MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday confirmed that the commemoration of the 100th birthday of former president Ferdinand Marcos on September 11 will be private and intimate, without media coverage.
“The Marcos family sent a message about their commemoration on the birthday of the former president and according to their wishes; they wanted to keep their commemoration private,” AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Col. Edgar Arevalo said.
“The family politely declined (the request of media to cover the event) because according to them, it is a private event for their family which means that it would not be covered by the media,” he added.
The AFP expects that protests would be staged on Monday. However, they would not allow it to happen inside the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) where Marcos is buried and the venue of the commemoration.
“Definitely they’re not allowed inside because it’s hallowed ground. At least for now, that’s what we know,” Arevalo said.
According to Arevalo, the Philippine Army will provide security at LNMB on September 11.
“The security preparation would have to be handled by the Philippine Army because they are the physical custodian of Libingan ng mga Bayani; they are the ones who provide physical security,” he said.