Lagman: 'Supermajority' to deny resolutions against Marcos' hero's burial | ABS-CBN

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Lagman: 'Supermajority' to deny resolutions against Marcos' hero's burial

Lagman: 'Supermajority' to deny resolutions against Marcos' hero's burial

Trishia Billones,

ABS-CBN News

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Filing any resolution at the lower house to oppose the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos will be "useless" because the 'supermajority' bloc would instantly deny it, a lawmaker claimed Wednesday.

"In the House, any resolution or legislative measure with respect to any opposition to the burial of President Marcos as a hero at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will be useless exercise because of the supermajority in the House which would instantly refuse or deny such a resolution or measure," Albay First District Representative Edcel Lagman told ANC's Headstart.

Passing a similar resolution at the Senate may not prove to be feasible, he said, as "the legislative arena may not be an option."

Lagman said for now, a feasible option would be a nationwide mass action "wherein people would articulate their opposition and the grounds why they are opposing the burial."

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He is optimistic that there is still strong dissent from the people regarding the matter despite the close second-place finish by Marcos' only son and namesake, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., in the 2016 vice-presidential race.

"The mass action would tell the president that there is popular opposition to the projected burial of the late president," he said.

"And let us underscore that Bongbong Marcos lost, so there were more people opposed to the return of the Marcoses to power," he added.

Lagman is also positive that though there are some leftists in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte, the political segment will also be vocal in opposing the hero's burial.

He noted, when Duterte first said he intends to allow the hero's burial for Marcos, Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo "demurred and objected to such proposition."

Although Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano has yet to speak on the issue, Lagman said he expects that as victims of Martial Law atrocities, they "would ally themselves with people demonstrating against this intended burial."

"Their being appointee will not change the fact that they were victims of Martial Law and they should stand up against the burial of a dictator and one who has been convicted of human rights violations," he said.

Lagman said another option to pursue is going to the Supreme Court "to seek a writ of prohibition with preliminary [sic] injunction in order to forestall" the burial.

He revealed, they have already gotten together with "kindred spirits in the legal circle," and he has moved that the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) of Jose Manuel Diokno lead the drafting of the petition.

He emphasized that they rushing to secure an injunction from the high court as they believe the September 18 reported internment date may be hoax.

"September 18, that date has no relevance at all. Most probably, it’s a ploy. It could be September 11—I think that’s the birthday of the late president," he said.

He is hopeful the latest they will file the petition is very early next week.

"We must do that; otherwise, since time is of the essence, we might not get the necessary response from the Supreme Court," he said.

Despite Duterte and Chief Justice Sereno's recent word war, Lagman emphasized that the rule of law covers everyone.

"I think we should bow to the supremacy of rule of law and to the ruling of the Supreme Court, which is charged with the resolution of justiciable issues and the power of judicial review under the expanded powers granted to the Supreme Court in the 1987 Constitution, he said.

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