Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A former senator and lawyer who defended human rights victims during the rule of Ferdinand Marcos placed blame on President Rodrigo Duterte for the surprise burial of the dictator in the heroes' cemetery.

"He cannot believe that he did not know this," Rene Saguisag told "The Source" on Tuesday.

"He had not done anything to sanction those who did it," Saguisag said, referring to the military and police who coordinated with the Marcos family on their request to bury the former strongman on November 18.

Saguisag said police and military should be accountable.

"They have to explain why they did it. It could not have done without clearance from the highest," he said.

Related: Marcos family requested confidential, 'short notice' burial - AFP

Duterte said he was unaware of the date as he stood by his decision to allow the controversial burial of Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, which came 10 days after the Supreme Court issued a decision rejecting any legal impediments to Marcos being laid to rest there.

The President was out of the country and en route to Lima, Peru to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting when the interment took place.

The seemingly covert burial which the public got wind of barely hours before the ceremony, triggered mass protests later that Friday.

Saguisag said former President Fidel V. Ramos should be held responsible as well.

"But (Ramos) is not really blameworthy because an agreement was reached, and he had assumed that it would be honored," Saguisag said.

Ramos had allowed Marcos' body to return to the Philippines in 1993 during his term, albeit with conditions that the remains would stay in Ilocos Norte.

Ramos has since slammed the burial, and calling it a "connivance" between the Marcoses, the military, and police.

Related: Ramos speaks up on Marcos burial

The former president is a second cousin of Marcos, but turned his back on the regime as he led the military and police revolt.

He said that it was the task of the president to listen to other parties involved. Saguisag added, "Mr. Duterte, it's not only the Marcoses you should please."

According to Saguisag, the burial was also badly timed, and should not have been set "when the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Compensation Board are still processing 75,000 claims."

"Assuming that (Duterte) is right, (it) is being pushed at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons because of gratitude for his support of the Marcoses," said Saguisag.

He added that President Duterte should have listened to the voices of leftist groups, such as the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

"They were the only group that consistently fought Marcos from day one, they sacrificed the most, they suffered the most, and so they should be listened to when it comes to the gross human rights violations of that kleptocrat," said Saguisag.

Related: Duterte proving himself a 'rotten trapo' for allowing Marcos burial-CPP

Saguisag was a senator from 1987 to 1992 after serving as a spokesperson for Marcos rival and then-President Cory Aquino.

A nephew of former Senate President and Marcos opposition leader Jovito Salonga, Saguisag co-founded Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity, and Nationalism.

Anti-Marcos protesters, who believe that the burial was illegal since it took place before the 15 days allotted for reconsideration lapsed, filed a motion of contempt on Monday with the Supreme Court against the military and the Marcos family.

Even if the case will not progress, Saguisag maintains it is important to file it. He believes that eventually, with the number of complainants, the Supreme Court will have to reconsider.

Watch: After Marcos burial, what lies ahead?

"One lesson we learned... was no matter what will happen, file a deposition for history so the other side will doubt its moral premises for the record," said Saguisag.

"In '72 onwards, we kept losing, bangon ng bangon [we keep getting up], we kept filing," he added.