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BY JOHNNY NOVERA
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Let us move on!
THE SUPREME Court’s decision allowing the transfer of the embalmed remains of former president Ferdinand Marcos from its mausoleum in Batac City, Ilocos Norte for burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani was strongly opposed by victims and survivors of atrocities committed during his martial law regime.
However, Spokesperson Theodore Te of the Supreme Court said there was no impediment to proceed with the burial because the petitioners have not filed any motion for reconsideration (M/R), claiming they have yet to receive a copy of the decision.
What the Marcoses did was take advantage of the interim period and Friday last week brought the body by military helicopter to the Libingan in Taguig City, taking the oppositionists by surprise.
The military and police apparently cooperated. Two thousand riot policemen and soldiers guarded the perimeter and entrance to the Libingan from intruders and honor guards fired the 21-gun salute with sounding taps during the ceremony.
The parties opposing the burial are not happy for this development but now we believe that forgiving one another for the sake of unity of our people is more important and admirable and let history decide.
In our column of March 16, 2016, also about moving on, we paid tribute to the late President Elpidio Quirino of Ilocos Sur. He died 60 years ago but his remains were transferred only to the Libingan ng mga Bayani in February of this year to honor his service to the country.
Quirino, then Senate President pro-tempore, first took over as President of our country after President Manuel A. Roxas’ sudden death by heart attack in 1948, but later was elected President on his own in 1949 and additionally served for one term.
Many admired the late President Quirino as an exemplary Christian with a magnanimous and forgiving heart. During his term as President he released Japanese war prisoners to return home to their country after the war even if his wife, Alicia Syquia, one daughter and two sons were killed during the Japanese Battle of Manila in 1945.
The war completely devastated our country and the atrocities killed many of our people, yet after the war we have the heart to forgive the Japanese as well as their allies, the Koreans who were just as cruel in torturing their victims. Now we are not only good friends but they became our active allies and trading partners, with President Rodrigo Duterte strengthening more the relationship with Japan in his recent visit to the country.
We agree with former president and now Manila mayor Joseph Estrada in calling for our people to move on and leave it to God to judge Marcos who also did many good things for the country during his time.
In our tour of the Ilocos provinces in December 2015, we visited the so-called Malacañang of the North in Paoay town beside the lake in Ilocos Norte. Built as a replica of the Palace by the Pasig in Manila, we saw one large room on the ground floor converted into a museum and library to store the memorabilia of President Marcos when he served the country.
The Pan-Philippine Highway that runs throughout the length of our archipelago was shown on a large Philippine map drawn on the ceiling of the room. There were also pictures or replicas of other infrastructures or projects during his term like the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Kidney and Transplant Institute, the Lung Center of the Philippines, and the Philippine Heart Center, all still functioning institutions until today. Then there are pictures of other activities of the government like the masagana rice program, diplomatic relations with other countries, visiting dignitaries, etc.
There is no law that will convict a dead man. As a democratic country, we believe that we should implement the rule of law by following the order of the highest court of the land, put closure to an issue that has long divided our people and move on. (For comments or reactions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com or text to 09084683945)/PN
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