Former UP student leaders: Make Duterte pay for Marcos burial

MANILA, Philippines – Hundreds of University of the Philippines-Diliman student council alumni are holding President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for the surprise burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery).

“This dishonorable and despicable act must not be countenanced. We hold President Rodrigo Duterte directly responsible,” the former student leaders said in a Bonifacio Day statement on Wednesday, November 30.

They also took the 9 Supreme Court justices to task for allowing the burial to happen. By a vote of 9-5, the High Court on November 8 rejected petitions that sought to stop the burial of the late dictator. 

“We, former student leaders of the UPD University Student Council (USC), express our strongest condemnation for the burial of the dictator in the resting place of heroes. We stand against the deliberate attempt to revise history and to erase the memory of those who fought for our democracy,” they said.

Among the more than 300 former student leaders who signed the statement were Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) co-founder Malou Mangahas, broadcast journalist David Celdran, Commission on Human Rights chairperson Chito Gascon, and Senator Francis Pangilinan.

Abolition of student councils

During the tumultuous martial law years, Marcos abolished student councils, organizations, and publications to quell the growing dissent of the youth at that time. Many student leaders, activists, and journalists were abducted, tortured, raped, and murdered under his authoritarian rule. 

“Upon the restoration of the UPD USC, (we have continued) to call for justice and accountability, especially during these times,” the UPD USC alumni said.

The former UP student leaders also called on their “fellow Iskolar ng Bayan, past and present, and the Filipino people whom we serve to once again rise up against the Marcoses and their effort to absolve themselves from the evils of their regime.”

A rally protesting the Duterte administration’s burial of Marcos’ remains in the Heroes’ Cemetery is scheduled on Wednesday, November 30, at the People Power Monument on EDSA. There are also other marches and rallies happening simultaneously in cities across the country, as well as a few cities abroad. (SCHEDULE: November 30 rallies vs Marcos)

The rally is being staged 5 days after an estimated 8,000 protesters gathered at the Luneta to also denounce Marcos’ burial at the Heroes’ Cemetery, and to ask Duterte to end his alliance with the Marcos family.  – Rappler.com