MANILA, Philippines (Eagle News) — With eight affirmative votes, six negative votes and six abstentions, the Senate failed to adopt a resolution expressing opposition to the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Senator “Risa” Hontiveros Baraquel, who filed Senate Resolution 86, said that allowing the former president to be buried at the libingan would only cause divisiveness and reopen old wounds, especially since the country is in the process of providing reparations to the martial law victims.
Along with Hontiveros, Senate President “Koko” Pimentel, Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon and senators “Bam” Aquino, Leila De Lima, “Kiko” Pangilinan, Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva voted for the Adoption of Resolution 86.
But senate majority leader “Tito” Sotto And Senators “Gringo” Honasan, Richard Gordon, “Ping” Lacson, “Manny” Pacquiao, And Cynthia Villar voted against adopting the resolution while Senate Majority Leader Ralph Recto And Senators “Sonny” Angara, “Nancy” Binay, Chiz Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, And “Migz” Zubiri abstained from voting.
Drilon and De Lima said they voted yes because the Senate has the right to express its sentiment as a political institution.
But according to Gordon, who noted no, to vote as a Senate sends a very bad signal that the Supreme Court seems to be a Marcos court.
