Poe lays wreath at Marcos crypt

BATAC, Ilocos Norte — In a move that could isolate him from anti-Marcos groups and human rights advocates, Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. laid a wreath at the foot of the wax-covered remains of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos interred at the family’s mansion here.

Poe was accompanied by former First Lady Imelda Marcos and her children Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos and Ilocos Gov. Ferdinand "Bong-Bong" Marcos Jr. at the ground floor of the ancestral mansion at around 5 p.m.

Marcos’ youngest daughter, Irene, was not present.

The KNP standard-bearer first viewed the remains of the late strongman and paced back to get the wreath and returned to lay the flowers.

Poe and the Marcoses spent a few moments in silence and left.

"If he can honor the dead, what more the living?" Mrs. Marcos, wearing a FPJ campaign vest, said while wiping off tears.

She said she was touched that Poe indicated that he wants to "pay his respects" to the remains of her husband.

She added that she is confident that if Poe gets elected, her family will "get justice," apparently referring to the protracted court battle over the alleged billions of ill-gotten wealth.

Asked if she thinks her family will finally attain justice, Mrs. Marcos said: "Not only justice, but he will do what is proper and fitting."

She said she remains confident that her husband would finally be given a hero’s burial at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio because "that’s what the law states."

Before proceeding to Batac, Poe was asked by journalists in Vigan what his stand is on efforts to recover the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses. He answered that he has yet to study the matter.

Asked what he plans to do on the request of the Marcoses to have the late strongman buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani, he said the issue has not yet been discussed.

Poe also paid a courtesy visit and had lunch with Archbishop Edmundo Abaya in the latter’s residence in Vigan. In Batac, he raised the hands of local KNP candidates for a photo opportunity.

The KNP’s senatorial slate is a curious mix of Marcos era holdovers and former street parliamentarians who fought the dictator.