Davide: Marcos burial an insult to victims

DAVIDE

CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III said last Friday’s burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) was “very insulting” to martial law victims since a motion for reconsideration is still pending in the Supreme Court.

“(For me the decision of the Supreme Court to bury Marcos at LNMB) is very disappointing, insensitive and here comes the burial, kalit-kalit (abrupt). Gamay ray nahibaw kay secret kunohay (Only a few knew about it since it’s a secret). Very insulting,” Davide said.

Davide, a lawyer, said once a motion for reconsideration is filed in court, the case remains pending until its resolution.

“If the SC will deny the MR, that’s it. But you have to wait for 15 days before the decision becomes final. But in this case, the family of Marcos did not wait. They probably thought it’s already final because nobody filed but apparently there was a petition filed,” Davide said.

But Davide said he understood the legality of the decision, adding that there was no legal impediment in burying the former president in LNMB.

Davide said while it was a fact that Marcos was a former president and soldier, this was negated by the abuses committed during martial law under his regime.

“Some of victims didn’t live to tell their stories. So mao unta to gi-consider (they should have considered that),” Davide said.

“For me, the SC ruling was a victory for the Marcoses. They could have just stopped there. People may appreciate them more if they did not push through with the burial and did not insist with the burial. It was enough that the SC decided (that Marcos will be buried in LNMB),” Davide said.