Army to build ‘Libingan ng mga Bayani’ for fallen soldiers

"Bury me where the grass is green and the gates are shining" goes a line from the song "Poor Man’s Grave" by the ’90s pop group Eraserheads.

Apparently taking a hint, the Philippine Army has decided to provide their fallen men with a resting place fit for heroes.

After helping Army troopers realize their dream of owning decent houses, the Philippine Army, under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., is now planning to put up "branches" of the "Libingan ng mga Bayani" for soldiers who die in combat.

Maj. Bartolome Baccaro, the Army’s public information chief, told The STAR in a phone interview yesterday that there is a proposed site in Iloilo and another one in Mindanao.

"We would like to honor our soldiers who gave up their lives in service to the country. Laying them to rest in a "Libingan ng mga Bayani" is but fitting because they are heroes," Baccaro said.

The Armed Forces has existingfund that covers burial and other expenses as well as assistance to the soldiers’ families, he added.