Marcos died over 20 years ago in exile after being ousted in a 1986 “people power” revolt. His body has been displayed in a glass coffin in his northern Philippine hometown of Batac in Ilocos Norte province since 1993.
His widow, Imelda, has long pushed for his burial in the Manila heroes’ cemetery, which is reserved for presidents, soldiers, statesmen and national artists. She is opposed by pro-democracy and left-wing groups, who say the late dictator committed massive human rights violations and plundered the nation’s coffers during his two-decade rule.
In response to a question at a news conference Wednesday, President Benigno Aquino III said no burial with state honors would happen “under my watch.”
His decision goes against his vice president’s recommendation that Marcos be at least given military honors if he’s to be buried in his northern hometown and not at the national heroes’ cemetery.
“We have so many victims of the martial law years who have not gotten even a recognition formally from our government that they were victims,” Aquino said. “It really would be, I think, the height of injustice to render any honors to the person who was the direct mastermind of all of these happenings.”
There was no immediate reaction from the Marcos family.
Even 25 years after his downfall, Marcos is a divisive figure in the Philippines. He is reviled by many, including thousands of former political prisoners, and his alleged plundering of the economy remains the subject of protracted litigation. But he still enjoys a degree of popularity — particularly in Ilocos Norte, where his family holds significant political power.
