“It was a period of unmitigated tyranny and corruption in our history that we must never forget and, more importantly, must never allow to happen again.” That was the core message – reflected on t-shirts, flyers, placards and streamers – that human rights defenders reiterated as protesters across the nation once more recalled Ferdinand Marcos…
The 51st Martial Law commemoration protest in Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on Thursday was a deeply moving experience that went beyond my duties as an intern at Bulatlat.
“From the regime of the dictator-father to that of the son, we have endured and fought against tyranny.”
Balikan natin ang itinuturing na isa sa mga pinakamadilim na yugto ng ating kasaysayan, ang pagdedeklara ni Ferdinand Marcos Sr. ng martial law noong 1972.
Sapagkat hindi lamang karaniwang lumipas na presidente si Marcos. Ang kanyang diktadura na kanyang binihisan ng martial law declaration ay karumal-dumal na pag-atake lalo na sa mga kapatid nating Muslim o Bangsamoro na tinulak sa pader na lumaban at mag-armas bilang pagdepensa sa kanilang mga komunidad sa Mindanao.
Jail, after all, is not exempt from society’s great divide based on economic and social status. And even here, the movement for freedom and democracy considers our situation as part of the struggle.
Ginamit ang Batas Militar ng diktaduryang Ferdinand Marcos Sr. upang supilin ang katotohanan at subukang patahimikin ang mga tagapag-ulat nito. Makalipas ang 50 taon, nagbago man ng anyo, ay ganito pa rin ang kalagayan.
“Let us not be cowed. We are on the right side of history. We will continue to fight for the country. In the midst of lies and oppression, our call remains – we will struggle on.”
“(These films) are a big chunk of our collective memory as a people of what happened during the Marcos era and these we have to preserve.”
But what perhaps connects to the viewers are grief and the grim reality of state repression. When some activists were abducted, their torture scenes seem to be lifted straight from testimonies of Martial Law victims. Name every method and it gets shown here. Here, the film becomes art that disturbs those who had lived in the comfort that Martial Law.
“We vow to continue the claim for reparation and recognition of thousand more victims by pushing for a better reparations law. We vow to continue to claim our hard-won non-monetary benefits, as mandated in RA 10368 or Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013. We will continue to resist the historical distortion peddled by the Marcoses and their apologists, and the return of the $6 billion more that the Marcoses stole from the Filipino people.”