Catalino Bactat. Marcos Mausoleum Caretaker.

(From 2011 prior to more recent events)

The Marcos tale came full circle at his mausoleum in Batac where his remains lay encased in glass in a darkened room. The inevitable question that entered my mind and those of countless others who have come here before me, “Is that the real McCoy?”

“That is the President,” claims Catalino Bactat, the warden. “His body has been coated with wax to preserve it and keep it from decaying.”

He should know, he has been the crypt’s gatekeeper from the time the President’s remains were flown in from Hawaii in 1993. The air-conditioning was not for my benefit, it was to keep the remains cool. The lights dimmed, to minimize the heat. But I still didn’t know what to make of the eerie music piped in from an unknown source.

The caretaker was quite a character and a study in effectiveness Directing crowds with authority and precision. No photos please was his mantra, and he would not hesitate to confiscate your camera if you were caught sneaking a photo.

It had been Marcos’ dying wish to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. the Libingan ng mga Bayani was “hallowed ground meant for true heroes” and that Marcos did not belong there. And so the impasse continues.

But for it is business as usual. And until the decision makers and the powers that decide such matters relent, he will continue to usher visitors, never tiring of the questions and talk fondly of his ward who lies in state, whom he continues to dutifully serve.