepared to co-author if for their generation and the future point to one clear realization: they, we all, will guard our history," Diokno said.

Diokno said she would join mass actions against the Marcos burial even before the end of her tenure as NHCP chairperson.

"Tomorrow I will join the popular assertion of our history and look forward to more in as many public venues as possible. Never again will we allow any remnant of the authoritarian past to take hold of our country," Diokno said.

Palace respects Diokno's decision

Following this development, Malacañang released a statement saying it respects Diokno's decision.

“We respect Chair Diokno’s decision and we thank her for the services she rendered to the nation as she headed the commission responsible for the conservation and preservation of the country’s historical legacies,” the statement read.

It added Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea’s office has already received Diokno’s resignation letter. —NB/KBK, GMA News

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