(Feature) Libingan ng mga Bayani: A final resting place fit for the valiant

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): (Feature) Libingan ng mga Bayani: A final resting place fit for the valiant

“I do not know the dignity of his birth but I know the glory of his death.”

These are the words uttered by Gen. Douglas McArthur engraved at the entrance of the country's cemetery for heroes, officially known as the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani (LNMB) -- the final resting place for the country’s finest heroes and leaders who served the nation above and beyond the call of duty.

Located within Fort Bonifacio in Western Bicutan, Taguig City, LNMB is also known to be the resting place of some of the country's famous public officials.

The LNMB was formerly known as the Republic Memorial Cemetery established by the government in 1947 as a tribute to the noble Filipino soldiers who fought and died during the Second World War.

In 1954, then President Ramon Magsaysay re-dedicated the cemetery and renamed it the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani.

Last Feb. 29, the remains of the late President Elpidio Quirino, the sixth president of the country, was re-interred at the LNMB exactly 60 years after his death.

Quirino now joins two other previous Philippine presidents, Diosdado Macapagal and Carlos P. Garcia and other notable public servants comprised of war veterans and government officials.

The late President Garcia, the eight president of the Republic and the man behind the “Filipino First Policy”, was the first President to be interred at the LNMB in 1971 while Macapagal, who succeeded Garcia’s presidency after his death and the father of former president and now Pampanga representative Gloria Arroyo, was re-interred in 1997.

Before Quirino, it was actually former President Ferdinand E. Marcos who was slated to be interred to the cemetery. However, due to strong opposition coming from various sectors, this was not carried out.

Marcos’ remains are currently preserved at the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum in Batac City, Ilocos Norte which also serves as memorabilia storage of the late president.

The transfer of his corpse is still a cause of debate for current public officials especially after celebrating the 30th year of EDSA revolution which ousted the Marcoses from Malacanang.

The cemetery doesn’t only serve as resting place but also a travel destination especially for the younger generation who would want to feel a sense of nostalgia for the past.

LNMB is highlighted by sites such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which is situated at the center of the cemetery where the inscription “Here lies a Filipino soldier whose name is known only to God” is found.

Behind the tomb are three marble pillars representing the three main island groups in the Philippines—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Other major sites include Heroes Memorial Gate, Black Stone Walls, Korean Memorial Pylon and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Pylon besides all the burial sites of our greatest and bravest countrymen.

The LNMB is under the administration and maintenance of the Grave Service Unit (GSU), a unit of the Philippine Army Support, Armed Forces of the Philippines which aims to provide grave services to deceased military personnel who died in line of duty or were honorably discharged, Filipino veterans, former presidents, government dignitaries, statesmen and national artists.

Aside from maintaining the LNMB and the military grave site at Manila North Cemetery, the unit is also capable of providing mortuarial and memorial services to authorized personnel.

According to Armed Forces of the Philippines Regulation, the allocation of Cemetery Plots at the LNMB issued on April 9, 1986 by former AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Fidel V. Ramos and President Corazon C. Aquino, along with members of the military, the following persons are entitled to be interred at Heroes' Cemetery: (1)Medal of Valor awardees, (2)Presidents or Commanders-in-Chief, AFP, (3)The secretaries of National Defense, (4)AFP Chiefs of Staff, General/Flag Officers, active and retired military personnel, and former AFP members who laterally entered/joined the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), (5)Veterans of the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the First and Second World Wars, as well as recognized guerrillas, (6)Government dignitaries, statesmen, national artists and other deceased persons whose interment has been approved by the commander-in-chief, Congress or the Secretary of National Defense, and, (7)Former Presidents, Secretaries of National Defense, widows of former Presidents, Secretaries of National Defense and Chiefs of Staff.

However, those who were dishonorably separated, reverted, or discharged from the service, and those who were convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude cannot be buried at the cemetery.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=10&sid=&nid=10&rid=862666