Delegates of the 25^th National General Assembly of the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) went out to the streets today and held a noise barrage to protest and condemn the burial of the remains of ousted President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.  Shouting “Hindi Bayani si Marcos!”, CODE-NGO leaders and members denounced the rushed and secretive burial ceremonies of the former president last November 18, 2016.

“The recent Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) goes against the core of our values. It is an attempt to re-write history by the Marcos family and supporters, who would wish Filipinos to forget the Marcos dictatorship’s legacy of numerous human right violations, grand scale corruption, economic disruption and widespread poverty, and instead to remember him as a hero. We cannot be a party to this”, said Sixto Donato Macasaet, Executive Director of CODE-NGO.

In a statement issued earlier, CODE-NGO said “We … vowed to work for transparency, accountability and meaningful people’s participation in governance and for equitable access to resources. We further declared our commitment to the growth of an informed citizenry involved in national and local issues and committed to democratic reform and addressing the problems of injustice, poverty and marginalization.  This is our covenant, crafted 25 years ago but which we honor even now. It is a covenant borne from our founders’ painful experience during the dark years of the Marcos dictatorship.”

CODE-NGO is now celebrating its 25^th anniversary.  Leaders and representatives from its 12 national and regional CSO networks and 1,600 local organizations nationwide are attending its General Assembly in Quezon City.