MANILA (UCAN): Rights defenders and labour activists kicked off a series of protest rallies ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 23 September 1972 declaration of the marital law by the late dictator and father of current president, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., that crippled the nation for about 14 years, with an event on September 15.
The rally, held in Manila, was led by the youth group, Anak Bayan and the Trade Union of the Philippines. It also drew clergy and victims of the martial law, with demonstrators saying that they aim to “awaken people’s consciousness on Philippine history.”
Martial law victims testified at the rally, reminding people of the human rights violations under the regime of the elder Marcos.
Anak Bayan member, Lito Sevilla accused, the Marcoses of “whitewashing the history of the Philippines” and opposed “all the fake news saying that martial law years are the golden era,” which he called a complete lie.
He told the private television channel, NewsTV, on September 15, that their protest was just the beginning of nationwide rallies to remind those who voted for Marcos Jr., of the crimes his family committed during martial law.
Let us continue to educate the Filipino people by making our voice heard. We should not stay silent in the streets, or, more so on social media, of the injustice our people suffered from the Marcos family
Father Timothy De Jesus
“Today, we combat fake news with the truth—with testimonies from persons who were victimised by soldiers under the rule of Marcos Sr.,” Sevilla added.
Father Timothy De Jesus of the Diocese of Libmanan, who joined the rally, urged Filipinos not to be silent and afraid even with the Marcoses back in power.
“Let us continue to educate the Filipino people by making our voice heard. We should not stay silent in the streets, or, more so on social media, of the injustice our people suffered from the Marcos family,” De Jesus said, adding that the antidote to historical revisionism is historical facts.
“That’s why we are here today. We are here because people need to know the story of those who experienced martial law, those who saw the brutality of the Marcos regime. These are facts,” Father De Jesus added.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
The Philippine Human Rights Commission recorded more than 11,200 cases of human rights violations during the martial law era, which ran from 1972 until 1986.
Our coalition is composed of members from almost all provinces in the Philippines from Mindanao to Luzon. We will do our duty once again to remind the people to remember martial law,
Lito Sevilla
Almost 3,000 were killed or disappeared while 2,739 suffered physical abuse and torture at the hands of the police or the military during this period, the commission reported.
Besides massive rights violations and extrajudicial killings, Marcos and his family members are accused of stealing billions of dollars of state funds during the martial law regime.
In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that over 25 billion pesos worth of Marcos’ assets were considered ill-gotten wealth.
Ferdinand Marcos was ousted by the popular, mass uprising known as the People Power Movement in 1986. He and his family fled the country and he died in exile in Hawaii, United States in 1989. His family then returned to the Philippines and made inroads into politics. The resurgence led to Marcos, Jr. winning the presidential election on May 9.
Activists said they were ready to fight in the streets once again to save democracy from another Marcos regime.
“Our coalition is composed of members from almost all provinces in the Philippines from Mindanao to Luzon. We will do our duty once again to remind the people to remember martial law,” Sevilla added.
The Trade Union of the Philippines also burned an effigy of a troll which symbolised the fake news spread by fake accounts to purportedly erase Marcos’ crimes from the history books.
