Baste to Marcos: My father gave yours hero’s burial

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Marcos was being ungrateful for allowing the International Criminal Court to arrest and send former president Rodrigo Duerte to The Hague to face ICC trial for crimes against humanity.

This was according to Duterte’s son, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, who reminded Marcos that it was the former president who allowed the elder Ferdinand Marcos to be buried in the heroes’ cemetery.

The mayor said his father’s arrest has sparked outrage among the people.

“Marcos, you owe us a debt of gratitude. Your father was given a hero’s burial by my father but you let my father go to jail,” the younger Duterte said at a gathering of supporters for the 88th Araw ng Dabaw celebration last Sunday.

Sebastian lamented how his father had to dodge criticisms and opposition to his decision to bury the elder Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

He said the outpouring of support for his father was something the President would never experience.

Reacting to the mayor’s tirades, Malacañang said debt of gratitude must not stop the government from enforcing the law.

At a briefing yesterday, Palace press officer Claire Castro said the President had already expressed his gratitude to the former leader.

“As early as 2016, when President (Marcos) was still a senator – the President had already thanked the Supreme Court for ruling that his father should be buried at the heroes’ cemetery,” Castro said.

She said the President had already indicated that his “family will forever be thankful for this kind gesture” of the former president.

“But showing gratitude should not derail or betray the law and justice,” she said.

Asked about Mayor Duterte’s expletives at Marcos on Saturday, Castro said the President is not onion-skinned.

Appeal for calm

The Palace press official also appealed to Duterte supporters to remain calm and be discerning amid the flurry of fake news.

“The people of Davao are also Filipinos. Of course, the Palace and the President are concerned with what is happening in Davao. But our only request is for them to be calm and to know the truth,” Castro said.

She maintained that the government would not prevent supporters of the former president from joining gatherings to show him support.

“We will not stop them from expressing their feelings, as long as it will not go too far… and we can say that that is sedition or inciting to sedition,” Castro said.

The Palace official also chided Sen. Ronald dela Rosa for what she implied was a belated show of support for the former president.

Castro said Dela Rosa should have accompanied his former boss in Hong Kong despite getting information that they would be arrested there.

“If he (Dela Rosa) really knew that there was no arrest warrant issued by a competent authority, he would have bravely accompanied former president Duterte and as a matter of fact, he should have gone to the Netherlands before Sen. Robin (Padilla),” she said.

Dela Rosa, who served as chief of the Philippine National Police during Duterte’s term, is widely acknowledged as the top enforcer of the former president’s brutal crackdown on illegal drugs known as Oplan Tokhang.

There were speculations that Dela Rosa and retired police chief Oscar Albayalde would be the next to receive arrest warrants from the ICC.

‘Bring home Roque’

Castro also chided calls for the return of Duterte instead of his former spokesman Harry Roque.

“But it would be better if we challenged him (Roque) to return to the country instead of bring home former president Duterte. Maybe, it would be better for the people to shout, ‘bring home Roque,’” Castro said.

Roque surfaced at The Hague on March 14, ahead of the initial appearance of Duterte before the ICC. Roque left the Philippines following an arrest order from Congress for contempt.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said President Marcos may have decided to raise the allowance of military personnel to appease some members who might be against the arrest of Duterte.

In a statement, ACT decried the Marcos administration’s decision to raise soldiers’ allowances while public school teachers’ salary hikes remain on hold despite the ongoing education crisis.

The group said it finds unacceptable the administration decision to raise the allowances of military personnel to “secure their loyalty,” while teachers bear their poor working conditions, financial struggles and insufficient pay amid the rising cost of living.

“While the International Criminal Court’s arrest of Rodrigo Duterte is a step toward justice for his crimes against the Filipino people, the Marcos Jr. administration must not exploit military compensation as a tool to solidify its grip on power,” said ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua.

“Using state funds to appease the armed forces while leaving the majority of government employees and ordinary workers to suffer in worsening economic conditions is unacceptable,” he added.

Marcos earlier signed Executive Order No. 84, s. 2025, which approved a P200 increase in the daily subsistence allowance of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel, from P150 to P350.

ACT said public school teachers’ daily pay increase of P20 to P50 under Executive Order No. 64, covering 2024 to 2027, paled in comparison to the AFP’s, calling it a “double standard.” — Helen Flores, Neil Jayson Servallos