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BY AYIN DREAM D. APLASCA
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The burden of the past
LAST Nov. 8, 2016 the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that President Rodrigo Duterte did not violate the law in allowing the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). According to the SC, the President was only exercising his power mandated under the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
People questioned the SC decision. One reason was that President Marcos did not possess the qualification to be interred at the LNMB. The SC, however, ruled that Marcos was qualified to be buried at the LNMB for being a “former president and commander-in-chief, a legislator, secretary of national defense, a military personnel, a veteran, and a Medal of Valor awardee.”
One of the members of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) maintained in his motion that President Duterte’s move violated the Constitution. It requires the State to take effective measures against graft and corruption.
Also, Albay’s Rep. Edcel Lagman said the Marcos burial at the LNMB was a gross distortion, a malevolent revision and a wanton derogation of the Philippine history.
Why am I revisiting this tier of events? On Tuesday, the SC thru its en banc session declared the finality of its Nov. 8, 2016 decision that allowed the burial of Marcos at the LNMB. Purpose? That the issue be finally be laid to rest. May the people of “the country move forward as one united nation working for a comfortable life for all, law and order, and lasting peace.”
“Really?” people asked. To be honest, the Marcos burial burdens history. But at the same time it does not close history. It challenges every Filipino to reminisce and learn from what actually happened under his regime. At the end of the day, they will say “never again.”
Some would say that the Marcos burial was a silver lining in Philippine history because it forces Filipinos to reexamine it for today and future generations. True. And that the SC decision brings closure – a conclusion – to many Filipinos who can finally put an end to an extensively divisive matter.
What do you think? Will it really unite the country as a nation? Or divide it even further? The floor is yours. Each and every one is entitled to their own opinion.
(Atty. Ayin Dream D. Aplasca practices her profession in Iloilo City. She may be reached thru ayindream.aplasca@gmail.com/PN)
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