Quasi hero

IN THE midst of the unfolding drama among the living (known as military corruption), the dead have their own sub-plot of brewing conflict.
It’s enough to make former AFP Chief of Staff Angie Reyes stir in his grave.
After all, it was his controversial hero’s burial, replete with full military honors, which revived another disputable proposition: Sen. Bongbong Marcos asserting that his father, former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos be buried among the bayanis of the land.
Coincidentally, the bold recommendation came only a few days before the 25th anniversary celebration of EDSA People Power – the bloodless uprising which has tainted Pres. Marcos’ top brass, beyond death.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has seconded Bongbong’s proposal, saying that “he [Pres. Marcos] has not been tried of any crime although there are claims about certain behaviors and venalities in his government, but that is to be judged by the people and the courts in a proper case. I think in terms of his entitlement to become a resident of the Libingan ng mga Bayani, it should not be questioned.”
Pres. Marcos’ achievements as a World War II veteran, legislator and former chief executive should be enough to merit him the distinction, Enrile said.
Even Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who was one of the young colonels who led the mutiny against the former strongman, agrees that the ousted 20-year dictator should be accorded his place among the distinguished dead.
“I think it’s about time we bury this culture of anger, hatred, vindictiveness, and recrimination. It will not diminish our selfish right as a people if we collectively decide to undertake this act of statesmanship,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pres. Aquino has inhibited himself from deciding on the issue for obvious reasons – his martyred father, the late senator Ninoy Aquino, was the nemesis of the late dictator. His late mother, former Pres. Cory Aquino, was the heroine of EDSA People Power.
Pres. Aquino disclosed that he will be assigning a government official to study the proposition, given that it will have many implications.”In all probability, I will let somebody who has less personal attachment decide on it and I hope to be meeting this person. Anything I say will be biased,” he stressed.
The Department of National Defense (DND) has also begged off from the issue, saying that Marcos’ burial is a political decision.
In the virtual realm, questions arose among netizens in social networking sites: Is it fair to bury someone in such a dignified manner, given all the human rights he has violated? Wouldn’t it spark an uproar among the families of the victims? Wouldn’t it be disrespectful to PNoy to give Pres. Marcos a hero’s burial during his term?
In a nation of Catholics, the culture of forgiving and forgetting is almost always a given. This issue pits the Pinoy’s Christian sensibilities against his principles on governance, freedom and democracy.
The great Indira Gandhi once said, “Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” While EDSA 1 is still an undisputed act of bravery, a source of Pinoy pride and a beacon of inspiration to those who are still fighting for democracy in different parts of the globe, the inevitable questions remain: Do Filipinos finally have the courage to forgive Pres. Marcos for his sins? Are we ready to move on?
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend Feb 19-22, 2011 Sec A pg. 12)