Marcos’ achievements as soldier not diminished by ouster —gov’t lawyer

Former President Ferdinand Marcos' achievements as a soldier who fought the Japanese occupation in the 1940s would not be diminished just because he was ousted from power in 1986, Solicitor General Jose Calida told the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.

The government wants to bury Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on the ground that he was a former president and soldier, which several quarters questioned before the SC citing the abuses during the Martial Law regime and his alleged dubious war record.

"It is in the position of the state that once it is awarded (Medal of Valor), it cannot be diminished. It cannot be nullified," Calida said when asked by Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro during the oral arguments if Marcos' removal from the presidency can be considered as a "good reason" to strip him bare of what he has done during his lifetime.

Marcos was awarded the Medal of Valor, the highest Philippine military accolade, in October 1958 in relation to a "suicidal action" against the Japanese forces in Bataan in January 1942.

As an expression of the state's gratitude, Calida said Marcos' widow, former First Lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, has been receiving P25,000 monthly pension (P20,000 for Medal of Valor and P5,000 for being a soldier) since 1994.

In disputing Marcos' war medals, National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chairperson Ma. Serena Diokno admitted that they only investigated the awards that were claimed to have received from the United States Army.

"We did not dispute the medals given by the Philippine Army," she said.

Still, the Commission on Human Rights said Marcos should be denied a place at the Libingan ng mga Bayani because of rights abuses committed during Martial Law.

"It is our opinion that burying him (ex-President Marcos) at the Libingan ng mga Bayani would be contrary to international and national laws with respect to human rights," CHR Chairperson Chito Gascon said when Associate Justice Jose Perez asked him if the burial will affect the rights of Martial Law victims.

Gascon also stressed that the Marcoses never acknowledged that "they had in fact committed these human rights violations." —ALG, GMA News