The fuss about the Marcos burial

Who would have thought that a funeral would engender a variety of reactions from millions of Filipinos? The much talked about burial of the late dictator and president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Cemetery of Heroes) caused an uproar inside and outside social media. It happened just days after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Marcos being laid to rest among the nation’s heroes. Martial law critics were enraged by a burial done in secrecy. The late president’s loyalists and supporters considered it a great way of “moving on.” Nonetheless, with Marcos’ body already at the Libingan, the debates continue as to whether it was appropriate or not. Should people continue to make a big deal out of it? These readers answer.

Yes, it should be a big deal because it affects how the coming generations would perceive us and Marcos. They might be given the impression that the late president and dictator was a true hero even with all the bad things that he did when he declared martial law.—

Kristian Cruz, 20, business administration student (USJ-R)

The people should care, but they are blowing things way out of proportion about this issue. I believe that the people should respect the decision of the President as the appointed ruler of this nation to allow Marcos to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. We do not even know for sure if all of the people buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani can truly be called heroes.—

Chloe Huang, 20, architecture student (USC)

In my opinion, people should not care too much about the place of burial for the late President Marcos because he’s already dead. He already contributed to our country’s history. Good or bad, he will always be part of it.—

Laurence Chua, 21, mechanical engineering student (USJ-R)

Yes, because we cannot make sensible decisions for our country if our views on our history is distorted. If we start questioning now, we’ll eventually learn the answers. Let’s forget about being pro or anti-Marcos and just hope the truth will unite us and that we learn some lessons from it.—

Jessah Nina Bagual, 20, architecture student (USC)