By Raïssa Robles

Was it just a slip of the tongue that Imee Marcos, daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos committed on national TV this morning? Or did it reveal the family’s true intentions?

I was watching the Ilocos Norte governor do a one-on-one with Karen Davila on ABS-CBN’s ANC this morning, about why her father should be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani at Isang Magnanakaw – at least that is what is now called on Google Maps for everyone to see.

The cemetery for deceased soldiers, presidents, etc. is now called Cemetery for Heroes and One Thief on the online Map of Google.

Governor Imee tried to assure Karen that burying Marcos at Libingan would not automatically make him a hero. That was not the intention of the family, she said. She told Karen – “All we want is a hero’s, a, soldier’s burial.”

Oops.

I hope ABS-CBN will extract that portion of the video and replay it.

Amid this brouhaha over whether or not to bury a long dead corpse in Libingan, the following relevant question needs to be asked – how many times does the same body have to be “buried” in order to consider it buried?

The dictator was already supposed to have been buried as far back as 1993. Before the burial, the body was even given military honors befitting a soldier – in Marcos’ case, the rank of Major.

See my story –

Marcoses broke promise to bury FM’s body at once in Ilocos – Fidel Ramos >

But the Marcoses did not bury the body. They kept it all dolled up like a full-size “Ken” doll and on display.

It’s quite interesting how Imee Marcos tried to dodge the question posed by Karen (which she said she had obtained from social media) whether the “body” on display was fake and the real one already buried. Why did Imee hem and haw and not simply say at once – that’s the body of my father?

I think those opposing Marcos’ burial at Libingan can file a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court and use this video to petition the court to have the body examined for genuineness.

How much of that body is actually real?, based on Imee’s answer.

On another point, the Marcoses have effectively convinced the public that a group of people who dislike the Marcoses are against a Marcos burial and are preventing him from being buried.

People have actually told me – “e di ilibing na yan para lang matapos ang usapan.” (Just bury it to end all discussions.)

THAT PERCEPTION IS SO WRONG.

VERY WRONG.

It is the Marcoses who have REFUSED for over 20 years to bury the corpse of their father. Because they insist that he will only be buried at the Heroes Cemetery.

The Marcoses have been practicing necro-politics all these years. They have held two presidents hostage (Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada) and extracted from a third president (Rodrigo Duterte) the same promise of political and/or financial support during the elections, in exchange for a hero’s burial.

I suggest you watch the entire episode of Imee Marcos with Karen Davila. It will be shown again this weekend.

Meanwhile here below are some of the relevant articles on the Marcos burial issue:

Part I: Fidel Ramos told me Imelda Marcos waived burial at Libingan, a state funeral and full military honors ˃

Marcos’ proof for his war medals was a book on goldfish and plants >

Thank you, ABS-CBN, GMA, Sunstar, & Malaya for picking up my story that Imelda Marcos already waived a hero’s burial for Ferdinand Marcos in 1993

Malacañang reacts to my story on Imelda Marcos waiving Libingan burial & full military honors for Ferdinand Marcos

Fool military honors for Ferdinand Marcos? Yes, oh yes!