Martial law victims denounce proposal on Marcos burial at Libingan ng mga bayani

CEAP Statement on House Resolution 1135

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent- the LORD detests them both.

Proverbs 17:15

Last week, more than 200 members of the House of Representatives filed a resolution urging President Benigno S. Aquino III to allow the burial of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). In this resolution they said that “he was a well-decorated soldier, a veteran of World War II, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March.” They also noted that “he was the longest serving president of the republic and built the modern foundations of the Philippines.” According to the signatories, Marcos “served his country the best way he knew how and remained a Filipino patriot to the end of his life and in death deserves to be honored as such.” They say that the burial of Mr. Marcos at the LNMB “will not only be an acknowledgement of the way he led a life as a Filipino patriot but will also be a magnanimous act of reconciliation which will strengthen the bonds of solidarity among the Filipino people.”

The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), the largest educational association in the country, believes that these exaggerated claims about Marcos cannot be farther from the truth. They do not at all justify a hero’s burial for him.

Was Marcos really a “well-decorated soldier”? He may have been a war veteran just like many Filipinos of his generation. But a hero certainly he was not. The elaborate tale of the so-called “Maharlika” guerrilla unit which Marcos supposedly organized and led has been definitively exposed by American historian Alfred McCoy as a total fabrication in a well-researched study 25 years ago. He revealed that official US military investigations into the “Maharlika” story soon after World War II already dismissed this claim as a fraud. Why should we now give the perpetrator of this lie a hero’s burial?

He was indeed the longest serving Philippine President. But this was because he declared martial law, used military repression to silence opponents, destroyed what was then an imperfect but working democratic system, and perpetuated himself in power through an authoritarian constitution which was never legitimately ratified.

How can his supporters claim that Marcos “built the modern foundations of the Philippines” when he presided over the country’s near economic collapse under the burden of behest loans and corrupt practices which to this day our nation has not fully recovered from? Have Marcos, his family and cronies been made fully accountable for the serious charges of plunder -- the amassing of ill-gotten wealth that sank the Philippines, while our Asian neighbors took off economically during his tenure?

Did Marcos really “serve” the country? Was he truly until his death a “patriot”? While we cannot divine and judge his personal motives, the terrible suffering and damage wrought by Marcos’s 14 years of authoritarian rule is undeniable. The recent compensation given to the many victims of martial law, though symbolic in monetary terms, is damning proof that the Marcos regime was guilty of gross human rights violations. Is this the sort of person we want to see interred among genuine servant leaders and patriots?

The Libingan ng mga Bayani is hallowed ground meant for true heroes. It was established as a memorial to pay fitting tribute to the gallant Filipino men and women who have brought honor to the country by fighting for freedom and democracy.

How can we bury among our heroes the very man whose dictatorial regime we rejected and ousted during the EDSA people power revolution 25 years ago? It will be nothing less than a desecration and nullification of the Filipino people’s long struggle and victory for democracy which we are proud to have gifted the world as an example of non-violent political change.

As we celebrate Araw ng Kagitingan to commemorate the heroism of those who fought fascism during World War II, let us not make a mockery of the service and sacrifice of Filipino war veterans by giving a hero’s burial to someone who is not only a fake war hero, but was also responsible for undermining democracy and development during his long tenure as authoritarian ruler.

We call on the members of the House of Representatives who signed this resolution to seriously consider withdrawing their signatures. We urge you to understand the true meaning of service, patriotism and heroism. We challenge you to rise to the challenge of statesmanship and not be swayed by facile political collegiality and false notions of “reconciliation” and “solidarity”.

We call on all those who genuinely value freedom and justice, particularly those who suffered the ravages of Martial Law, to speak out against this resolution. Let us demonstrate to the signatories that we find their proposal utterly repulsive and demeaning.

Finally, we call on our schools to be ever vigilant against those who seek to revise and reinterpret history to suit their selfish interests and agenda. The teaching of Philippine history should precisely be strengthened to enable our people, especially our youth, to separate truth from falsehood. We need to understand our struggles, failings and triumphs as a people for us to build national institutions that promote genuine freedom, justice and solidarity.

The House signatories claim that the Marcos burial is meant as “a magnanimous act of reconciliation which will strengthen the bonds of solidarity among the Filipino people.” But let us remember the words of St. Augustine: “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” Let justice be the tie that binds us as a nation.

CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

April 6, 2011

Photos courtesy of Judy Taguiwalo and Julie Corr as indicated by the filenames

WHEREAS, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, who served his country in the best way he knew how, remained a Filipino patriot to the end of his life and in death deserves to be honored as such; WHEREAS, the Libingan ng mga Bayani is the most fitting place of burial for former soldier, statesman and former President and Commander-in-Chief Ferdinand Edralin Marcos; ---- From: House Resolution			But Marcos imposed a violent dictatorship and was responsible for gross violations of human rights resulting in thousanda detained, missing and killed. Marcos plundered the country, enriching himself, his family and his friends. So why can not more than 200 congressmen think straight and consider Marcos not a hero but a traitor to the country, a plunderer and dictator?

MARTIAL LAW VICTIMS UNVEIL “WALL OF SHAME,” DENOUNCE PROPOSALS ON MARCOS BURIAL AT THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI SELDA: NEWS RELEASE 17 May 2011 References: Bonifacio Ilagan, SELDA Vice Chairperson & FQSM Chairperson (0917-6291241) Trinidad Herrera-Repuno, SELDA National Board Member MARTIAL LAW VICTIMS UNVEIL “WALL OF SHAME,” DENOUNCE PROPOSALS ON MARCOS BURIAL AT THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI Martial law victims led by the Samahan ng mga Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) and the First Quarter Storm Movement (FQSM) today held a picket at the gates of the House of Representatives in Quezon City today as they unveiled a WALL OF SHAME, which bears the faces and names of the congressional representatives who signed in a resolution urging for the burial of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Included in the Wall of Shame are Rep. Imelda Marcos, Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and son Mikey, Rep. Salvador Escudero (who authored the resolution), and Rep. Rodolfo Albano. Bonifacio Ilagan, SELDA Vice Chairperson and FQSM Chair, lambasted House Resolution 1135, filed and signed by legislators from the House of Representatives in March 2011 appealing to President Noynoy Aquino for Marcos’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. “It makes a mockery out of the horrors that the Filipino people endured during the Martial Law era: numerous human rights violations including summary executions, enforced disappearances, torture, illegal arrests and detention, hamletting and forced evacuation, among others.,” he commented. Trinidad Herrera-Repuno, SELDA National Board member and a well-known urban poor leader during Martial Law, said the house resolution is an arrogant and shameless distortion of history by the wife and allies of Marcos in Congress. “Hindi namin itinuturing na isang ‘patriyotiko’ ang isang pasistang diktador, tulad ng nilalaman ng resolusyon. It is shameful that our legislators would push for such a measure. These dis-honorable men and women who signed the resolution should be reminded that the horrific experiences of the victims under Martial have yet to be rendered justice up to the present,” Herrera-Repuno said. Ilagan called on Pres. Benigno Aquino III to make a definitive and categorical stand on whether the remains of Marcos should be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani or not. “Aquino should not pass the decision-making to Vice-President Jejomar Binay who is currently doing a survey on this question dividing and rendering the nation apart. We will continue to be vigilant against this proposal,” Ilagan concluded. -- The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) is an organization of former political prisoners in the Philippines. Founded on December 4, 1984, SELDA was initiated by newly-released political prisoners of the martial law period. SELDA’s primary task is to work for the release of all political prisoners and to see to it that humane treatment of those who are still in detention are complied with by the Philippine authorities. SELDA advocates justice for current and former political prisoners. It calls for the mobilisation of resources in support of political prisoners, former detainees and their families. It carries out legislative advocacy for the indemnification and rehabilitation of political prisoners. SELDA goes into partnership and builds solidarity with concerned individuals and groups for the freedom and welfare of political prisoners and all victims of tyranny. SELDA National Office: 2/F, Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets, Brgy. Central District, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines Tel: 632-4342837 Fax: 632-4354146 Email: selda.phils@gmail.com, selda_phil@yahoo.com.ph Web: www.seldapilipinas.wordpress.com Former detainee and former UP Faculty Regent Dr. Judy Taguiwalo
			Gay Portajada whose father is a desaparecido

			Torture victim and former detainee Satur Ocampo
			Director/Scriptwriter, former detainee and torture victim Bonifacio Ilagan

The Burial by Felix Fojas The howling mob tore him to shreds For scripting the murder of their hero; Yes, they buried him without ceremony In an unmarked grave which they bulldozed to Insure he could not plot his Second Coming. Gone the power, the kingdom and the glory, Useless the billions hidden in Swiss banks; Helpless all blue assassins and bodyguards, Tongueless all fawning dogs who licked his lies. That very same moonless midnight hour The flowers deserted his wreaths, The worms refused to gobble him up, And the earth spat him out of its grassy mouth Like phlegm that got stuck in the throat of night. Felix Fojas is a member of PEN International and the Philippine Literary Arts Council M.A and B.A degrees in English &Comparative Literature and Linguistics &Literature, respectively Creative writing fellowship, Cambridge University, England			NO HONORS, NONE! by Gemino H Abad on Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 11:24am No honors, none! – a national deception, insult to our genuine heroes, monstrous lie in history books, to bury Ferdinand Marcos with any honor. Beware political parties and politicians looking to the next elections, finding it expedient for one man to be buried with honors than for them to suffer defeat in elections. As a people, we are too forgiving (maawain), too patient, long-suffering, too prone to make compromises; this corrupts our sense of justice; this may be a factor why we make little progress. Shall we change our country’s name to Pazienzia, its citizens to be called Patientes? Gemino H. Abad, poet and critic, presently teaches creative writing as Emeritus University Professor at the College of Arts and Letters, U.P. Diliman

Streetwise By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Marcos is no hero Another revolting turn in the stomach-churning political scene in this country confronts us. The heirs to the Marcosian legacy of economic sabotage and plunder of the nation’s coffers, state terrorism and fascist abuse of the citizenry, and kowtowing to foreign imperialist impositions are now calling for the burial of the dictator Marcos’ petrified remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The resurrection of the idea to transfer the remains of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos to what is traditionally regarded as hallowed burial grounds for the nation’s heroes is outrageous and infuriating, especially for the direct victims of martial rule. But it is an abomination still waiting to happen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s nerve to sound the call after barely warming his seat in the Senate is not surprising. But the effrontery and collective amnesia of a big majority of legislators in the Lower House who signed HOR Resolution 1135 and the lack of a clear-cut stand much less official resistance from Malacañang is alarming. In truth, the process of rehabilitation of the Marcos name began soon after his regime was overthrown. We thought then that the Marcos Dictatorship had been swept away, ignominiously, into the dustbin of history where it belonged. But we were sorely mistaken. The Cory Aquino regime failed - refused, even -- to lay the ground for the full condemnation and repudiation of the dictatorship. Marcos-era fascist decrees and laws remain and are still used to suppress dissent and opposition to government policies and programs. Most of the perpetrators of human rights violations among the military and police, especially the most notorious ones, were never prosecuted much less convicted. A yardstick of failure of post-Marcos regimes, especially Mrs. Aquino’s, to prosecute martial law criminals is the failure to identify and prosecute the masterminds behind the assassination of her husband, the martyr, Benigno Aquino Jr. The Marcos heirs, his cronies and henchmen of various stripes (from ex-generals and politicians to high-living technocrats, well-paid hacks and other apologists) have been able to protect their ill-gotten wealth, reputations and positions of power and influence from any demands for accountability much less restitution. The public hardly notices that even in the field of education, with its decisive impact on molding the national consciousness, the lessons of martial rule especially its grievous effects on society, are not correctly and sufficiently taught much less emphasized. It is no wonder that the Marcoses, including Imelda, the other half of the conjugal dictatorship, whose name is synonymous with profligacy of gargantuan proportions, are now no longer social pariahs but are on the guest list of the many “high society” happenings hereabouts. It follows then that the plunder, brutal suppression of human rights, the culture of impunity as well as the corruption and criminality endemic in government institutions, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police, continues unabated. All these can be attributed to the mindset and the practice honed to perfection during the martial law years. Through all these, the ruling regimes that succeeded Marcos were content to point to the restoration of formal democratic trappings like elections and Congress, as proof that the martial law era and its attendant evils are long past. What they conveniently obscure, if not conceal, is that the economic and political crisis that brought about the dictatorship, was aggravated by it, and continues to fester even after its overthrow, is still very much around, providing the very same conditions for a return to authoritarianism and fascism. By continuing the pro-foreign capital and anti-people economic policies of the Marcos era, succeeding regimes plunged our nation to deeper indebtedness and depression, causing increasing hardship and misery on our people, thus reinforcing the claim and illusion that life after martial law was worse and Marcos was a better ruler. Meanwhile, the HOR resolution from the Marcos camp, at best, is another attempt at testing the waters, and the official response so far sends the signal that "it looks okay so long as it doesn't pull down our popularity and satisfaction ratings". How else to explain the gingerly, tentative, buck-passing and "survey-conscious" response from Malacañang? Consider that the resolution merely recycles most of the arguments that have long been exposed as outright lies (e.g. “decorated soldier” versus fake medals) or half-lies (e.g. “built the modern foundations of the Philippines” versus leading the economy to further ruin). But the biggest argument that deserves to be demolished is that burying the dictator Marcos as a “hero” is a "magnanimous act of reconciliation which will strengthen the bonds of solidarity among the Filipino people". The resolution outwardly appeals to the magnanimity of Mr. Aquino, son of the most prominent Marcos rival and martial law victim. But in fact, the resolution insults the President, not to mention the Filipino people, counting on their gullibility and total incapacity for discernment. Mr. Aquino’s tepid response to the outrageous proposal is bound to embolden its proponents. But both grossly underestimate the people's intelligence and their opposition to notions of reconciliation without justice or, simply put, the politics of accommodation among factions of the same ruling elite. Those whose memory and scruples are not as limited, the victims of gross injustices and all those who would not want their children and grandchildren to suffer the horrors the Filipino people were subjected to by the Marcos rule, are bound to vehemently oppose this effort to bestow honor to a discredited tyrant and despot. Seven representatives from the progressive party lists Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela Women’s Party, Kabataan and ACT Party Lists have sponsored a resolution opposing the Marcos resolution. It sums up the arguments against the proposal to bury Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani thus: "NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the House of Representatives strongly oppose renewed proposals to bury former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani as a grave travesty of justice; a monumental historical distortion tantamount to declaring as a hero a dictator who committed crimes against humanity, plunged the nation deeper into foreign debt and control and plundered the nation’s resources; and a renunciation of the historic 1986 people power uprising which toppled Marcos.” # Published in Business World 20-21 May 2011			Streetwise By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo For shame! What is there left to do except decry - again and again – the brazen attempts of the country’s political elite to obliterate the people’s victory over authoritarianism, martial rule and the wanton plunder of the nation’s economy and resources, this time by allowing “full military honors” to accompany the burial of Dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos’ refrigerated remains. After supposedly consulting with “concerned” sectors (foremost of whom were Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, Governor Imee Marcos and Congresswoman Imelda Marcos) Vice President Jejomar Binay has recommended to President Benigno “Noynoy: Aquino III that “full military honors” be accorded to the dictator should his remains be interred in Ilocos province, his political bailiwick. Mr. Binay nixed burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, presumably because he wished to avoid any impression that the Aquino government considers Marcos a hero, that being far too controversial. But to say that the late unlamented dictator deserves “full military honors” just because he was a former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, no matter that the majority of the same armed forces mutinied against him in the wake of the EDSA people’s uprising, is not at all a “balanced” solution as Mr. Binay claims. Far from it. Should Mr. Aquino allow such “full military honors”, it would unfailingly lead to the full reinstatement of Ferdinand E. Marcos to the country’s Hall of Fame rather than where he was right after his ouster and where he should remain forever, the nation’s Hall of Perfidy and Shame. What’s more, it would be another step in the direction of fully reinstating the Marcoses politically and will give his heirs a stab at the highest positions in the land including the Presidency. This is why the Marcoses are delighted at the outcome of the Binay “survey” although they try to appear coy about it. The proposal is a grave insult even to the Philippine military, at least the remaining decent and upright members of the military. Marcos used the armed forces to usurp the people's sovereign power. He then dragged it down to the depths of corruption, criminality and human rights abuse, The Philippine military's reputation was at its nadir when Marcos' power was at its peak and the military has never quite rid itself not only of the stigma but also of the criminal mindset it had acquired under the fascist dictatorship. It was only when the military abandoned Marcos did its reputation suddenly improve in the eyes of the people to the extent that wily generals like General Ramos jumped at the opportunity to launder its past and started calling it the “New” AFP. But no real reforms ever took place as the thousands of extrajudicial killings and billions of stolen AFP funds post EDSA I attest to. Marcos, who was largely responsible for bringing dishonor to the military as well as bringing the military into dishonor and disrepute, is the last person to deserve “full military honors.” Mr. Aquino acts in so unpresidential a manner by passing on the apparently politically risky decision to his ambitious Vice President (for whom he has no special feelings unlike his bosom friends, shooting buddies and close relatives). His moronic excuse is that he will be perceived to be biased, being the son of Benigno “Ninoy”Aquino, Marcos’ arch enemy, and Corazon “Cory” Aquino, his political nemesis. But, like it or not, he is the President of the country. Eventually, it will be his decision whether to accept Mr. Binay’s seemingly harebrained but supremely foxy recommendation. More likely, the people pushing for this “grand reconciliation” represent the same vested interests that supported both Noynoy’s and Bongbong’s candidacies. These shadowy figures can not fathom any fundamental differences between the two - except for a complex historical thread tying their past and their future together - that cannot be bridged by practical politics. The Marcos loyalists have also started crawling out of the woodwork, primarily the politicians in Congress who signed on to a House Resolution calling for a hero’s burial for Marcos. Apart from being a demonstration of crass opportunism, this development provides ample proof that Mrs. Marcos and her children have not only survived their ouster from power, they have retained enough of their ill-gotten wealth to engineer their political comeback and are now skillfully accumulating even more political capital under the Aquino dispensation. So where is the “Yellow Crowd” in all this? Except for the members of the Makati Business Club who made it their business to condemn what they rightfully called “historical revisionism at its deceitful worst”, we hardly hear any outraged voices from the vaunted “Corystas”. Does this indicate that those among the privileged classes who celebrated the so-called restoration of democracy via “people power” (and thereby their restoration to positions of pelf and power) are finally done with “people power” and all its messy implications and consequences to the ruling elite? The sins of omission and commission of those in a position to finally bury the onerous, odious and completely reprehensible legacy of the Marcos era have caused the creeping collective amnesia about it, now to be capped by “full military honors” for Marcos. But the human rights victims of the Marcos dictatorship who bear the scars of brutal repression have stood up to say NO! and FOR SHAME! The progressive legislators have countered the impudent House Resolution of the Marcos loyalists and their backers. Human rights lawyers and advocates, progressive church people, the social and political activists from all classes and sectors and even some patriotic members of the military have also not forgotten and refuse to give up the fight. In the name of all the martyrs and real heroes who died in the shadow of martial rule, we hope and pray that they shall, in the end, prevail. # Published in Business World 10-11 June 2011



ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio			BAYAN MUNA Rep. Teddy Casiño

NEWS RELEASE REFERENCE: ATTY. EDRE U. OLALIA Secretary- General, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) Contact Number: 09175113373 Hero’s Burial for Marcos? Glorifying a Dictator Is an Insult to History, Victims of Human Rights Violations Still Seeking Justice – NUPL In a press release today, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said that seeking a hero’s burial for the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, is an insult to our country’s history and to thousands of human rights victims under the Marcos dictatorial regime. The statement came as a reaction to a resolution signed by majority lawmakers led by Sorsogon Representative Salvador Escudero, appealing to President Noynoy Aquino to give the late dictator a hero’s burial. Atty. Edre U. Olalia, Secretary-General of the NUPL said that, “Millions of Filipinos suffered under the Marcos dictatorship, thousands of victims of human rights violations during his more than two-decade rule are still seeking justice until now, the wealth that they have plundered remains to be recovered. Glorifying Marcos is an insensitive act.” “It is an insult to our nation’s history and a direct attack against the freedom, dignity and integrity that the Filipino people have fought for especially during the Marcos regime,” added Olalia. The NUPL is encouraging Pres. Aquino not to act on the resolution, and warned that acting on the resolution would give the wrong signals and set a dangerous precedent to dictators past, present and future, in the Philippines and elsewhere as it is akin to consenting to the crimes and the massive plunder that they have committed or are about to commit. Instead of giving him a hero’s burial, the NUPL insists that the government should ensure the fast and speedy resolution of the cases involving victims of human rights violations during Marcos’ 20-year rule. “Let sleeping dogs, as it were. Do not distort history.” Olalia concluded. #### National Secretariat National Union of Peoples' Lawyers(NUPL) 3F Erythrina Bldg., Maaralin corner Matatag Sts. Central District,Quezon City, Philippines Tel.No.920-6660,Telefax No. 927- 2812 Email addresses:nupl2007@gmail.com and nuplphilippines@yahoo.com "Visit the NUPL at http://www.nupl.net/ ----------------------------------------------- Glorifying a Dictator Is an Insult to History; Victims of Human Rights Violations Still Seeking Justice - NUPL In a press release today, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said that seeking a hero’s burial for the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, is an insult to our country’s history and to thousands of human rights victims under the Marcos dictatorial regime. The statement came as a reaction to a resolution signed by majority lawmakers led by Sorsogon Representative Salvador Escudero, appealing to President Noynoy Aquino to give the late dictator a hero’s burial. Atty. Edre U. Olalia, Secretary-General of the NUPL said, “Millions of Filipinos suffered under the Marcos dictatorship, thousands of victims of human rights violations during his more than two-decade rule are still seeking justice until now, the wealth that they have plundered remains to be recovered. Glorifying Marcos is an insensitive act.” “It is an insult to our nation’s history and a direct attack against the freedom, dignity and integrity that the Filipino people have fought for especially during the Marcos regime,” added Olalia. The NUPL is encouraging Pres. Aquino not to act on the resolution, and warned that acting on the resolution would give the wrong signals and set a dangerous precedent to dictators past, present and future, in the Philippines and elsewhere as it is akin to consenting to the crimes and the massive plunder that they have committed or are about to commit. Instead of giving him a hero’s burial, the NUPL insists that the government should ensure the fast and speedy resolution of the cases involving victims of human rights violations during Marcos’ 20-year rule. “Let sleeping dogs, as it were. Do not distort history,” Olalia concluded. Reference: National Secretariat National Union of Peoples' Lawyers(NUPL) 3F Erythrina Bldg., Maaralin corner Matatag Sts. Central District,Quezon City, Philippines Tel.No.920-6660,Telefax No. 927- 2812 Email addresses:nupl2007@gmail.com and nuplphilippines@yahoo.com ------------------------------------			NEWS RELEASE 26 March 2011 Reference: Marie Hilao Enriquez, Chairperson, SELDA (0917-5616800) SELDA on proposals for Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the distribution of the victims’ compensation from the settlement agreement “Our struggle for justice is far from over. At this time that martial law victims are receiving a small amount of indemnification, a dangerous proposal to bury the remains of the fascist dictator Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani is being pursued hurriedly and in earnest by Marcos allies in Congress. We find this grossly unacceptable and a travesty of history.” Thus said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Chairperson of the Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) and daughter of one of the original named plaintiffs in the historic class suit against Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, in a press conference today with other victims of the Marcos dictatorship. SELDA initiated and led the 9, 539 Martial Law victims in filing the case against Marcos in the US Federal Court system on April 7, 1986, barely two months after the dictator’s ouster by the so-called People Power I or EDSA I. Enriquez lambasted House Resolution 1135, recently filed and signed by legislators from the House of Representatives appealing to President Noynoy Aquino for former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. “It makes a mockery of the horrors that the Filipino people endured during the Martial Law era: plunder, numerous human rights violations including summary executions, enforced disappearances, torture, illegal arrests and detention, hamletting and forced evacuation, among others. While we welcomed the distribution of funds from the $10M settlement agreement with the Marcos crony Jose Campos, such victory won by the victims should not be seen as a sign that the Marcoses can just get away with the obliteration of the gross human rights violations committed by the Marcos dictatorship against the Filipino people," said Enriquez. SELDA also monitored the distribution of the funds for the Marcos victims which started on February 28, 2011. Enriquez and her fellow victims noted the following reports in summary: 1) The reduction of the number of claimants from 9,539 to 7,526 victims is arbitrary. In the National Capital Region, there were some 150 victims and their relatives who were among the 9,539 victims who were not given their claims and were made to accomplish forms to indicate that their claims are for further investigation. Among the victims who were among the original list of victims were Fidel and Rosario Agcaoili, Prof. Joma Sison, Satur Ocampo, Judy Taguiwalo, Josephine Dongail, Bonifacio Ilagan, Carol Araullo, Sonia Brizuela Planas, Rhodora Julian Clemente, Maxima Luneta, Corazon Casambre, Manuel Navarro, Ramon Veluz, Melvin Cayabyab, Jose Barsoles, Carlos Ortega, victims of the Tatalon massacre during the Martial Law period, and many others were not given the compensation due them. The victims who struggled against the construction of the Chico River Dam and operations of the Cellophil Resource Corporation in the Cordilleras were not in the reduced list even though they are among the 9,539. Many victims from Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, and Southern Mindanao were also arbitrarily delisted. Many of them belong to the urban and rural poor and are in the twilight of their lives. They spent money to go to the regional centers of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) but their names were not in the so-called masterlist. 2) The system of distribution is not efficient and inconsiderate of the situation of the victims. Some victims who were told that their names are not on the masterlist were soon told that their names are included in other regions’ masterlist. Some victims did not receive notices from the court or Atty. Swift but when they checked their names in the masterlist, they were able to find their names and receive their claims. Some victims received notices from the court and Atty. Swift but when they checked the masterlist, their names were not included in the said list. “With the arbitrary delisting of victims, they find themselves victims all over again. Such action is tantamount to saying that they are not victims of human rights violations and therefore not entitled to justice and indemnification. It denies victims of our legitimacy of status as victims and their claim to justice,” Enriquez commented. SELDA calls on Judge Manuel Real and Atty. Robert Swift to accord the compensation due the victims and demands the reinstatement of the 2,013 delisted victims. -- The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) is an organization of former political prisoners in the Philippines. Founded on December 4, 1984, SELDA was initiated by newly-released political prisoners of the martial law period. SELDA’s primary task is to work for the release of all political prisoners and to see to it that humane treatment of those who are still in detention are complied with by the Philippine authorities. SELDA advocates justice for current and former political prisoners. It calls for the mobilisation of resources in support of political prisoners, former detainees and their families. It carries out legislative advocacy for the indemnification and rehabilitation of political prisoners. SELDA goes into partnership and builds solidarity with concerned individuals and groups for the freedom and welfare of political prisoners and all victims of tyranny. SELDA National Office: 2/F, Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets, Brgy. Central District, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines Tel: 632-4342837 Fax: 632-4354146 Email: selda.phils@gmail.com, selda_phil@yahoo.com.ph Web: www.seldapilipinas.wordpress.com

			MABINI ON MARCOS AND THE LIBINGAN (5-11-11) The prospect of Mr. Marcos being buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani strengthened me enough to appear live on ANC. Else, TV interviewers would come and interview me. (I have otherwise not reappeared in hearings and I now teach with a mic.) Certain relics in MABINI, our lawyers group, are TGIF (Tigulang Gurang Ingkong Fratmen). But, certain of them (not all are TGIF), like Jun Factoran, Mon Esguerra, Hessie Mallilin, Alex Padilla, Nelson Loyola, Boyet Fernandez, Bobby Tanada and Claro Mamaril, authorized MABINI to take stand qua MABINI, on the Libingan. In soccer there used to be the Turba Salvaje, forerunner of today's Askals. I was asked to draft MABINI's position, by that rainbow Nat-Dem-Soc-Dem-Gad- Dem-Let-Dem coalition. So, in the morgue, MABINI bolted upright, to speak even if we sound like rattling the bones of a skeleton from which all semblance of life has long departed. Pero Turba Salvaje nunca muere, como mala hierba. MABINI joins those who oppose the transfer of Mr. Marcos's remains to the Libingan ng mga Bayani because - 1. He imposed a brutal dictatorship, outrageously illegally enriched his family and cronies, and directly or indirectly caused massive human rights violations. 1.1. From 1972 on, we have met and assisted countless human rights victims, our reason for being, and continue to do so today in terms of recognition and compensation. 1.2. This stand is also confirmed by judicial decisions in Seattle (Domingo-Viernes), in Honolulu (human rights class suit and initial payment to thousands of victims began last Feb. 28), and locally in Aberca v. Ver. FLAG-MABINI filed it in 1982 in the QC Court of First Instance (now Regional Trial Court, Civil Case No. 37487). It is now pending in the Supreme Court. 1.3. Our highest court ruled, in another case, on July 15, 2003, that the Marcoses stole big-time as William Saunders (FM) and Jane Ryan (IM), forfeiting in favor of the government hundreds of millions of dollars (Republic v. Sandiganbayan, 406 SCRA 190) turned over by the Swiss government, which stipulated that part of it should go to the human rights victims (yet to happen). 2. The Filipino people expelled the Marcoses on February 25, 1986, peacefully and bloodlessly. The world applauded, and many oppressed societies imitated and followed our paradigm. We may not now reverse this historic verdict. The world remembered in 2009, and sympathized with the nation when the iconic Cory Aquino passed away, and the people elected her son President in May, 2010. 3. MABINI families resisted martial law from Day One. We did not fight a "hero," who left a nation bankrupt in money and values. 4. MABINI does not enjoy bickering, and explaining to our apos why we had fought a "hero," and also wants closure. EITHER CONGRESS ENACTS A LAW (not a mere unilateral resolution, passed quickly sans any public hearings and recorded voting, arguably more out of pakikisama than anything else) AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF THE REMAINS OF MR. MARCOS TO THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI, OR CHANGING ITS NAME TO THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI AT MGA PANGULO. 5. MABINI factors in, but is not necessarily persuaded by, poll surveys. Leaders should lead, not sense where the people are going and leapfrog to the front. Weather-vane leadership we don't need. 5.1. MABINI ignored the popular clamor that the military bases remain and supported the Senate in 1991 in ending more than four centuries of foreign military presence (the N in MABINI is for Nationalism). Mr. Marcos may have done something good. True, he was even a soldier. But so was Hitler, who gave the VW to the world. Petain was France's great WW I hero but was disgraced in WW II and died in prison in 1951. 6. Vice President Jojo Binay, a MABINI co-founder, has not said yes or no to this Statement, understandably perhaps, given his assignment by President Noynoy to recommend what stand to take on the non-binding House Resolution on the controversy. 6.1. MABINI laments the seeming indecisiveness at the top of the duo perhaps feeling entrapped and caught in the horns of a trilemma but it is a question whether we can have a government by vice-presidential informal referendum. 6.2. They could very well have quickly stated their personal negative response or opposition to the Resolution but we concede that they believe in the rule of law and that if the House and the Senate would enact a binding Joint Resolution, or better yet, a statute, they would abide by it, as part of an institutional arrangement the Mr. Marcos would have none of; as Holmes would say lawmakers and policymakers can express their wish in law and sweep away all opposition. RENE AUGUSTO VERCELUZ SAGUISAG (CHAIR)
SELDA spokesperson Tinay Palabay

KARAPATAN Chair Marie Hilao-Enriquez
Carol Araullo: A vehement no to proclaiming Marcos a hero! [HQ] VIDEO Carol Araullo, former political detainee and current BAYAN chair, in an impassioned speech at the protest action against the proclamation of Marcos as a hero, states that such move is not merely a historical distortion but a step towards a Marcos restoration! She challenges Sen. Chiz Escudero, one of Bayan's friends in the Oust GMA movement to make a clear stand against the resolution of Salvador Escudero III, Chiz' father to have Marcos proclaimed as a hero. Length: ‎3:35

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			Republic of the Philippines HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Quezon City FIFTEENTH CONGRESS First Regular Session HOUSE RESOLUTION No. 1297 *(filed on 23 May 2011)* ______________________________________________________________________________ Introduced by Reps. TEDDY A. CASIÑO, NERI JAVIER COLMENARES, LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN, RAFAEL V. MARIANO, ANTONIO L. TINIO, EMMI A. DE JESUS and RAYMOND V. PALATINO ______________________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION STRONGLY OPPOSING RENEWED PROPOSALS TO BURY FORMER PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS AT THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI FOR BEING A GRAVE TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE AND MONUMENTAL HISTORICAL DISTORTION TANTAMOUNT TO DECLARING AS A HERO A DICTATOR THAT COMMITTED GROSS CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, PLUNGED THE NATION DEEPER INTO DEBT AND FOREIGN CONTROL AND PLUNDERED THE NATION’S RESOURCES, AND FOR BEING A RENUNCIATION OF THE HISTORIC 1986 PEOPLE POWER UPRISING WHICH TOPPLED THE MARCOS DICTATORSHIP WHEREAS, twenty-five (25) years have passed since the fall of the Marcos dictatorship and yet the atrocities and crimes sanctioned and committed by then President Ferdinand Marcos and backed by the United States remain a dark chapter in the country's history. The Marcos dictatorship violently suppressed political dissent, committed crimes against humanity, plundered the country’s resources, and perpetuated US imperialism’s stranglehold on the nation; WHEREAS, under the authoritarian rule of Marcos, human rights violations formed the apex of a pyramid of terror – 3,257 killed, 35,000 tortured, 70,000 incarcerated, 737 Filipinos "disappeared" from 1976 to 1983. Nearly four times those killed, tortured -- 2,250 – or 77 percent of all victims were summarily executed or salvaged. Many were tortured, mutilated and dumped on roadsides for public display to create widespread fear. Marcos and his family have never acknowledged these grave violations and have never apologized to the Filipino people up to the present; WHEREAS, the Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), a group of former martial law political detainees, said that a heroes’ burial for Marcos is a “travesty of history” and that it is “a mockery of the horrors that the Filipino people endured during the Martial Law era;” WHEREAS, the international community has long recognized the countless grave human rights violations and the crimes against humanity of the Marcos regime, especially after the initial victory bestowed upon almost 10,000 of the Martial Law victims through the compensation ruling of the United States District Court of Hawaii. Meanwhile, the Bantayog ng mga Bayani has a Wall of Remembrance for martial law martyrs and heroes; its museum houses proofs of the abductions, arrests, killings and enforced disappearances of those who fought the Marcos dictatorship; WHEREAS, Marcos’ 20-year rule from 1966 to 1986 plunged the economy into a spiraling crisis weighed down by heavy foreign borrowings and profligate spending for the benefit of the Marcos family and their cronies through what became notoriously known as “crony capitalism”. When Marcos assumed the presidency in 1966, the country’s foreign debt stood below $1 billion. By 1976 the Philippines was among the top 100 recipients of loans from the World Bank, with an external debt that rose from US$2.3 billion in 1970 to more than US$17.2 billion in 1980. By the time Marcos was ousted from power and fled the country during the first People Power uprising in 1986, the economy had a standing foreign debt of US $28 billion, trapping the country into a cycle of ever-growing debts. According to research think tank IBON Foundation, the foreign debts under Marcos alone will be shouldered by Filipino taxpayers until 2025; WHEREAS, it was Marcos who issued Presidential Decree 1177 or the Budget Reform Decree of 1977, which provides for automatic appropriations for debt payments, no matter how illegitimate and onerously acquired, and at the expense of providing little for basic social services; WHEREAS, in exchange for these loans from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Paris Club and other creditors, Marcos pursued an export-oriented, import-dependent, foreign-investment led and debt-driven economy that led to massive poverty, unemployment and near economic collapse; WHEREAS, foreign control on the country greatly deepened with the Marcos government’s subservience to IMF-World Bank impositions, US geopolitical policies, and presence of US military bases and facilities; WHEREAS, the Marcos regime was also known for its widespread and systemic corruption and plunder of the national coffers. It is estimated that as much as 33 percent of the country's total borrowings during his term were pocketed by Marcos and his cronies. The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) places Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth at between $5 billion to $10 billion. Former Solicitor General Frank Chavez pegs at $13.4 billion the money deposited by Marcos and his family in various Swiss banks. The Marcoses still face numerous cases in court in relation to this amassed loot; WHEREAS, even Marcos’ war-hero claim has long been exposed as a sham. The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, a group of Catholic educators, asserts that the “elaborate tale” that Marcos led the “Maharlika guerilla unit” during the Japanese occupation was exposed as a fictitious story by American historian Alfred McCoy. An official United States military investigation made right after the war already declared the tale a fraud. “Was Marcos really a ‘well-decorated soldier’? He may have been a war veteran just like many Filipinos of his generation. But a hero certainly he was not. The terrible suffering and damage wrought by Marcos’ 14 years of authoritarian rule is undeniable,” CEAP declares; WHEREAS, a congressional resolution urging President Benigno Aquino to give Marcos a hero’s burial would send the absurd message that the Filipino people overthrew a “hero” during People Power I and that the international community’s sympathy for that uprising is wrong. Additionally, Congress would become a laughingstock since it is working for the passage of a compensation bill for human rights violations victims under the presidency of a “hero”; WHEREAS, President Aquino cannot escape the issue by passing the task of decision-making to Vice-President Jejomar Binay. Allowing Marcos a hero's burial would not only undermine his father Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.'s role in the anti- Marcos dictatorship struggle and his mother former President Corazon Aquino's ascent to the presidency but most importantly, it would be a direct affront to the struggle of millions of Filipinos who fought and suffered under the dictatorship; WHEREAS, with his legacy of plunder, corruption, human rights violations, puppetry and flawed economic policies, Marcos does not deserve a hero's burial. Thus, government must put an end to the issue, oppose the proposal and validate the injustices made to millions of Filipinos, in turn affirming that crimes against the nation will not be tolerated and taken lightly. Immediate measures include prosecuting the Marcoses to the fullest and passing the compensation bill for martial law human rights violations victims; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the House of Representatives strongly oppose renewed proposals to bury former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani as a grave travesty of justice and monumental historical distortion tantamount to declaring hero a dictator who committed crimes against humanity, plunged the nation deeper into foreign debt and control and plundered the nation’s resources, and renouncing the historic 1986 people power uprising which toppled Marcos. Adopted, TEDDY A. CASIÑO NERI JAVIER COLMENARES Bayan Muna Party-list Bayan Muna Party-list LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN RAFAEL V. MARIANO Gabriela Women’s Party Anakpawis Party-list ANTONIO L. TINIO EMMI A. DE JESUS ACT Teachers Party-list Gabriela Women’s Party RAYMOND V. PALATINO Kabataan Party-list









MARCOS IS NO HERO BY THE NUMBERS: 3,257 killed 35,000 tortured 70,000 incarcerated, 737 Filipinos "disappeared" Billions plundered

xHR 1135 re Marcos Burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani. Republic of the Philippines HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Quezon City 15th Congress First Regular Session HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 1135 Introduced by REP.SALVADOR H. ESCUDERO III A RESOLUTION URGING THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT BENIGNO C. AQUINO III TO ALLOW THE BURIAL OF THE REMAINS OF FORMER PRESIDENT FERDINAND EDRALIN MARCOS AT THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI WHEREAS, the Libingan ng Mga Bayani was established in 1947 as a final resting place for military personnel. Over the years, interred therein have been many veterans of World War II, fallen soldiers, as well as former presidents of the republic, statesmen and national artists, WHEREAS, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was a well-decorated soldier, a veteran of World War II and a survivor of the Bataan Death March; WHEREAS, Ferdinand Marcos was president of the Republic of the Philippines for twenty years and as such was also Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces. He was likewise formerly a member of the Philippine Congress and a Senator who became Senate President before he became president of the country; WHEREAS, as the longest-serving president of the republic, Ferdinand Marcos built the modern foundations of the Philippines. He was responsible for the construction of vast infrastructure, the utilization of our energy sources, and the strengthening of local governments; WHEREAS, at the height of the EDSA Revolution in 1986, former president Ferdinand Marcos left the country and died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. In 1993, in an act of reconciliation, then-President Fidel V. Ramos allowed the Marcos family to bring home President Marcos’s remains to Batac. Ilocos Norte where it has since been interred in the family mausoleum; WHEREAS, without denigrating the achievements of the leaders and officials that emerged after EDSA, it can never be gainsaid that Ferdinand Marcos gave invaluable service to his country as soldier, writer, statesman, President and Commander-in-Chief; WHEREAS, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, who served his country in the best way he knew how, remained a Filipino patriot to the end of his life and in death deserves to be honored as such; WHEREAS, the Libingan ng mga Bayani is the most fitting place of burial for former soldier, statesman and former President and Commander-in-Chief Ferdinand Edralin Marcos; WHEREAS, it is a long-standing wish of former President Ferdinand Marcos’s family and friends, as well as of a large portion of the Philippine populace who acknowledge his contributions to the country’s development, that he be buried alongside fellow soldiers, statesmen and presidents at the Libingan ng mga Bayani; WHEREAS, it has been a quarter of a century since the EDSA Revolution and allowing the burial of Ferdinand Edralin Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will not only be an acknowledgement of the way he led a life as a Filipino patriot but will also be a magnanimous act of reconciliation which will strengthen the bonds of solidarity among the Filipino people; NOW, THEREFORE, RESOLVED as it is hereby resolved by the House of Representatives, To urge the administration of President Benigno C. Aquino III to allow the burial of the remains of former president Ferdinand Edralin Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani; Adopted, —-end of transcript——- Below is the list of representatives who are pushing for the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Is your representative one of them? Check reactions of Tweeters below the list. FULL TITLE : A RESOLUTION URGING THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT BENIGNO C. AQUINO III TO ALLOW THE BURIAL OF THE REMAINS OF FORMER PRESIDENT FERDINAND EDRALIN MARCOS AT THE LIBINGAN NG MGA BAYANI BY CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN ESCUDERO, SALVADOR III HATOC DATE FILED ON 2011-03-23 CO-AUTHORS: ORTEGA, VICTOR FRANCISCO CAMPOS DATUMANONG, SIMEON AMPATUAN GULLAS, EDUARDO RIVERA FARIÑAS, RODOLFO CASTRO FUENTEBELLA, ARNULFO PALMA ALBANO, RODOLFO B. JAAFAR, NUR GASPAR JOSON, JOSEFINA MANUEL LAZATIN, CARMELO FELICIANO LOONG, TUPAY TUPAY MADRONA, ELEANDRO JESUS FABIC MAGSAYSAY, MARIA MILAGROS E. HABANA ESTRELLA, ROBERT MAGSAYSAY, EULOGIO “AMANG” R. MALIKSI, ERINEO SAQUILAYAN MANDANAS, HERMILANDO INGCO MENDOZA, JOSELITO “JON-JON” R. MERCADO, ROGER GAVIOLA PADILLA, CARLOS MAPILI PANCHO, PEDRO MATIAS PONCE ENRILE, JUAN JR. CASTANER RAMOS, DEOGRACIAS JR. B. REMULLA, JESUS CRISPIN CATIBAYAN ROMAN, HERMINIA BATISTA ROMUALDEZ, FERDINAND MARTIN GOMEZ ROMUALDO, PEDRO PALARCA SACDALAN, JESUS NONATO SAN LUIS, EDGAR SULIT SINGSON, ERIC JR. GACULA SOCRATES, VICTORINO DENNIS MACALINAO TEVES, PRYDE HENRY ALIPIT TING, RANDOLPH SERA VILLAFUERTE, LUIS ROBREDO APOSTOL, SERGIO A. FIGUEROA DIAZ, ANTONIO MAGSAYSAY YAP, SUSAN A. MENDOZA, MARK LLANDRO LATORRE NAVA, JOAQUIN CARLOS RAHMAN ARAÑO PANOTES, ELMER ELLAGA PLAZA, MARIA VALENTINA GALIDO RODRIGUEZ, ISIDRO JR. SANTOS RODRIGUEZ, RUFUS BAUTISTA SALVACION, ANDRES D. SARMIENTO, CESAR VERGARA SARMIENTO, MEL SENEN SEVILLA TUPAS, NIEL JR. CAUSING VALENCIA, RODOLFO GARONG VERGARA, BERNARDO MANGAOANG BATOCABE, RODEL M. CO, CHRISTOPHER S. GARBIN, ALFREDO JR. BONDOC, ANNA YORK PUYAT BRAVO, NARCISO JR. RECIO BULUT-BEGTANG, ELEANOR C. CAGAS, MARC DOUGLAS IV CHAN CAJAYON, MARY MITZI LIM CALIMBAS-VILLAROSA, MA. AMELITA A. CARI, JOSE CARLOS LORETO CASTRO, JANE TAN CATAMCO, NANCY ALAAN CELESTE, JESUS “BOYING” F. CERAFICA, ARNEL MENDIOLA CERILLES, AURORA ENERIO CHIPECO, JUSTIN MARC SAN BUENAVENTURA COJUANGCO, ENRIQUE MURPHY COJUANGCO, KIMI S. COLLANTES, SONNY P. COSALAN, RONALD MORALES FABIAN, ERICO BASILIO APOLINARIO FERNANDEZ, DANILO RAMON SUBIAGA FERRER, ANTONIO ALANDY FERRER, JEFFREY PADILLA FLORES, FLORENCIO JR. TADIAR FORTUNO, SALVIO BALERA FUA, ORLANDO BONGCAWEL GARAY, FLORENCIO CUATON GARCIA, ALBERT RAYMOND SANDEJAS GARIN, JANETTE LORETO GATCHALIAN, REX GO, ANA CRISTINA SIQUIAN GO, ARNULFO FEGARIDO GOLEZ, ANTHONY ROLANDO JR. TORRILLO GOMEZ, LUCY TORRES GONZALES, AURELIO ‘DONG’ JR. D. GONZALEZ, FERNANDO VALLEJO HATAMAN-SALLIMAN, JIM HARESCO, TEODORICO JR. T. HERRERA-DY, BERNADETTE RAMIREZ KHO, DAVID L. LEONEN-PIZZARO, CATALINA LICO, ISIDRO Q. LOPEZ, CAROL JANE. B. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, JUAN MIGUEL “MIKEY” MARCOLETA, RODANTE D. MONTEJO, NEIL BENEDICT A. NOEL, FLORENCIO G. OBILLO, REENA CONCEPCION G. ORTEGA, FRANCIS EMMANUEL R. PALMONES, ANGELO B. PANGANDAMAN, SOLAIMAN C. PAYUYO, PONCIANO D. PIAMONTE, MARIANO JR. U. RIVERA, MICHAEL ANGELO C. RODRIGUEZ, MAXIMO JR. B. CRISOLOGO, VINCENT PICHAY CUA, DAKILA CARLO ENRIQUEZ DALOG, MAXIMO BADECAO DAYANGHIRANG, NELSON LECHONCITO DE VENECIA, MA. GEORGINA PEREZ DIMAPORO, FATIMA ALIAH Q. DEL ROSARIO, ANTHONY G. DUAVIT, JOEL ROY ROY QUIBRANZA-DIMAPORO, IMELDA DY, NAPOLEON SANCHEZ DURANO, RAMON VI HOTCHKISS EJERCITO, JOSEPH VICTOR GOMEZ EMANO, YEVGENY VINCENTE BEJA ESPINA, ROGELIO J., M.D. ERIGUEL, EUFRANIO “FRANNY” C. M.D. EVARDONE, BEN PAGARAN JALOSJOS, CESAR GARCIA JALOSJOS, ROMEO JR. MASUPIL JALOSJOS, SETH F. PAL KHO, ANTONIO TERO LACSON-NOEL, JOSEPHINE VERONIQUE RESURRECCION LAGDAMEO, ANTONIO JR. FLOIRENDO LANETE, SCOTT DAVIES S., M.D. LAPUS, JECI AQUINO LIMKAICHONG, JOCELYN SY LOYOLA, ROY MAULANIN MALAPITAN, OSCAR GONZALES MARAÑON, ALFREDO III DALISAY MARCOS, IMELDA ROMUALDEZ MATUGAS, FRANCISCO “LALO” T. MELLANA, EVELYN PLAZA MERCADO-REVILLA, LANI MIRAFLORES, FLORENCIO TUMBOCON ARAGO, MARIA EVITA RODA ARENAS, MA. RACHEL JIMENEZ ARNAIZ, GEORGE PLANTO ARROYO, DIOSDADO JM MACAPAGAL ARROYO, IGNACIO JR. TUASON ASILO, BENJAMIN DELA ROZA AUMENTADO, ERICO BOYLES AVANCE-FUENTES, DAISY BAGATSING, AMADO SEVILLA BRAWNER BAGUILAT, TEODORO JR. BALINDONG, PANGALIAN MACAORAO BATAOIL, LEOPOLDO NALUPA BAUTISTA, FRANKLIN PERALTA BELMONTE, VICENTE JR. FLORENDO BENITEZ, ALFREDO ‘ALBEE’ B. BERNOS, MARIA JOCELYN VALERA BICHARA, AL FRANCIS DEL CASTILLO MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, GLORIA A. MACARAEG ACHARON, PEDRO JR. BUSGANO ACOP, ROMEO MACUSI AGGABAO, GIORGIDI BUZA AGYAO, MANUEL SWEGEN ALMARIO, THELMA ZOSA ALMONTE, JORGE TAGHAP ALVAREZ, ANTONIO CHAVES ALVAREZ, MERCEDES KHO AMANTE-MATBA, MA. ANGELICA M. AMATONG, ROMMEL CAÑOS ANDAYA, ROLANDO JR. GUTERREZ











			ANGPING, MARIA ZENAIDA BENEDICTO ANTONINO, RODOLFO WELBORN APACIBLE, TOMAS VILLADOLID AQUINO, JOSE II SABIJON ABAYON, DARYL GRACE J AGLIPAY, EMMELINE Y. ALCOVER, PASTOR JR. M. ANTONIO, PATRICIO T. ARQUIZA, GODOFREDO V. BAGASINA, CATALINA C. BRIONES, NICANOR M. CABALUNA, SALVADOR III P. CANONIGO, RANULFO P. CORTUNA, JULIETA R. GARIN, SHARON S. GUANLAO, AGAPITO H. NOGRALES, KARLO ALEXEI BENDIGO OCAMPO, ROSENDA ANN OLIVAREZ, EDWIN L. ONG, EMIL LAO PANGANDAMAN, MOHAMMED HUSSEIN P. PARAS, JESUS EMMANUEL MAGBAG PICHAY, PHILIP ARREZA PRIMICIAS-AGABAS, MARLYN LEGASPI PUNO, ROBERTO VILLANUEVA QUIMBO, ROMERO FEDERICO ‘MIRO’ S. QUISUMBING, GABRIEL L. ROMUALDEZ ROBES, ARTURO BARDILLION ROMARATE, GUILLERMO JR. ABITONA SAHIDULLA, NUR-ANA INDANAN SAKALURAN, RADEN C. SALIMBANGON, BENHUR LAGO SEMA, BAI SANDRA A. SUAREZ, DANILO ETORMA SY-ALVARADO, MA. VICTORIA R. TAN, MILAGROSA ‘MILA’ T. TEODORO, MARCELINO REYES TIANGCO, TOBIAS “TOBY” M. VIOLAGO, JOSEPH GILBERT FRANCISCO UMALI, REYNALDO VILLAR UNABIA, PETER ‘SR. PEDRO’ M. UNGAB, ISIDRO TOM VILLAR, MARK AGUILAR YAP, ARTHUR CUA YAMBAO, JONATHAN CABILAO YU, VICTOR JO ZAMORA-APSAY, MARIA CARMEN TOMAWIS, ACMAD

MBC opposes Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani 19 May 2011 – House Resolution No. 1135, which urges the Aquino administration to let the Libingan ng mga Bayani be the final resting place of the former President Ferdinand Marcos, exemplifies historical revisionism at its deceitful worst in an attempt to recast the image of a disgraced leader. We especially take exception to HR 1135’s statements that “as the longest-serving president of the republic, Ferdinand Marcos built the modern foundations of the Philippines” and that he “remained a Filipino patriot to the end of his life and in death deserves to be honored as such.” Mr. Marcos was the longest-serving president only because he placed the country under martial law in 1972, less than a year before he would have been mandated by the Constitution to give up his seat. He did not call for a presidential election until 1981—a sham political exercise meant to bolster his democratic pretensions. It was only due to the intense political pressure that had built up after the assassination of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in 1983 that he was forced to call another presidential election in 1986. He tried to steal that vote as well, but the true will of the people could no longer be suppressed and he was driven out of power by a peaceful popular uprising. The claim that he built “the modern foundations of the Philippines” is a gross distortion of the late dictator’s true legacy of autocracy, ruined democratic institutions, violent political repression, unprecedented wholesale corruption, shameless nepotism, crony capitalism, a crushing debt burden, and widespread social inequity and marginalization. In the business sector, we particularly remember the near bankruptcy of the government and the need for a moratorium on debt payments because of the burden of unpaid crony loans and the gross mismanagement of the economy in general. Our country struggled with the payments for those onerous loans long after Mr. Marcos had been deposed. In the end, titles and medals—especially those of dubious provenance—do not a hero make. No hero would deliberately bring suffering upon his people and ruin to his country. For these reasons, the Makati Business Club believes that, by virtue of his profoundly tainted record as the leader of our country, Mr. Marcos forfeited whatever rights he had to being buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. We join other organizations in expressing our strong opposition to House Resolution No. 1135. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Do not distort history! Marcos was a tyrant and plunderer, never a hero! Sign-on petition Pagbabago! People’s Movement for Change, May 2011 We are outraged by the proposal at the House of Representatives to bury the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. House Resolution (HR) 1135 is a gross distortion of our history. If left unopposed, it will flagrantly rewrite one of the darkest chapters of the country’s history and will make a despised tyrant and plunderer, whom the people ousted through People Power in 1986, a hero all of a sudden. We strongly urge President Benigno S. Aquino III not to conspire with those pushing for the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. He will not only do injustice, ironically, to his own father, assassinated Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., who was among the most prominent figures in the fight against the Marcos dictatorship. But more importantly, he will do injustice to the thousands of nameless and faceless Filipinos who risked life and limb, who perished without trace, who suffered the most excruciating torture in the struggle to end the dictatorial regime. He will do injustice to current and future generations of Filipinos who shall be forced to forget the atrocities and abuses blatantly committed by Marcos, his family and cronies. We could not allow this if we are to move on as a people and as a nation. We could not simply forget the past in the name of so-called political reconciliation which in reality is nothing but a compromise between factions of the ruling elite for the sake of political expediency. Doing so is a surefire formula for another tyrant and plunderer – more vicious than ever – to again arise and terrorize the people. Leaders like Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who did not officially put the country under Martial Law but oppressed the people and plundered the country very much like Marcos did, should serve as a pungent reminder of how a country must never forget nor distort its past but instead learn from it. Twenty-five years since the first People Power, Marcos and his relatives and cronies have never been prosecuted for their many crimes against the people. Meanwhile, Marcosian economic policies that further pushed the country into a perpetual state of crisis, poverty, and backwardness such as automatic debt servicing remain in place and continue to impoverish the country and the people. Burying Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will practically absolve his relatives and cronies from their accountability and will further legitimize the anti-people policies and fascist decrees that his dictatorship initiated and were continued by succeeding regimes. We also oppose the recommendation to give Marcos full military honors. Thus, we encourage everyone to sign this petition opposing all moves and plans to distort the past and bury Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani or give him any hero’s recognition. Let us remind the Aquino administration and Congress that Ferdinand Marcos was a brutal tyrant, a plunderer, and a traitor to the Filipino people. He was never a hero. Let us teach the correct historical lessons to the youth and the generations to follow. #			Let justice be the tie that binds us as a nation: No to a hero’s burial for Marcos! 04/08/2011 Share this: \|More CEAP Statement on House Resolution 1135 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent- the LORD detests them both. Proverbs 17:15 Last week, more than 200 members of the House of Representatives filed a resolution urging President Benigno S. Aquino III to allow the burial of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). In this resolution they said that “he was a well-decorated soldier, a veteran of World War II, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March.” They also noted that “he was the longest serving president of the republic and built the modern foundations of the Philippines.” According to the signatories, Marcos “served his country the best way he knew how and remained a Filipino patriot to the end of his life and in death deserves to be honored as such.” They say that the burial of Mr. Marcos at the LNMB “will not only be an acknowledgement of the way he led a life as a Filipino patriot but will also be a magnanimous act of reconciliation which will strengthen the bonds of solidarity among the Filipino people.” The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), the largest educational association in the country, believes that these exaggerated claims about Marcos cannot be farther from the truth. They do not at all justify a hero’s burial for him. Was Marcos really a “well-decorated soldier”? He may have been a war veteran just like many Filipinos of his generation. But a hero certainly he was not. The elaborate tale of the so-called “Maharlika” guerrilla unit which Marcos supposedly organized and led has been definitively exposed by American historian Alfred McCoy as a total fabrication in a well-researched study 25 years ago. He revealed that official US military investigations into the “Maharlika” story soon after World War II already dismissed this claim as a fraud. Why should we now give the perpetrator of this lie a hero’s burial? He was indeed the longest serving Philippine President. But this was because he declared martial law, used military repression to silence opponents, destroyed what was then an imperfect but working democratic system, and perpetuated himself in power through an authoritarian constitution which was never legitimately ratified. How can his supporters claim that Marcos “built the modern foundations of the Philippines” when he presided over the country’s near economic collapse under the burden of behest loans and corrupt practices which to this day our nation has not fully recovered from? Have Marcos, his family and cronies been made fully accountable for the serious charges of plunder -- the amassing of ill-gotten wealth that sank the Philippines, while our Asian neighbors took off economically during his tenure? Did Marcos really “serve” the country? Was he truly until his death a “patriot”? While we cannot divine and judge his personal motives, the terrible suffering and damage wrought by Marcos’s 14 years of authoritarian rule is undeniable. The recent compensation given to the many victims of martial law, though symbolic in monetary terms, is damning proof that the Marcos regime was guilty of gross human rights violations. Is this the sort of person we want to see interred among genuine servant leaders and patriots? The Libingan ng mga Bayani is hallowed ground meant for true heroes. It was established as a memorial to pay fitting tribute to the gallant Filipino men and women who have brought honor to the country by fighting for freedom and democracy. How can we bury among our heroes the very man whose dictatorial regime we rejected and ousted during the EDSA people power revolution 25 years ago? It will be nothing less than a desecration and nullification of the Filipino people’s long struggle and victory for democracy which we are proud to have gifted the world as an example of non-violent political change. As we celebrate Araw ng Kagitingan to commemorate the heroism of those who fought fascism during World War II, let us not make a mockery of the service and sacrifice of Filipino war veterans by giving a hero’s burial to someone who is not only a fake war hero, but was also responsible for undermining democracy and development during his long tenure as authoritarian ruler. We call on the members of the House of Representatives who signed this resolution to seriously consider withdrawing their signatures. We urge you to understand the true meaning of service, patriotism and heroism. We challenge you to rise to the challenge of statesmanship and not be swayed by facile political collegiality and false notions of “reconciliation” and “solidarity”. We call on all those who genuinely value freedom and justice, particularly those who suffered the ravages of Martial Law, to speak out against this resolution. Let us demonstrate to the signatories that we find their proposal utterly repulsive and demeaning. Finally, we call on our schools to be ever vigilant against those who seek to revise and reinterpret history to suit their selfish interests and agenda. The teaching of Philippine history should precisely be strengthened to enable our people, especially our youth, to separate truth from falsehood. We need to understand our struggles, failings and triumphs as a people for us to build national institutions that promote genuine freedom, justice and solidarity. The House signatories claim that the Marcos burial is meant as “a magnanimous act of reconciliation which will strengthen the bonds of solidarity among the Filipino people.” But let us remember the words of St. Augustine: “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” Let justice be the tie that binds us as a nation. CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES April 6, 2011



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MARCOS IS NO HERO BY THE NUMBERS: 3,257 killed 35,000 tortured 70,000 incarcerated, 737 Filipinos "disappeared" Billions plundered


Martial law victims led by the Samahan ng mga Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) and the First Quarter Storm Movement (FQSM) today held a picket at the gates of the House of Representatives in Quezon City as they unveiled a WALL OF SHAME, which bears the faces and names of the congressional representatives who signed in a resolution urging for the burial of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Let justice be the tie that binds us as a nation: No to a hero’s burial for Marcos!