August 31 - resumption of hearing

August 31 - morning hearing

MANILA - The Supreme Court (SC) is hearing on Wednesday oral arguments on the petitions to stop the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery).

The petitioners, including human rights victims, argued that the internment would condone the abuses under Marcos' tumultuous two-decade-long rule.

It would also violate terms of a 1993 agreement, which paved the way for the return of his remains to the country, that he be buried in his home province of Ilocos Norte, they said.

The Solicitor General had said President Rodrigo Duterte's approval of the burial did not violate any laws. Duterte said Marcos was entitled to such honors as a former president and soldier.

On August 23, the court issued an order to preserve the status quo for at least 20 days, effectively suspending plans for the burial.

Invited as resource persons for the oral arguments are National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chairperson Maria Serena Diokno, former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III, representatives from the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), Office of the Ombudsman, Human Rights Victims' Claims Board (HRVCB), Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Adjutant General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.