Group wants to fill Marcos’ Libingan ng mga Bayani grave with martyrs’ stones

Victims of human rights violations under martial law and their loved ones on Sunday went to the Libingan ng mga Bayani to lay stones at the grave site supposedly set aside for the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

The stones bear the names of those who were killed, went missing or suffered torture under the Marcos dictatorship.

"On each stone laid was written the name of a man/woman/child kidnapped, tortured and murdered during Martial Law. They are the real heroes who deserve to be buried here," Bubut Vazquez said of the Bawat Bato initiative, in a Facebook post.

"This is just the start as more stones with more names are laid so that their memories shall not be forgotten. This is a public space and all are welcome to pay their respects and honor the real heroes," he added.

Bawat Bato is an initiative of the Martial Law Chronicles Project, UP SAMASA alumni, Akbayan youth, and the families martyrs and heroes.

Susan Quimpo of the Martial Law Chronicles Project told GMA News that the group wanted to fill the open crypt with stones bearing the names of "martial law martyrs" before Marcos' body is taken there.

She said Marcos is not a hero because of the human rights violations for which he is responsible and the for his plunder of billions of pesos from the public coffers.

Zenaida Mique, who was detained for two yearsin La Union during martial law, said Marcos shouldn't be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani even as a soldier because it was proven that his medals were fake.

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has said that he was in favor of Marcos' burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani because he served the country as a soldier during World War II. —NB, GMA News