DND distances self from Marcos at Libingan issue

The Department of National Defense (DND) has distanced itself from the proposed burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, which remains a thorny issue more than two decades after the former state leader’s death. “The DND will just follow the guidance of Malacañang," DND spokesman Eduardo Batac said Thursday at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo. Marcos was a former military officer and recipient of the highest military decoration for gallantry and bravery in combat, but many sectors are opposing plans to bury him at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. “While there are parties which are advocating for the accommodation of the late President Marcos’ burial in Libingan ng mga Bayani, there are also people who are objecting especially the victims of the Marcos dictatorship," Batac noted. Batac said all military officers and enlisted personnel are qualified to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Marcos, president from 1965 until he was ousted in 1986, died while on exile in Hawaii in 1989. His remains were brought and preserved at his hometown in Virac, Ilocos Norte. Among those who are calling for his burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani are his son Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr., and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who served as Defense minister during the Marcos regime. In February 1986, however, Enrile joined forces with then AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos in turning against the Marcos administration. The EDSA uprising then resulted in the ouster of Marcos and the assumption to power of then civilian Corazon Aquino. Meanwhile, Batac announced that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin is planning to develop a regional Libingan ng mga Bayani to accommodate enlisted personnel, especially those who cannot afford burial at private cemeteries. “The move right now, and this came from the secretary himself, is to develop regional Libingan ng mga Bayani, especially for enlisted personnel who pass away. These people cannot afford, for example, burial at the cemeteries," said Batac. - KBK/RSJ, GMA News