By Lolo Bobby M. Reyes of Sorsogon City, Philippines, and West Covina, California

A fter then-President Fidel V. Ramos withdrew in 1993 his nomination of Tomas “Buddy” Gomez, III, as consul general for the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, California, I sent another letter to him. I not only thanked Mr. Ramos for listening to our petition to withdraw Mr. Gomez’s nomination but also I offered a solution for the then-emerging controversy of where to bury the remains of his cousin, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

I suggested most-respectfully to Mr. Ramos that the Philippines emulate the United States and build presidential libraries, which more-often than not are also the burial place of a deceased President after whom the library is named after. I said at that time that building such a presidential library in the birthplace of Mr. Marcos would serve as an honorable and respectful solution to the escalating dispute of whether the deceased President deserved to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (National Heroes’ Cemetery).

Perhaps Mr. Ramos failed to receive my letter, which was an unsolicited advice. Perhaps my correspondence got lost in the Philippine bureaucracy but I did not receive any acknowledgment of receipt from the Office of the President.

Please note that one of the arguments that I raised against the nomination of Mr. Gomez was that he called the remains of Mr. Marcos as “carcass.” I said in our petition that as Philippine consul general in Honolulu, Hawaii, during the Corazon C. Aquino’s Dispensation, Mr. Gomez showed that he lacked diplomatic skill and he divided the already-fragmented Filipino-American communities in Hawaii and elsewhere in the United States.

Readers may want to read the fights against two Filipino consuls general that I initiated in Los Angeles, California, and which both succeeded, as found in this article:

Overseas Filipinos Should Demand that Only Career Diplomats Be Posted Abroad: The Buddy-Gomez Saga

URL: http://www.mabuhayradio.com/rp-government-updates/overseas-filipinos-should-demand-that-only-career-diplomats-be-posted-abroad-the-buddy-gomez-saga

On Nov. 29, 2008, I sent to then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through the courtesy of then-visiting Press Secretary Jesus Dureza. I reiterated my nearly 15-year-old suggestion of constructing presidential libraries:

More Proposals – From Voter’s Registration by Mail to Party-List Solons for OFWs – Sent to PGMA

URL: http://www.mabuhayradio.com/www-revotelution-com/more-proposals-from-voter-s-registration-by-mail-to-party-list-solons-for-ofws-sent-to-pgma

On May 12, 2007, we reprinted this 2005 article in the www.pinoyonboard.com of New York where I wrote about the need to build presidential libraries in the Philippines:

Even Presidents Write Their Own Eulogy

URL:  http://www.mabuhayradio.com/philippine-presidency/even-presidents-write-their-own-eulogy

Perhaps it is time to build the first Philippine Presidential Library in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, where Mr. Marcos was born and finally bury with due respect his remains to rest in peace for all eternity.

Building such the suggested Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Library in Ilocos Norte, where he is fondly held in high esteem by his provincemates, may start the healing of the Filipino people. It can also put to rest (pun intended) the often-heated debate as to his final resting place. # # #