Imelda: 'I will not force a burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani'

Former First Lady and incumbent Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos on Friday said she will not insist on demanding a hero's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery) for his husband, the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. In an exclusive interview with GMA News' Sherrie Ann Torres, Mrs. Marcos said that although it pains her to see public objection over a hero's burial for her husband, she will no longer "force the issue even if he is more than qualified to go and be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani." Besides, she pointed out that transferring her husband's remains to Metro Manila and away from Ilocos Norte would pose a problem to locals, who love them so much.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV President Benigno Aquino III has already said that the late strongman will no longer be buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani in Taguig City. Palace officials earlier said the President is already finalizing a decision on Vice President Jejomar Binay's proposal to bury Marcos with military honors in his hometown instead. Even if her husband gets denied a hero's burial at the LMB, Mrs. Marcos said she was certain her husband would be more welcomed in heaven. Marcos expressed her sentiments during her visit to the Marcos museum in Batac, Ilocos Norte in time for the former First Lady's 82nd birthday. A recent survey by StratPOLLS Inc. showed seven out of 10 (71.6 percent) Metro Manila residents favoring the burial of the late president at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. In March this year, 219 members of the House of Representatives signed House Bill 1135, a House resolution pushing for the burial of Marcos at the heroes’ cemetery. But progressive groups rejected plans for a hero's burial, saying it would be an insult to the victims of Martial Law. Marcos died on Sept. 28, 1989, while in exile in Hawaii. His remains are in a refrigerated crypt in the family’s ancestral home in Ilocos Norte. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ, GMA News