Leandro Quintana ONE of the main reasons that drove the Philippine electorate to support and vote for Rodrigo R. Duterte president in high numbers was the expectation that he would ardently adhere to his vow to go after criminals, drug dealers and corrupt public service employees. And the people had very good reason for believing him. He had done it in Davao City, a large municipality, for the past 20 years. This commitment to clean government  was quite clear and unequivocal. It is, therefore, quite puzzling that after his election he seems to have taken kindly to the family of the late corrupt, brutal and maligned dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. The Philippine media have been running stories about Duterte’s plan to have Marcos buried in the heroes cemetery in Manila. This has caused the older generations, who remember the corruption and thievery perpetrated by the Marcoses, to express grave concern that all the pain and suffering experienced by segments of the population would have to be relived once again. That the thousands who died at the hands of the Marcos “verdugos” will have to be mourned once more. Old wounds are being reopened. The sins of the Marcos 21-year reign of terror must not be forgotten nor forgiven. And let me be clear: while he seems to have a penchant for crude language seldom associated with presidents and other statesmen, Mr. Duterte is a very intelligent and educated leader who has demonstrated without a doubt that he has his countrymen’s pulse. That he knows his people’s “heart,” so to speak. Admitting the corpse of the corrupt dictator into the heroes cemetery demonstrates a numb insensitivity on President Duterte’s part. It is hoped that he would in fact adhere to the practice observed by his predecessors Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Gloria Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III of not despoiling the hallowed grounds of the heroes cemetery. There also seems conversation about giving Ferdinand Marcos Jr., loser as a vice presidential candidate, a position in Duterte’s cabinet. If indeed it is true that Marcos Jr. will have a seat at Duterte’s official governmental table, it would clearly be a serious digression from the view that he is serious and fully committed to eradicating the DNA of graft and corruption from the Philippines body politic. The Marcoses are the very embodiment of thievery, corruption and brutality. It is already a serious black eye that the Philippine justice establishment   have utterly failed to get the Marcoses charged, convicted and punished; by embracing them into the current political power structure, President Duterte is in fact exacerbating the Marcos scourge. Among President Duterte’s treasured assets are his integrity as a public servant and the directness in his utterances and pronouncements. He is also known for his native wisdom. May he draw from this well of wisdom and integrity and do the right thing by the Filipino people. Treat the Marcoses as the pariah that they are.