Marcos’ Emaciated Corpse Lies in Luxury as Widow Presses Burial Demands

The emaciated corpse of Ferdinand E. Marcos lay in his luxurious Honolulu home today as his widow appealed tearfully for permission to bury him in his Philippine homeland, ensuring that the deposed dictator will be as controversial in death as he was in life.

“I have only considered one wish, his wish and the wish of every Filipino, to be buried . . . in his fatherland,” Imelda Marcos said.

Referring to Philippine President Corazon Aquino’s refusal to grant Marcos burial in his native soil, Imelda Marcos choked back tears and asked:

“How can you find this man dangerous to security when he is now resting in peace forever?”

More resigned family members in the Philippines said Marcos’ death could end a long wait for his mother, whose embalmed body has lain on public display in a glass-topped casket there for 16 months.

Simultaneous Burials

The Marcos family said it is considering burying mother and son at the same time. “Most likely they will be buried simultaneously in Hawaii and Ilocos Norte,” their home province, said Marcos’s younger brother, Pacifico Marcos.

Mourners in Honolulu crowded around Marcos’ coffin to glimpse the emaciated body of the man who died early Thursday of heart failure, aged 72, after months of critical illness.

The politically charged question of where Marcos will be buried appears likely to ensure that in death the former president will be as shrouded in controversy as in life.

Aquino, who took power after Marcos was toppled by a popular uprising and forced to flee to Hawaii in 1986, has barred the body from the Philippines, saying its presence could become a rallying point for opposition groups.

It is unclear how long the Marcos family can keep the corpse legally unburied in Hawaii. The United States has supported Aquino, banning any aircraft from carrying the remains from the United States to the Philippines.

In the Philippines, Marcos supporters threatened protest marches and an appeal to the United Nations, and leading government senators called for an end to “rancor,” adding to mounting pressure on Aquino to allow the body to return.

Supreme Court Appeal

Marcos’ lawyers prepared an appeal to the Philippine Supreme Court to order Aquino to allow the corpse back.

Aquino ordered flags in government offices lowered to half-staff in official mourning, and the army imposed tight but discreet security on Manila to prevent violence.

The Philippine president held an emergency meeting with her top military advisers today to assess domestic security.

“Other groups may take advantage of the situation to escalate the sentiments,” Aquino’s national security adviser, Rafael Ileto, said after the meeting.

He suggested that the Marcos family cremate the body.

“If the family decides to cremate him, then nobody could prevent them from bringing that box or the ashes here.”