The making, unmaking and remaking of Marcos as a hero
The Philippines is moving to anoint rapacious dictator Ferdinand Marcos a hero. First by having his portrait restored in the armed forces Hall of Heroes and very soon getting his body transferred to the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the U.S. equivalent of the Arlington National Cemetery reserved for war heroes.
The armed forces historian declared that all claims of Marcos’ bogus war medals are just that: claims. They have to be substantiated and investigated further. And the massive human rights violations committed during Marcos’ 20-year rule? The historian said Marcos’ military accomplishments “are not affected.”
And where does President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino figure in all his? No one knows exactly. But one thing is revolting. That all this is happening during the administration of Aquino, whose father Ninoy was killed by Marcos henchmen. What sweet victory for the Marcos forces, and supreme irony for the Philippines.
By simply biding their time, not doing anything at all, the Marcoses are being given back the country on a silver platter. And Noynoy appears to be not doing anything to stop it. C’mon, get off your PlayStation and govern the country.
In his column for a Philippine newspaper, reprinted below, California lawyer Ted Laguatan argues why making Marcos a hero is wrong, insulting and a cause for shame among Filipinos.
The Marcos family and their supporters (ex-cronies, mercenaries, etc.) are moving heaven and earth to have Marcos interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. With tons of money, influential loyalists, mercenary journalists and other resources at their disposal—they may well succeed. They hope to end the stigma against the Marcoses if they do. They recently got some military officials to install Marcos in the AFP Hall of Heroes
Libingan ng mga Bayani literally means “Cemetery for Heroes”. Essentially, in theory, it is reserved for those whom the nation honors for their service to the country.
In Congress, Marcos crony Congressman Salvador Escudero, leads this campaign. The father of Senator Chiz Escudero has already gotten 204 members of Congress to sign the petition to have Marcos interred as a hero.
Money talks—especially in the Philippine socio-political cultural setting. This distortion of getting a brutal greedy dictator buried as a hero will happen unless the people speak out and shout: “No way.”
Ferdinand Marcos became a dictator based on a lie. Marcos brought out the worst in the Filipino. Many cooperated with his evil ways. He could not have thrived for so long without the obvious or tacit assistance of many.
The corrupt practices he institutionalized continues to plague the Filipino people. Corrupt politicians from the lowest to the highest utilize Marcos’ corruption technology of “steal and hide”. Steal money through government procurements and other sophisticated methods—then hide the booty using cronies as fronts, depositing money overseas, investing in other countries and converting into corporate assets.
Marcos’ dark legacy should cause Filipinos to shudder in shame if despite the innumerable sufferings he has imposed on our people, his fabulously wealthy family and a small group of influential loyalists and mercenaries are able to impose their will on us and have him buried as a hero.
On July 4, 2004, investigative reporter Frank Walker of the Sun-Herald, an Australian newspaper – revealed in an article that the dictator had an affair with an obscure Australian playboy model named Evelyn Hegyesi, who somehow had become a multimillionaire, lived in a plush Sydney waterfront mansion and owned several investment companies.
Hegyesi’s daughter with Marcos is named after his mother: Analisa Josefa. Documents obtained by Sun-Herald reveal that on October 14, 1970, the 23-year-old Hegyesi then three months pregnant with Analisa, formed a company named Austraphil Pty Ltd. In February, 1971, Austraphil bought a five bedroom mansion in Sydney’s most expensive area: Wyuna Road, Point Piper, paying mostly in cash and a small loan.
Real estate papers showed that Austraphil took a loan of $250,000 ($2.5 million in today’s money) from Finanz AG of Zurich. Finanz was a subsidiary of the Swiss SKA Bank, now called Credit Suisse. This is the main bank used by Marcos to stash his swag. Hegyesi paid off the loan in 1976 transferring the property in her own name and sold the mansion for 6.2 million dollars in 1999. She has lived quietly in Sydney’s ritziest area for almost forty years.
Sun-Herald’s investigation of the Marcos-Hegyesi affair led to other revelations. It turned out that Marcos had many secret accounts at SKA including so called “foundations” dubbed Azio, Charis, Avertina, Vibor and Valamo aside from others. Swiss court investigations reveal that the Marcos millions came from illegal sources.
Among other irregularities, court papers indicated that Marcos siphoned directly from Japanese reparation funds $23 million (worth 275 million dollars in today’s money) and placed it in his Charis foundation. These funds belonged to the Filipino people and was vital at that time to the country’s economic development.
Of note is that on November 12, 1971 – Marcos signed a document making Austraphil the sole beneficiary of his Anzio Foundation. Analisa was then 3 months old.
This greedy philandering cruel man was nice to his many mistresses but not to the Filipino people to whom he left a legacy of much misery, suffering and bad governance. Now his family and a small group of powerful robber barons want to pull wool over the people’s eyes and make him out to be a hero.
Mercenary Filipino journalists play a major role in good versus evil conflicts in Philippine society – attacking or defending an issue – depending on “envelopmental concerns”. Thus, some argue that Marcos may have been brutal, corrupt and greedy – but nevertheless was a World War II hero and as such should still be buried at the cemetery for heroes. Others argue that PNoy should be large-hearted enough and be a statesman and show forgiveness and compassion to a war hero. He would be a fool and not a statesman if he did.
PNoy played politician here giving the impression of being a kind person sympathetic to the family of Reyes. Moreover, it had yet to be established by corroborative evidence if the witness against Reyes told the truth – even if he appeared credible. The burial was excusable.
The world would be shocked if Marcos is now declared a hero. It’s like former Nazis using their amassed wealth and influence succeeding in getting Adolfo Hitler declared as a hero.
If PNoy gives in to pressure and allow Marcos’ hero burial at Libingan, it will be an official act formally declaring that Filipinos are the biggest fools on earth. It will also be an unofficial act declaring that PNoy has no balls who does not really understand true moral leadership. By so doing, he also desecrates the memory of his genuine hero father who was ordered killed by the Marcoses.
President Noynoy, nasaan ang b—– mo. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit mo pinapayagan ibalik ang pangngalan ng pamilyang pumatay sa tatay mo. At sa libo-libong pang mga Filipino pinatay ng diktadura niya. Pero hindi ako nagugulat dahil mukhang wala ka namang prinsipyo, eh. Pinagtutulakan ka ng China, wala ka namang imik. Binasura mo ang human rights sa Nobel Peace Prize para sa tatlong drug carriers na binitay din ng China.
Pero and talagang nakakasuka ay ang panliligaw mo sa mga Marcoses. Binabastos mo at dinuduraan sa mukha ang lahat na lumaban para sa kalayaan ng Pilipinas. Ang lolo ko pinatay ng mga Hapon. Si Marcos ay napatunayang collaborator ng U.S. army. Nasaan ka Noynoy? Nagtatago sa mga palda ng mga kapatid mo?
Oh my goodness! a tremendous article dude. Thank you.
Right! And the jury is out on Hitler and Judas. LOL! Marcos was a bad man.
Right on the money. History is being rewritten by the Marcos loyalist. . . Unbelievable!
The Marcos family wants to start a revolution and to mess up the Philippines again. They know if F. Marcos was voted to bury his body with the heroes a lot people will revolt against the government. The Marcos Family with be laughing at the Philippines Government and Aquino will look foolish. How can you make F. Marcos an hero when he is a murderer, crook, corrupted, adulterer that he symbolized SATAN. Please, use your common sense! Philippines will be a laughingstock and a joke all over the world.
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