Supreme Court asked to order exhumation of Marcos’ remains

Posted on by realryl

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MANILA – Opposition lawmaker and Albay Representative Edcel Lagman urged the Supreme Court (SC) to order the exhumation of the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos, three days after Marcos was interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).

In an 8-page pleading filed with the high court before lunchtime on Monday, Lagman said the exhumation of Marcos’ remains was necessary since his burial was “premature, precipitate and irregular” on the basis that the decision allowing the burial “has not attained finality and was not executory.”

On November 8, the high court, voting 9-5, with one abstention, junked seven petitions assailing the move of President Duterte to allow Marcos’ interment at the LNMB. The ruling also ordered the lifting of a status quo ante order (SQAO) earlier issued that halted the burial for some two months.

“Since the object of the premature burial is the so-called interred ‘mortal remains’ of Marcos, perforce the same must be exhumed as a rectification of the void execution.

“The exhumation is imperative in order not to render moot and academic the petitioners’ forthcoming and seasonable motion/s for reconsideration, the resolution of which had been preempted by the precipitate burial in the wake of nationwide protests and cogent commentaries against the subject Decision of the [SC],” Lagman’s motion read.

The exhumation is also intended to “effectively censure and discipline” the Marcos family and top defense and military officials for their “disrespect” against the SC, the motion stressed.

The motion further pointed out that “with the inordinate haste and stealthy circumstances which shrouded the interment, there is no certainty as to what was actually buried in the LNMB.”

As such, Lagman asked that a forensic examination of the buried remains be conducted to determine whether what was actually interred were Marcos’ remains, and “not any other artifact or a wax replica of the late dictator, since his remains could have been buried decades ago in Batac, Ilocos Norte as he reportedly wished to be buried near his mother, the late Doña Josefa Edralin Marcos in Batac.”

Lagman also informed the high court that he will also be filing a pleading to cite respondents in contempt of court.

Another group of petitioners, led by former Bayan Muna Representative Saturnino Ocampo, filed a separate petition with the SC, also on Monday, to cite respondents in indirect contempt.

 

 

Source: http://news.abs-cbn.com/news

Duterte on Putin: We became ‘fast friends’

Posted on by realryl

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LIMA, Peru — He just met his “idol” here last Saturday but President Rodrigo Duterte already considers Russia President Vladimir Putin and himself as “fast friends.”
Still delighted by his bilateral meeting with Putin, Duterte narrated to reporters Monday how the often poker-faced Russian leader smiled in his presence and repeatedly invited him to Russia.
“You know, we have become fast friends, President Putin and (China) President Xi Jinping,” Duterte said.
Duterte had a bilateral meeting with Xi on Sunday (Manila time) before his engagement with Putin.
Russian President Putin and Philippine President Duterte attend meeting on sidelines of APEC Summit in Lima
“His (Putin) smile was wide. According to news reports, he does not laugh. But he was smiling all along. He said ‘do not forget to visit Russia. I reserved something for you there.’ ‘True?’ ‘Gun.’ He loves guns,” Duterte said, adding that the Russian president is fond of hunting. “It seemed like we’ve known each other for so long and even the way we pat each other’s hand in a handshake. And you know, I didn’t realize then… before we were seated.”
Duterte said he and Putin were seated beside each other in one of the APEC sessions.
“I was talking with the, I think, the Premier of Vietnam. They were thanking me for the sailors that we sent home. We talked and when I finally sat down, I found out that President Putin was on my left side, so we shook hands,” Duterte said.
“And then after that, I shook his hands again and I finally said I’ll go ahead. Then he gestured to me ‘don’t forget to visit Russia,’” he added.
“He has extended the gracious invitation maybe about four times already. And maybe I will go… I shall go someday.”
During his bilateral meeting with Putin, Duterte assailed western countries, including the United States, for allegedly bullying smaller nations. He also told Putin that the US had forced its allies to join its wars.
Journalists who covered the event were not able to hear Putin’s response as they were already asked to leave the venue while Duterte was talking. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte merely explained to Putin the context and the reasons behind his tirades against the West.

 

Asked how Putin responded to Duterte’s statements, national security adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who was present during the meeting, said: “Generally, what President Putin said is that we share your sentiments…”

 “He said ‘our assessments coincide in many respects,’” he added without elaborating.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, who was also in the meeting, said Putin lauded Duterte’s firmness.
“Something was said about his being firm, perhaps in a way, he would no longer be bullied, something like that,” Lopez said.
Asked if the president was happy that he finally met Putin, Esperon replied: “We were also happy.”
Source: http://www.philstar.com/