Dave Achondo I WAS among those caught aback by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow a hero’s burial for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. I am neither a supporter of the father and son nor am I against the Marcoses. Being a millennial, my feelings toward martial law is not as intense as my seniors or “neutral” (if you will) in that I did not experience it. As I was growing up, I had to understand what Marcos did to this country and to its people. What I know about him I learned in the history books, television, newspaper and the Internet. I will never claim to really understand the people who suffered during his time. I am a millennial; I did not exist during the martial law years. So the feeling of the anti-Marcos Filipinos don’t really apply to me. All I can do is respect and understand why they are frustrated. There are always two sides of the story. What I know is that there are some who lived peacefully and even prospered during his time. But I also understand that others suffered a great deal of loss, and some even lost families and friends. I guess my family wasn’t affected at all. I never heard my father complain about his life during the Marcos regime. He didn’t suffer what others suffered. What he knows is that during Marcos’ time, the Philippines was a country to be reckoned with in Asia and was prosperous. Now it lags due to corruption. My father even favors the late President’s burial at the Libingan, and supported his son’s candidacy. People who believed and supported Marcos had no reason to have ill feelings towards him. So, there is no reason for them to go against him or even feel dismay over the SC’s decision. But then again, many suffered and so they are against it and the Marcoses. I can only imagine the pain they went through, and I feel sorry for them. I know for a fact that they are fighting for what they believe in. They fought for freedom which Marcos took when he declared martial law. We, millennials, are the type of people who do not harbor hate as a result of the past. Instead, we look back at it to learn from it for the future due to the drastic change in today’s society. We somehow see the world differently unlike many of those that were ahead of us. For some of us, we take martial law lightly. Others even suspect that that a conspiracy took place. But let’s not kid ourselves. Marcos was no saint, and data suggest he was corrupt. I think he was regardless of his administration’ achievements. I would be surprised if he didn’t accomplish anything good given that he ruled for over two decades. After him, this country fell into political chaos. If there was corruption during his time, we can only blame one man unlike today when parasites have multiplied and corruption has become so rampant. From a religious point of view, I would forgive the man for whatever sin he committed and let God judge him accordingly. Isn’t that how religion works? Forgive! But as everyone can see, our religious leaders can’t even forgive him. So I suggest they should stop preaching forgiveness if they themselves could not. A dead man cannot ask for forgiveness. It is only for the living. It is also incorrect to suggest that a son inherited the father’s sins. If your dad was a rapist, should you go to jail for what he did? Lastly, let us remember those who fought for freedom and gave their lives for it. That is what we are now taking for granted. Forgive, but never forget.