The decision of presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to allow the burial of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani is an affront to the victims of martial law, Senator-elect Leila de Lima said on Wednesday.
鈥淓vidently, [Duterte is] showing a lack of sensitivity to the feelings of the thousands of victims of martial law atrocities,鈥� De Lima told reporters after a news briefing on the canvassing of votes in the vice presidential election.
鈥淭hose issues have no closure yet [but here you are, ready to endow an aggressor with the status of a hero]. I think that鈥檚 not proper,鈥� she said.
De Lima, a former chair of the Commission on Human Rights and secretary of justice, said granting a hero鈥檚 burial to Marcos was akin to forgetting all the human rights violations committed by the Marcos regime.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the consequence because we have no closure to those cases of [human rights abuses] then you will be adding insult to injury, to put it very mildly,鈥� she said.
De Lima said the public should be 鈥渨ary and be really vigilant鈥� about the policies that the Davao City mayor may implement during his six-year term as President.
鈥淚n as much as we would want to entertain some hope, the way things are going鈥� those early pronouncements [of Duterte]鈥� doesn鈥檛 give me any comfort that we鈥檙e looking at glory days. [It鈥檚] quite [to the] contrary,鈥� she said.
On Monday, Duterte expressed his preference to allow the burial of Marcos at
Libingan ng mga Bayani 鈥渘ot because he is a hero, but because he was a Filipino soldier.鈥�
He said Marcos鈥� burial at the heroes鈥� cemetery would put an end to years of 鈥渉atred鈥� and 鈥渄ivision鈥� among Filipinos.
Duterte鈥檚 friend, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison, said in an online interview that if the Marcoses wanted to protect the late strongman鈥檚 remains, they should bury them in a mausoleum in Batac City in Ilocos Norte province instead of at Libingan ng mga Bayani.
鈥淏y building a huge mausoleum for Marcos [at Libingan ng mga Bayani], the Marcoses run the risk of exposing the [structure] to being blown up by so many victims of the fascist dictatorship, just like the huge bust of Marcos on [Marcos Highway at the border of La Union and Benguet provinces],鈥� Sison said.
鈥淚t might be wiser 鈥� for the Marcoses to keep the remains of Marcos where they can guard these better,鈥� he said.
De Lima also expressed misgivings about the designation of lawyer Salvador Panelo as press secretary and presidential spokesperson.
Panelo has served as lawyer for controversial politicians, including Ampatuan clan, most of whose members are under trial for the Maguindanao massacre, where 58 people, including 32 journalists, were killed in November 2009.
鈥淭he incoming President has the right to choose [his Cabinet officials] because first and foremost, it鈥檚 a matter of trust and confidence. But then again, there should be acceptability, credibility [and scrutiny of] the status of the appointees,鈥� De Lima said. With a report from Delfin T. Mallari, Inquirer Southern Luzon