A hero’s burial for the late former President Ferdinand Marcos was denied by President Benigno Aquino III.

During the forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on Wednesday, President Noynoy said a hero’s burial for Ferdinand Marcos will not happen under his watch.

It was Vice President Jejomar Binay’s recommendation to give full military honors for Marcos and P-Noy expressed his apology for rejecting the proposal.

“In all honesty…and I think I will have to communicate this to the Vice President, I apologize, he’s been doing the study on my behalf. He had a recommendation and it was recently called to my attention again. We have so many victims of the Martial Law years who have not gotten even a recognition formally from this government, from our government and they were victims,” the President quoted as saying.

P-Noy emphasized the reasons why he has strongly rejected the recommendation. In a statement, he said:

“It was recently called to my attention again that we have so many victims of the martial law years who have not gotten the recognition formally from our government that they were victims.

They have not been accorded an apology.

The compensation bill is still pending.

It really would be the height of injustice to render any honors to the person who was the direct mastermind of all of this suffering I think I will not, I am not sanctioning, not under my watch, sanctioning a burial for the late president Marcos.

If you are asking me if we are allowing a state burial or any burial wherein the state will render some honors…I think you cannot divorce what happened during the martial law years with the totality of his public life.

It serves as a wrong message the means, the honors given to others of similar nature to render the same to someone who has inflicted such suffering on our people after having promised to serve them”