WATCH: Abella reading Duterte statement on Marcos burial at Libingan where he asks everyone to have space in their hearts for forgiveness pic.twitter.com/Egn88sGwa0 — DJ Yap (@deejayapINQ) November 18, 2016

LIMA, Peru — There was “nothing sneaky” about the clandestine burial of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Malacañang said Friday, as it sought to distance President Rodrigo Duterte from backlash.

In fact, according to presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella, it was an act of bravery on the part of Mr. Duterte to allow Marcos’ to be interred as a hero, considering he knew perfectly that it would trigger a firestorm.

ADVERTISEMENT

“He has always faced all his situations square and fair… I did not say this is a minor affair but this is a thing of the past. It is just putting an end to it, and I think it is very courageous,” he told reporters in a briefing at past 2 a.m. local time (around 3 p.m., Manila time), shortly after Mr. Duterte and company landed here.

“The fact that he has allowed [the Marcos burial at Libingan] is a courageous act already,” he added.

READ: Duterte ‘politically accountable’ for Marcos burial

Abella, however, did not give a clear answer when asked whether the President knew beforehand of the schedule of Marcos’ burial and the fact it would be done away from the public eye.

“He certainly did not have a prepared statement, so he must have been surprised,” he said.

The spokesperson repeatedly noted during the briefing that it was the Marcos family that took charge of the entire ceremony.

ADVERTISEMENT

In a statement Abella read to reporters, Mr. Duterte said: “The decision to bury the late President Ferdinand Marcos today is a personal decision of the Marcos family. We respect their choice of date for the internment.”

The President noted that the Supreme Court had lifted the status quo ante order blocking the Marcos burial and allowed the internment of the remains at the heroes’ cemetery.

READ: Duterte on hero’s burial for Marcos: No emotions, just the law

“[Mr. Duterte] further said that he hoped everybody would find a space in their hearts to forgive and to set free those who had hurt or injured them,” the statement read.

“Hopefully, both sides will exercise maximum tolerance and come to terms with the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos,” the President said.

Mr. Duterte said he fully understood the anger it would inspire in anti-Marcos groups, and would allow any form of mass action “as long as it is legal, peaceful and in accordance with the law.”

READ: Marcos laid to rest in ‘sneaky’ rites at Libingan ng mga Bayani

“In the past he has said: ‘Let history judge but I will do what is legal and the Supreme Court has ruled that it is’,” he said.

Abella said he sought out the President shortly upon landing at the Lima airport for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders Meeting at before midnight Friday to inform him of the developments.

He said the President did not personally write the statement, but “actually verbalized it to me before we came down from the plane.

“I talked to him and I told him, ‘sir, so and so has happened, do you have statement regarding this matter?’” the official recalled.

Abella also denied Mr. Duterte timed the Marcos burial to fall on a date he was out of the country to avoid backlash.

“Whether he would have stayed or whether he left, there always will be some form of [reaction]. People were expecting he would be there because it’s supposed to be a campaign promise so he should have been there,” he said.

The spokesperson said there was nothing “sneaky” about Mr. Duterte’s actions.

“I doubt if there’s nothing sneaky about the matter. In fact, it was part of his campaign process… it is part of the whole process, and there is no intent as you say to be ‘sneaky’.”

RELATED VIDEO

Read Next

EDITORS' PICK

MOST READ