Imee Marcos, daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, called for forgiveness on October 17 as she led a rally at the Supreme Court urging it to approve a controversial hero’s burial for her father. / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE
(Eagle News) — The planned burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will not materialize just yet.
This was after the Supreme Court extended until November 8 the status quo ante (SQA) order that had initially stopped the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines from preparing for the burial.
The latest decision of the high court was announced by Supreme Court information chief Theodore Te.
The planned burial was initially set on September 18.
This was the second extension on the order. The first status quo ante order was issued on August 23, and was effective for 20 days. This was to last until September 12.
But the high court extended the SQA until October 18 at the end of oral arguments last September 7.
Before the Supreme Court issued the ruling, some 1,000 Marcos supporters led by Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos rallied in front of the court on Monday (October 17) to urge the high court to allow the burial of her father at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
She also called on the various human rights groups and those opposing the planned burial to “set aside your grievances” and to “forgive.”
“If in our view my father was great, others have many criticism, but let us no longer debate,” she said.
There are seven petitions filed with the Supreme Court opposing the Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Among these petitions are groups of martial law victims led by former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and former Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales; a group of students from the University of the Philippines; and a group led by former senator Heherson Alvarez.
Former Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao human rights chair Algamar Latiph and Senator Leila De Lima were also among those who filed petitions against the controversial burial.
While the petitioners argued that the burial would violate constitutional provision on state policies, and that it was ““illegal and contrary to law, public policy, morals and justice,” government lawyers led by Solicitor General Jose Calida said President Duterte’s decision allowing Marcos‘ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayan was beyond judicial review.