Mr. President, tell the world Marcos is no hero

10 May 2011

His Excellency President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III
Malacañang Palace
Manila

We wish you well.

Millions of concerned Filipinos and others like ourselves, Filipinos overseas who support you in your sacred effort to create a better Philippines—feel strongly about the issue of whether President Ferdinand Marcos be buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani.

That request by his family would be in effect a declaration that President Marcos is a Hero.

That is the truth? Is he a hero?

The truth and the facts are well established regarding President Marcos.

1. He declared martial law based on many lies—inventing justifications to eliminate elections and remain as President indefinitely.

2. As an absolute dictator, he engaged in all kinds of corruption and also stole directly from the nation’s treasury amassing an indecent fortune while Filipinos starved.

3. US military records also prove that his claim of having been awarded 27 medals for heroism in WWII are blatantly false. In short, President Marcos is far from a hero; he was a villain who brought shame, suffering and impoverishment to the Filipino people.

What are the consequences to the Filipino people if the former President who enslaved the nation is now given a hero’s burial in a cemetery for heroes? We would be the laughing stock of the world and be the subject of ridicule. We would be shamed, disrespected and dishonored. Overseas Filipinos would especially suffer much.

The Filipino people suffered heavily under the dictator. This adds more insult to injury. We cannot allow his curse to continue insulting and hurting us. Recently about 219 accommodating intellectually dishonest members of Congress signed a resolution allowing a hero’s burial for Marcos. Hired-gun journalists continue to be corrupted in dishing out pro hero’s burial propaganda for Marcos. Even in death, Marcos brings out the worst in Filipinos. These mercenary journalists mouth the line that as Christians, we should forgive so that “we can move on”?

We believe that as Christians, we should forgive as our Lord admonished. However, never did he command us to honor thieves, traitors and murderers as heroes. This would set a very bad example to our young people and succeeding generations of Filipinos. It would be like a small group of old Nazis using their amassed wealth changing history and having Adolph Hitler honored as a hero.

With all due respect, but you yourself have openly expressed that you believe Marcos was responsible for your father’s death. Many others also believe that either the dictator or his wife ordered the murder. If your father were alive, he would have been extremely disturbed if a tyrant who unjustly imprisoned a good man and then later caused his death—is later anomalously declared a hero under a government where the President is the son of the tyrant’s victim. Not burying Marcos as a hero does not mean we have not forgiven him.

It simply means we don’t want to be fools and have a scoundrel be buried as a hero. We also don’t need a Marcos hero’s burial for us to move on. If in fact that happens, it will continuously disturb our peace and national self respect because we know that a terrible lie has been imposed on us.

Mr. President, the effect on your credibility as a leader if you relinquish your responsibility to uphold the honor and dignity of the Filipino people is that you relinquish the principles of truth and justice, causing harm and insult to the Filipino people.

On matters of conscience where the President has the mandate and authority to lead and to decide—we respectfully believe that you, Mr. President, should lead. The grave fault of Pontius Pilate was that he knew and openly acknowledged that Jesus was innocent, yet ordered that He be crucified—giving in to the crowd’s demand.

Like millions of Filipinos in the homeland, we supported the President in the 2010 elections believing that you would be true to your promise to provide the moral leadership to rid the country of institutionalized corruption and other evils.

However, Mr. President your seeming abnegation of responsibility of this important issue is very disturbing. By passing this onus to the Vice-President, the perception is that as President, you do not want to provide the proper leadership to protect the people and nation from being dishonored and insulted by the possible hero burial of a despotic corrupt former President. With all due respect, we view as puzzling your reason from recusing yourself from this issue: “I don’t want to appear biased.” Every right thinking individual should be biased against honoring and burying as a hero a man who in truth and in fact was a villain. While your intention may have been to be fair to all, which is admirable –true fairness involves adherence to truth. The obvious truth: Marcos is clearly not a hero.

Among other things, burying him as one would bring to naught the honor and pride we acquired as a people from the EDSA revolution which toppled the dictatorship and inspired people around the globe to bring down similar corrupt regimes. It would also seem to waste the sacrifices paid for with blood by the President’s father and other true heroes and martyrs –for our people’s freedom and dignity. What do we respectfully suggest for the President to do?

We strongly suggest that the President should take back and assume his responsibility on this issue. Plain and simple, this is the right thing to do. He should then openly declare to all Filipinos and to the world that the late dictator is absolutely not a hero and that he owes it as his duty to the Filipino people not to have Marcos buried as a hero at the Libingan ng mga Bayani—not only now but forevermore.

This declaration is consistent with what is right and what is true and it should gain our President the continued respect and loyalty of the Filipino people all over the world.

Kindest regards,

(Sgd.)
Atty. Ted Laguatan, Spokesperson (California)
Atty. Loida Nicolas Lewis, Chairperson (New York)
Atty. Rodel Rodis, President (California)
Ms. Celia Pangilinan- Donahue, Treasurer (Washington DC)
Ms. Rocio Nuyda, Secretary (California)
Mr. Gus Mercado, Member, Board of Trustees (Texas)
Mr. Jet Pizarro, Member, Board of Trustees (Oregon)
Ms. Yoly Tubalinal, Member, Board of Trustees (Chicago)
Jun Rasul, MD, Member, Board of Trustees (Washington DC)
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS (Nevada)
Dr. Angie Cruz (New York)
Celia Lamkin, MD (Saipan, US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
(CNMI))
Ms. Paraluman Anderson (California)
Mr. Eric Lachica (Washington DC)
Mr. Ben Aquino (California)
Dr. Jessy Ang (Seattle)
Mr. Willie Dichavez (Michigan)
Mr. Jerry Aquino (California)
Ms. Cecille Dacudao (New York)
Mr. Rad Abarrientos (California)
Gregorio T. Mariano, Jr., MD (Pennsylvania)
Ms. Aurora Aguinaldo (New York)
Mr. Bernie Aguinaldo (New York)
Mr. Joey Golez (Texas)
Mr. Manny Tiangha (California)
Ms. Jane Fields (Washington DC)
Mr. Frank Celoza (Massachusetts)
Dr. Aleflor G. Ragaza (Connecticut)
Dr. Edgardo P. Ragaza (Connecticut)
Mr. Jose R. Lim (New York & Canada)
Mr. Louie Macapinlac (California)
Ms. Marie Luarca-Reyes (New York)
Ms. Bebs Sipin (Massachusetts)
Mr. Roger Alama (New York)
Ms. Ludi de Asis Hughes (New Jersey)
Ms. Victoria Pangilinan (Kuwait)
Ms. Gretchen Pangilinan (New York)
Ms. Cholly Mauricio (New Jersey)
Ms. Cristina Castro (Massachusetts)
Ms. Patricia David (New York)
Mr. Rudy S. Capistrano (New York)
Ms. Maria Margareth Baccay (New York)
Ms. Ruth Valenzuela (New York)
Ms. Charito Benipayo (Northern California)
Ms. Brenda dela Fuente (New York/New Jersey)
Ms. Mary Anne T. Fadul (Virginia)
Ms. Maria Antonia D. Valencia (New Jersey)
Ms. Lilibeth Aristorenas (Massachusetts)
Ms. Elizabeth Manalac (California)
Ms. Maria Christina Aquino and husband (New York)
Ting Lavado, Edison (New Jersey)
Ms. Pia Raymundo – de Leon (Oregon)
Ms. Florita Tolentino (Texas)
Mr. Arturo T. Pangilinan (Virginia)
Mr. Bobby Tamayo (Virginia)
Mr. Alfonso T. Pangilinan (Virginia)
H. Monte Hill, Ph.D. (North Carolina)
Ms. Emily Hill (North Carolina)
Mr. Mark Salcedo (New York)
Mr. Frederick Flores (New York)
Mr. Alex A. Esclamado (California)
Ms. Lourdes Mitra Esclamado (California)
Ms. Ofelia R. Sta. Ana (Philippines)
Mr. Fernando M. Mendez (New York)
Ms. Milagros B. Mendez (New York)
Mr. Pacifico “Pic” Marcelo (Washington)
Mr. Alan Geoghegan (South Carolina)
Ms. Maria C. Geoghegan (South Carolina)
Mr. Mabini Castro (Bedford, Massachusetts)
Mr. Ernesto M. Gange (Pennsylvania)
Ms. Susan Yango (Kuwait)
Ms. Lucha M. Alforque (New York)
Ms. Guila Maramba (California)
Ms. Ofelia Chernizer (Northern California)
Mr. Manuel G. Vergara
Ms. Linda Limcaco (New Jersey)
Mr. Nony E. Abrajano (Virginia)
Atty. Dabs Mama-o (California)

(As of May 12th, 2011)