Filipino supporters of former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, celebrate in front of the Supreme Court in Manila, Philippines, Nov. 8, 2016. The Supreme Court of the Philippines authorized the burial of former strongman Ferdinand Marcos at the Heroes Cemetery in Manila, a matter that divides supporters and opponents. The judges of the Supreme Court ruled with nine votes in favor, five against and one abstaining as the court rejected the diverse petitions of victims of the Marcos regime. The petitions sought to block the transfer of the remains of the former leader, who died in 1989 three years after being deposed in a popular revolt. Photo by Francis R. Malasig/European Press Agency
MANILA, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court of the Philippines has voted to allow the body of Ferdinand Marcos, ruler of the country for about two decades, to be moved to Manila's Heroes' Cemetery.
Justices ruled 9-5, with one abstaining, on Tuesday to dismiss a case seeking to block Marcos' burial at the cemetery set aside to commemorate heroes. The ruling will allow Marcos to receive an honorable burial despite accusations he was a ruthless dictator who is blamed for thousands of deaths, tortures and military kidnappings while ruling under martial law.
Protesters -- many carrying signs that read "Marcos is no hero!" -- for months have said Marcos' human rights and corruption record should prohibit his remains from being interred at the cemetery, known as Libingan ng mga Bayan. Marcos' embalmed body is on display in his home city of Batac.
After winning election in May, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced the plans to move Marcos -- citing his service as a soldier. Marcos fought in World War II.
Marcos' daughter Imee said her father "wanted to be buried together with his men."
"The burial will be a simple, ordinary soldier's burial," Imee told CNN.
The vice president of the Philippines, Leni Robredo, an opposition party member who was elected separately from Duterte, said she was "deeply saddened" by the ruling.
"We have consistently opposed the burial of the martial law dictator in the heroes' sacred ground. Their family's refusal to take responsibility for atrocities of the regime is an insult to the Filipino people," Robredo wrote. "Our nation's healing begins with the acknowledgement of the truth and resolution of the past. To bury Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani would keep the wounds of the past unhealed."
Marcos died in 1989 -- three years after being removed from power when more than a million people took to the streets in the People Power Revolution.
