5. BURIAL PLUS CONTROVERSY

BURIAL PLUS CONTROVERSY

Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano

19 November 2016

Traffic met us as we vied for the exit of the Skyway at the SLEx (South Luzon Expressway) near the Magallanes Interchange in Makati City. As I searched Google for the reason behind the bumper to bumper traffic, we realized that we were caught at the tail end of a rally denouncing the secret burial of the country’s former dictator, Ferdinand E. Marcos. After four gruelling hours crawling at EDSA, we reached the bottle neck at the People Power Monument near Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City sparked protest from all sectors of society in the streets and in social media.

Having taught history subjects at the University of La Salette and Isabela State University, refreshed my memory on instances in our past when burying the dead became controversial. A similar secret burial happened in our history over a hundred years ago when the Spaniards had secretly buried Rizal’s remains in Paco Cemetery to prevent a cult of martyr-worship. Dr. Jose Rizal was tried before a court-martial for rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy and was convicted on all three charges thus sentencing him to his death.

Another episode in Philippine history about burying the dead was the Dagohoy Rebellion which occurred in Bohol during the Spanish Era. The insurrection was ignited by polo y servicios (forced labor), bandala, excessive tax collection, and payment of tributes. On top of these injustices from the friars, what triggered Francisco Dagohoy (baptized as Francisco Sendrijas) most was the refusal of Fray Gaspar Morales, a Jesuit curate of Inabanga, to give a Christian burial to his brother Sagarino who died in a duel in 1744. This caused Dagohoy to call upon his fellow Boholanos to raise arms against the oppressors. The uprising killed Morales and they were able to defeat the Spanish forces sent against him. Dagohoy established the Bohol Republic on December 20, 1745. The rebellion lasted twenty Spanish governors-general and several missions.

Over a century earlier in Cagayan Valley, the indigenous Gaddangs of Pilitan, now a barangay of Tumauini town in Isabela province, assassinated encomendero Luis Enriquez in 1608 because he treated the Irrayas with so much severity. The natives thrusted him through a lance and though not clearly narrated by historians, was boned and was not given a proper Christian burial.

Marcos died on September 28, 1989 and was secretly buried today with full military honors; however, the stigma of his administration was not buried with him and will forever be part of our nation’s history – a tragedy for the victims of Martial Law but a victory for the Marcoses and his allies.

After Rizal’s execution on December 30, 1896, his sister Narcisa toured all possible gravesites outside Intramuros (old Manila) and found freshly turned earth at the cemetery with guards posted at the gate. Assuming this could be the most likely spot, there never having any ground burials, she made a gift to the caretaker to mark the site "RPJ", Rizal's initials in reverse. The bones were later transferred to the house of Rizal’s sisters Josefa and Trinidad in Bonondo, Manila. On the 14^th death anniversary, the urn containing Rizal’s bones and other souvenirs were interred at the base of his monument in Rizal Park.

Because of the denial of a Catholic burial for Dagohoy’s brother, the longest rebellion in Philippine history which lasted from January 24, 1744 to August 31, 1829, a total of 85 years, took place with hundreds of Dagohoy's followers preferred death inside the cave-headquarters in Magtangtang in Danao town than surrender. Their skeletons still remain in the site.

Double tragedy for encomendero Enriquez for aside from being assassinated by the natives, his remains was desecrated. In the book entitled “Cagayan Valley and Eastern Cordillera 1581-1898” authored by Fr. Pedro V. Salgado, OP, revealed that his shin-bones were used to make steps to go up the house of the Irraya chief.

Controversy after death is a sorry experience for the family of the departed. Burying the dead is a sacred duty and it is a tragedy if one’s burial is deprived, kept and questioned.