Co-written with Lian Buan

Ten days after the Supreme Court voted to allow the interment of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the hero’s burial proceeded a little after twelve noon Friday with full rites assisted by the police and the military, catching the entire nation by surprise.

Malacañang has denied knowledge of the burial, saying: “We honestly didn’t know.” But their boss surely did.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who set this course in motion when he gave the green light to the burial last August, is in Peru to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. PNP Chief General Ronald dela Rosa confirmed that the President knew about the surprise burial, telling the media: “Alam niya. Alam niya iyan. Hindi naman siya ma-ba-blind. Wala naman tayong special attention dito.”

In a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Supreme Court Spokesman Atty. Theodore Te said that there was no legal prohibition to the burial proceeding today. He said there is no Motion for Reconsideration because petitioners have yet to file it as they were still waiting for a copy of the decision.

Protests snowballed in Metro Manila following the news. It seems as if it’s going to be a long night. Here is the latest roundup of rally points:

While the nation sleeps, Filipinos in San Francisco, California continue the rally. they are heard chanting “marcos, marcos, diktador, diktador.” courtesy of jacob walse-dominguez

Noel Cabangon leads singing of “Bayan Ko” at the People Power Monument in EDSA. Courtesy of ABS CBN’s Dharel Placido

“Marcos hindi Bayani” chants along Ayala Avenue. Courtesy of Philstar’s Denison Dalupang

League of Filipino Students (LFS) light candles in Mendiola. Courtesy of GMA News Online’s Trisha Macas

Earlier, a protest at the UP Diliman Campus that continued on to Ateneo. Courtesy of Inday Espina-Varona

[Entry 184, The SubSelfie Blog]