BY ISMAEL AMIGO

THE Aquino government should take the cue from the survey conducted by StratPOLLS Inc., where seven out of 10 Filipinos expressed support for burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani.

 

According to StratPOLLs, 71.6 percent favored Marcos' burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani while 28.4 percent answered in negative.

 

The survey had 250 respondents. Approval for a hero's burial for Marcos was high in Las Piñas with 78 percent and Parañaque with 76 percent.

 

On the other hand, opposition was high in Manila with 38 percent and Quezon City with 32 percent.

With this, President Aquino should set aside personal animosity and give Marcos the honor he deserves by letting the former leader be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

 

Dapat nang isantabi ang alaala ng nakaraan upang makasulong na ang bansa tungo sa kaunlaran.

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Aside from this, more than 200 members of the House of Representatives signed a resolution urging President Aquino to allow Marcos' burial at the heroes’ cemetery.

 

In March this year, 219 members of the House of Representatives who signed House Bill 1135, a House resolution pushing for the burial of Marcos at the heroes’ cemetery.

 

The bill’s author, Rep. Salvador Escudero III, reasoned that being a bemedalled World War 2 veteran and a former president, Marcos deserved to be granted the final honor by being buried as a hero.

Escudero believes that by allowing Marcos the final rite of burial could reflect that the Filipinos had already healed from its dark past.

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Recently, President Aquino has given Vice President Jejomar Binay the power to decide whether to allow Marcos’ burial at the said cemetery.

 

Emphasizing that all sectors must be consulted, Binay recently opened a text hotline and email address where the public can air their sentiment on the issue.

 

Binay has also started consulting several political parties and non-governmental organizations on the matter.

 

 At the end of the day, I believe that like many others, Binay will recommend to P-Noy that Marcos be given the burial deserving of a former leader and war hero.