Marcos siblings pay separate visits to father's grave
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, paid separate visits to the grave of their father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City amid their political differences.
The President visited his father’s tomb on Friday, 30 October, accompanied by his mother, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, and his younger sister, Irene Marcos-Araneta, along with other relatives and close family friends.
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the family offered prayers and attended a private Mass in honor of the late president.
A staff member of Sen. Imee Marcos, meanwhile, said the lawmaker had visited their father’s grave before traveling to Ilocos Norte over the weekend.
The staff member, however, did not disclose the exact date of the senator’s visit.
The separate visits came amid political differences between the siblings, who have taken opposing positions on several national issues.
It remains unclear whether their visits were deliberately scheduled to avoid an encounter.
Families return to cemeteries
In his message for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, President Marcos called on Filipinos to draw inspiration from the lives and sacrifices of departed loved ones and the saints.
He urged the public to extend the spirit of remembrance through acts of kindness, compassion and service to others.
“I join the Catholic faithful and the entire Filipino nation in the solemn observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day,” the President said.
“Across the country, families return to cemeteries, offering prayers and celebrating the lives and legacies of departed loved ones,” President Marcos added. “Some travel great distances for these visits, finding an opportunity to reunite with relatives and recall the moments they once shared.”
Filipinos traditionally visit cemeteries and memorial parks nationwide to remember their departed loved ones during All Saints’ Day on 1 November and All Souls’ Day on 2 November.
The President emphasized that remembering the dead also strengthens relationships among the living.
“Even in their absence, those we have lost continue to bring us closer together, keeping alive the bonds that have made the Filipino family and the whole nation resilient and strong through challenges.”
“We also draw inspiration from the saints, whose devotion found expression in selfless service, and from countless individuals whose sacrifices have sustained our communities. Their lives call on us to make the most of the time entrusted to us, and to find lasting purpose in every kindness we give and every burden we help carry for others,” the President added.
Marcos also encouraged Filipinos to demonstrate the same compassion toward others that they show when remembering their departed loved ones.
“If we can make time to revere those who have passed, we can also make room to listen to those who struggle, and let that same concern guide our society and the work of government. May our efforts in nurturing a Bagong Pilipinas stand as a greater testament to our lives than any words or monuments carved in stone we leave behind,” the President said.