- Title: Philippine Supreme Court allows hero's burial for former dictator Marcos
- Date: 8th November 2016
- Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (NOVEMBER 8, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF PHILIPPINE SUPREME COURT PHILIPPINE SUPREME COURT EMBLEM PHILIPPINE SUPREME COURT SPOKESPERSON, THEODORE TE, ENTERING BRIEFING ROOM TE SPEAKING BEHIND PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHILIPPINE SUPREME COURT SPOKESPERSON, THEODORE TE, SAYING: "The court, with the vote of nine to five, with Justice Bienvenido Reyes taking no part, rendered the following judgement: wherefore the premises considered the petitions are dismissed, necessarily the status quo and the order is hereby dismissed." RALLY OUTSIDE SUPREME COURT SUPPORTERS CHANTING (Filipino): "MARCOS!" MAN CHEERING CROWD CHEERING WHILE HOLDING BANNER FILIPINO ("PRAYER OFFERING FOR APO LAKAY (MARCOS)" FAN READING: "MARCOS FOREVER" ELDERLY WOMEN CHEERING (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) DAUGHTER OF FERDINAND MARCOS AND PHILIPPINE GOVERNOR, AIMEE MARCOS, SAYING: "This was what I promised him. This has been my promise to him for nearly 30 years, now we're old now and have grandchildren." LEFT-WING ACTIVISTS HOLDING PROTEST ACTIVISTS HOLDING PLACARD READING (English): "NO HERO'S BURIAL FOR MARCOS" PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS (English/Filipino): "NO TO MARCOS BURIAL AT LMMB" AND "MARCOS. HITLER, DICTATOR, LAPDOG" ACTIVIST LEADERS SPEAKING ON MICROPHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) MARTIAL LAW VICTIM AND NATION FIST SPOKESPERSON, NERI COLMENARES, SAYING: "It's really disheartening that today, history has changed. History has lost its meaning, and it's confusing and frustrating that after so many decisions against Marcos, the Supreme Court turned itself around. But we will seek a motion of reconsideration. PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNER READING (English): "MARCOS IS NO HERO" ACTIVIST HOLDING PLACARD READING (English): "MARCOS IS NOT HERO"
- Embargoed: 23rd November 2016 09:13
- Keywords: Supreme Court Ferdinand Marcos burial hero's cemetery
- Location: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- City: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA00157L2CED
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 8) cleared the way for a hero's burial for former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, resolving an issue that has divided the nation since his death in 1989, three years after he was ousted in a "people power" revolt.
Voting 9-5, the Supreme Court threw out petitions filed by leftist activists and victims of human rights abuses, ruling that President Rodrigo Duterte was within his powers to order that Marcos be buried in the heroes' cemetery, south of Manila.
Saying he was fulfilling a campaign promise, Duterte ordered the army to bury Marcos at the cemetery in August, prompting anti-Marcos groups to seek a ruling from the court.
Marcos's son and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., described Tuesday's decision as "magnanimous" and expressed hope it will "lead the nation towards healing".
More than a hundred Marcos supporters, carrying Philippine flags and wearing Marcos T-shirts, gathered outside the Supreme Court to celebrate the decision.
Imee Marcos, the daughter of Ferdinand Marcos and a local governor at her hometown in Ilocos Norte, went to the Supreme Court to express her family's jubilation.
"This was what I promised him. This has been my promise to him for nearly 30 years, now we're old now and have grandchildren," she said.
A few hundred metres from the Supreme Court, left-wing activists held a protest urging the reversal of the decision.
"It's really disheartening that today, history has changed. History has lost its meaning, and it's confusing and frustrating that after so many decisions against Marcos, the Supreme Court turned itself around. But we will seek a motion of reconsideration," said Neri Colmenares, a victim of Martial Law and spokesperson of Nation's Fist.
Marcos ruled the Philippines for 20 years, during which time he, his family and cronies amassed an estimated $10 billion in ill-gotten wealth, a commission found, and thousands of suspected communist rebels and political foes were killed.
Previous governments refused to allow the Marcos family to bury him at the cemetery amid opposition.
Marcos, who died in exile in Hawaii, was a soldier and guerrilla leader during World War Two when the former U.S. colony was occupied by Japanese forces.
His embalmed body is currently on display in a mausoleum in his hometown in the northern Philippines. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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