MANILA, Philippines – The Young Moro Professionals Network condemned the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, calling the Marcos regime the darkest period in Philippine history. 

“There is no darker period in our recent history than the Martial Law era. There is hardly any Bangsamoro family that was left untouched by death and grief during the Marcos dictatorship,” said the biggest organization of Muslim professionals in a statement on Friday, November 18. 

“To this day, we carry with us stories of men killed in mosques, women raped in villages, and children left orphaned by countless human rights violations across the region and all throughout Mindanao during the term of the late Ferdinand Marcos… We decry the burial of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, in the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” the group added.

On November 18, Marcos’ remains were transferred from Batac, Ilocos Norte to the national shrine for heroes in Taguig City in a private ceremony requested by his family. 

The burial – which caught the nation by surprise – was kept secret until the last minute, with Marcos’ critics calling out his heirs for supposedly misleading the country. (READ: Behind the scenes: 12 hours to prepare for Marcos burial)

Activists and Martial Law victims had asked the Supreme Court to stop a hero’s interment for Marcos, but the SC junked their petitions with a vote of 9-5.  

The petitioners argued that the state-sanctioned human rights violations during Marcos’ 21-year rule make him undeserving of a grave at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. 

“Our elders passed on their account of history to us so we can learn from it, and our history is replete with stories of how Martial Law has changed the lives of our people. To deny that these atrocities happened and to forget the suffering it has caused is to betray our history as people who fought for freedom from the dark days of dictatorship,” said the Young Moro Professionals Network. 

“That he was buried in an attempt to force our people to move on and to forget is inconsolable and unforgivable. Nothing can change history. Nothing can change the truth. Marcos is no hero,” said the group. 

Hours after the former president’s interment, anti-Marcos groups staged protests across Metro Manila.  

The Coalition Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang is now urging various groups protesting the burial to join a mass demonstration on November 25. – Rappler.com