It was on August 7, 2016 that President Rodrigo Duterte proclaimed that former president Ferdinand Marcos would be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery).
"I will allow Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. He was a soldier. He was there to fight for his country," he told GMA News.
"Hero" is not a word many Filipino families would ascribe to the late former president, who's known for enforcing martial law in the country, a period in our country's history which was fraught with violence and turmoil.
Though the current administration seems to have decided in favor of the Marcos family, Vice President Leni Robredo is singing a different tune, and has been quite vocal about it through social media.
In a recent facebook post, Robredo shared a simple meme that held a powerful message.
"This decision will not bring unity to our country; it will only deepen the unhealed wounds of the survivors and family members of victims of the terrible years under the Marcos presidency," writes the Vice President. "It is our responsibility to teach our children the heroism and sacrifice of our forefathers. And Mr. Marcos is no hero."
The post has been shared over 5,000 times since it was first posted.
Next page: Senator Kiko Pangilinan's and the NHCP's take on the issue
The National Historic Commission of the Philippines shares Robredo's views. In an executive summary released on August 5, they outlined some reasons why Marcos is not qualified to be buried in Libingan ng mga Bayani.
"Mr. Marcos lied about receiving U.S. medals: Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Order of the Purple Heart, which he claimed as early as about 1945.
"His guerrilla unit, the Ang Mga Maharlika, was never officially recognized and neither was his leadership of it.
"U.S. officials did not recognize Mr. Marcos's rank promotion from Major in 1944 to Lt. Col. by 1947.
"Some of Mr. Marcos' actions as a soldier were officially called into question by upper echelons of the U.S. military, such as his command over the Allies Intelligence Unit (described as 'usurpation'), his commissioning of officers (without authority), his abandonment of USAFIP-NL presumably to build an airfield for Gen. Roxas, his collection of money for the airfield (described as 'illegal'), and his listing of his name on the roster of different units (called a 'malicious criminal act')."
Senator Kiko Pangilinan echoed VP Robredo's sentiments, taking to his facebook page to express why he strongly opposes the impending Marcos burial.
He believes that it will not unite our nation but "deeply divide us". He fears "it will also reopen deep wounds of those who suffered".
"As parents we our children's first teacher and it is our responsibility and obligation as parents to teach our children the difference between what is right and what is wrong by living it in our own lives."
READ: 5 Parenting Lessons from Leni Robredo
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