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Caught off guard, stunned! Here's how the nation reacted to Marco's secret burial - Raelyn Luchansky

The Marcos burial has been a very divisive topic for Filipinos. Many support it, a big chunk of the population also oppose it.
raelyn luchansky
As expected, the burial drew an ardent response from many Filipinos, more so because it was kept secret from the public.

The burial took place on Friday afternoon, November 18, 2016- over a week after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a hero's burial for the former president.

Related: WATCH: The secret hero's burial of Ferdinand Marcos

Authorities said that the remains of Marcos were flown by helicopter from his hometown in Batac, Ilocos Norte for the burial in the Cemetery of Heroes in metropolitan Manila.

Here's how the nation reacted to the secret burial of Ferdinand Marcos.

Vice President Leni Robredo
This is nothing new to the Marcoses - they who had hidden wealth, hidden human rights abuses, and now, a hidden burial - with complete disrespect for the rule of law. Once again, we strongly condemn the burial of the former dictator in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. As stated in several decisions from the Supreme Court, Ferdinand Marcos was a thief, a murderer and a dictator. He is no hero. If he were, obviously his family would not hide his burial like a shameful criminal deed.
Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon
The stealthy and hurried manner by which the Marcos burial was orchestrated is reminiscent of the dark days of martial law. The atrocities perpetrated during Martial Law succeeded because the citizenry was kept in the dark. Marcos betrayed the country for decades; we should not allow him to continue to do so up to this day. Like what Marcos did for 21 years, he caught us off-guard like a thief in the night. His burial is anything but noble. Even in death, he is a thief.
Sen. Bam Aquino
The manner by which he was buried speaks for itself. What more can be said? They remain deaf to the calls of the many Filipinos demanding justice for the abuses during the Marcos regime and remain numb to the pain of too many innocent victims of Martial Law. This is now part of our history - from Marcos and his cronies' grave abuses to the People Power Revolution, from his covert burial to today's protests and cries against a heroes burial for a Filipino dictator.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros
Hanggang dulo, nangnanakaw si Marcos. Ang kanyang pekeng hero's burial ay isang nakaw na sandali.
Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan
Malilibing siya (Marcos) pero hindi ibig sabihin na mananatili siyang nakalibing dun...

Filipinos also took to social media to air their reactions.

‘I suffered 13 years hiding underground, a year and a half in prison’
I am one of many petitioners who asked the supreme court to overturn their decision. Due to martial law, I suffered 13 years hiding underground and a year and a half in prison, with over a month in solitary confinement. I graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1969 and went on to teach English there. During this time I was a contributing editor at Graphic magazine and wrote articles attacking Marcos, beginning with the “first quarter storm” in 1970 [an uprising against Marcos led by students and workers].

In 1972, my husband and I were accused of subversion and rebellion and had to go into hiding. I had to leave my son with my mother – he was only 18 months old. When I finally saw him again he was already 17 years old. In 1984 I was arrested and imprisoned. I was freed in 1986 through the auspices of President Cory Aquino.

Mila D Aguilar, 67, poet, Quezon City

‘LNMB regulations are very clear’
Should he have been buried in LNMB? Yes, very much so. As [he was] a former soldier and twice elected president of the country, the supreme court decision is as straightforward as it gets. Regulations stipulate who should be buried at the LNMB and these are very clear. [Burial] there does not confer any sort of hero status to anyone, and one can argue that the name of the place is a misnomer given that not everyone buried there deserves to be called a hero. That being said, a lot of the coverage ignores the fact that a sizable number of Filipinos view Marcos as a great president for one reason or another. The decision brings closure to countless Filipinos who can finally put an end to a widely divisive issue.

Ronald Po, 35, industrial engineer, Quezon City
‘Many Filipinos still bear the scars of his plundering’
He should definitely not have been buried in the LNMB. He is no hero, and so many Filipinos still bear the scars of his depredations and plundering during his one-man rule. Our people power revolution that ousted him is enough to mean that his rule as president ended dishonourably, so that no legalistic reckoning of his right to be buried in hallowed ground should take precedence over our memories of how he and his family did our country much harm – and yet they managed to insinuate themselves back into political power, with absolutely no remorse.

The blame can also largely be laid on our new president who has been using his so-called popularity to ram through his callous decisions and policies, similar to his unconscionable “war on drugs”.

Krip Yuson, 71, writer and editor, Manila
‘He is a soldier after all’
He deserved a hero’s burial. He is a soldier who almost died in the Bataan death march during the second world war. Also, God forgives sinners. Some of the accusations made against him have not been proven, there are so many ambiguities and theories going around that it should be left alone. People should move on.

Ferdy, government employee, Tacloban

Caught off guard, stunned! Here's how the nation reacted to Marco's secret burial - Raelyn Luchansky Caught off guard, stunned! Here's how the nation reacted to Marco's secret burial - Raelyn Luchansky Reviewed by Raelyn Luchansky on 4:11:00 AM Rating: 5

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