Thousands join mass rally against Marcos’ burial

Thousands of Filipinos gathered for a grand rally yesterday to protest the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos at the country’s cemetery for military heroes, Libingan ng mga Bayani.Protesters — including activists, nuns, priests, workers, professionals and students — gathered in the late afternoon at the People Power Monument in Manila.The monument is a memorial to the popular revolution in 1986, which ousted Marcos after 21 years in power.He was buried with military honours at the Heroes’ Cemetery on November 18 in a ceremony that was closed to the public.The groups were protesting the decision to allow the burial, which was approved by both President Rodrigo Duterte and the country’s Supreme Court.Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, a leftist, joined the protest.The groups said they will not stop protesting until Marcos’ remains are exhumed.They also lashed out at alleged attempts by the government and Marcos supporters to revise history by denying that Marcos was a dictator, a plunderer and violator of human rights. The rally took place on Bonifacio Day, a public holiday commemorating Andres Bonifacio, a revolutionary who fought the country’s Spanish colonial rulers in late 19th century.The protesters called Bonifacio a “true hero.”The protesters held banners saying “Marcos No Hero” and photos of his alleged victims emblazoned with the legend: “We refuse to forget.”