THE head of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines resigned on Tuesday in protest against the burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Heroes’ Cemetery.
NHCP Chairwoman Maria Serena Diokno submitted her resignation to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and said it was a move toward the “right side of history.”
“At this moment in our history every voice counts, and I wish to place mine on the side of history: not the history that the Duterte government ignores, but the history that beckons our people to demand justice that even the highest court of the land will not bestow,” Diokno said in a statement.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Malacañang respected Diokno’s decision to leave the Cabinet.
“We respect Chair Diokno’s decision and we thank her for the services she rendered to the nation as she headed the commission responsible for the conservation and preservation of the country’s historical legacies,” Abella said in a statement.
Diokno said Duterte’s decision to proceed with the burial of the late strongman at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in effect ignored the horrors of Martial Law.
“The burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani is wrong; it denies our history, erases the memory of the lives lost and destroyed, mocks the collective action we took to oust the dictator, and denigrates the value of our struggle for freedom,” Diokno said.
The outgoing head of the agency tasked to preserve and protect the country’s history criticized Duterte for citing the lack of studies about Marcos’ leadership and dismissed the claims of Martial Law victims.
“Notwithstanding the narrow view adopted by nine members of the Supreme Court, President Duterte could have taken the higher ground,” Diokno said.
“But he chose not to. Worse, he justifies his ‘legalistic’ action by claiming, falsely, that ‘there’s no study, no movie about it [Marcos’ record as a leader], just the challenges and allegations of the other side.”
Diokno had earlier submitted appeal letters to Duterte informing him about the “historical lies” committed by Marcos, particularly on his war records whom Duterte used to defend his decision to bury the late dictator as a soldier.
But she said she was still “filled with hope” despite her departure because of the younger generation of Filipinos defending history.
“The multitude of especially young Filipinos who have come out in defense of history and are prepared to co-author it for their generation and the future point to one clear realization: they, we all, will guard our history,” Diokno said.
She also expressed her intention to join the anti-Marcos protests.