No justice, no closure, say victims on 50th anniversary of Martial Law

Various groups staged protest actions on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Martial Law declaration by the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

According to JP Soriano’s report on “24 Oras,” among the protesters were survivors of Martial Law and youth groups.

Photos of desaparecidos or those who have disappeared and remained missing were displayed as reminders of families' continuous search for their loved ones.

“Walang closure kung walang justice. Hindi pwedeng sabihing kalimutan na natin and let’s move one. We can only move on if there are some kind of justice, there is a kind of apology,” Lutgardo Barbo, a martial law victim said.

Several young people, who were not yet born during the period, were also in attendance during the rally, saying this was their way of learning history.

“Napakahalaga po ng history ngayon. Sinasabi nga po natin those who don’t know the history are bound to repeat it. It means that tayo mga kabataan ay obligado tayong matuto mula sa ating history na dapat ay hindi natin inuulit ang nangyari noon,” a youth said.

Bernardo Chica, 74, who was imprisoned during martial law, said his participation in the commemoration was not about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“Kasalanan ng ama, hindi kasalanan ng anak yan, hindi. Pero dapat gunitain pa rin ang [martial law] tapos maging mapagbantay, eh paano kung gayahin ng anak ang ginawa ng ama?” he said.

The group held protest activities in Plaza Miranda, Mendiola, People Power Monument in EDSA, Cebu City, and Bohol.

Another "nightmare"

Other survivors of alleged Martial Law abuses said that “it feels like they are in another nightmare.”

In a statement, the Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) said that they are “living testament” to the atrocities during the Martial Law years.

“We are among those who endured and survived to tell our gruesome tales under martial law and to pass the torch of struggle of those who sacrificed their lives to fight for our basic rights and freedoms,” SELDA said.

“While our physical scars may have already healed years ago, our trauma and pain brought by such dark times remain. And now, with the return of the Marcoses in Malacañang and the absence of justice for those whom they had victimized over the years, it feels like we are walking into another nightmare,” it added.

The Movement Against Tyranny (MAT) said that they “vehemently disagree to move on” from the “horrors of martial law” since there was no “truth and justice”, while “impunity continues to reign” in the country.

“Until justice is rendered, we can never move on. Until the billions of their ill-gotten wealth are returned by the Marcoses, we can never move on. Until they have paid their taxes, we can never move on. Until the convicted Imelda Marcos is jailed for her crimes, we can never move on. Until the Marcoses acknowledge the evils of their parents’ conjugal dictatorship and vow never to repeat them, we can never move on,” MAT said.

“As long as human rights and civil liberties are trampled upon with impunity by those in power like it were still martial law, we can never move on. As long as governments remain subservient to foreign dictates and collude in the plunder of our patrimony and economy, we can never move on,” it added.

Fare nears P20, but not rice

For its part, youth group Anakbayan said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has continued the legacy of his father “as more Filipinos are driven into poverty and hunger due to the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities.”

“Walang pinag-iba si Marcos Jr. sa kaniyang ama. Pangako niyang gawing bente pesos ang bigas, bakit ang pamasahe ang malapit na maging bente?” Anakbayan chairperson Jeann Miranda said.

“Pareho ang prayoridad ng mag-ama 50 taon man ang pagitan, magpayaman. Iniwan nilang namumutla ang labi ng mga Pilipino, habang nagniningning sa sebo ang labi nilang matakaw sa pondo ng mamamayan.” Miranda added.

The Campaign Against the Return of Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) said that they would continue seeking justice for the victims of martial law human rights violations.

CARMMA stressed that those who witnessed martial law “shiver at the parallelisms between news headlines then, and the headlines today.”

“Rising prices of gas and basic commodities, food supply shortages and a rapidly declining Philippine peso, are in the news every night,” the group said.

“And as if the country was brought back in time, today, bigwigs rush through the streets of Manila with armed escorts, opposition leaders are being pushed out of the political arena and red-tagging of critics and dissenters is thriving once again,” it continued.

CARMMA added, “fifty years after military rule swept through the country, our fists remain clenched and raised, our voices cry out for justice, our hearts burst with grief and anger recalling the atrocities committed against the people under the guise of keeping the peace.”

De Lima and Pangilinan

Former Senator Leila De Lima called on Filipinos to safeguard and defend democracy as well as to resist any “attempt to distort the truth.”

“Sa paggunita ng ika-50 anibersaryo ng Martial Law, nawa’y lagi po nating isapuso ang malalim at lubos na kahalagahan ng demokrasya, hustisya at karapatang pantao,” De Lima said.

“Limang dekada man ang lumipas, patuloy natin itong gugunitain para tayo at ang susunod na henerasyon ay hindi makalimot, para hindi ito matabunan at mabura ng mga pinapakalat na fake news at disinformation, at lalong-lalo na, para hindi na maulit pang muli ang madilim na kabanatang ito sa ating kasaysayan,” she continued.

Former Senator Francis Pangilinan said that he was only nine years old when martial law was declared in 1972.

Pangilinan said he grew up under a propaganda that “Bagong Lipunan” was good for the country.

“At naniwala naman kami. Akala ko pinakamaganda na ang Pilipinas sa usapin ng progreso dahil ‘yun ang sinabi paulit-ulit ng diktador, at kontrolado nila ang lahat ng media,” the former Senator said.

“Pero unti-unti akong namulat sa katotohanan, lalo na noong araw na pinatay si Ninoy Aquino: August 21, 1983. Nabasag ‘yung aking pagtingin. Ang imahe o ang ideya ko ng diktadurya at ang Bagong Lipunan na nasa aking isip ay gumuho nang paslangin si Ninoy,” he added.

While studying at University of the Philippines, Pangilinan said he saw how the Marcos Sr.’ s administration “covered up the truths.”

“Kaya ito po ang ating karanasan bilang isang martial law baby: Namulat ako sa liwanag ng katotohanan nang maunawaan ang dilim at lagim ng pang-aapi at pang-aabuso ng isang diktador,” he said.

Right of state to protect itself

Senator Imee Marcos said Martial Law served a purpose of protecting the country against communist rebels

"Musmos pa lang ako nung una kong narinig sa ama ko yung Martial Law dahil ang sabi niya ang pinakatanyag na gumamit nito ay yung president ng Amerika, si Abraham Lincoln," she said in an earlier news conference.

"Kung may karapatan ka bilang tao na ipagtanggol ang sarili mo kung may aatake sayo, gugulpi sayo, nais patayin ka, may karapatan din ang pamahalaan, ang estado ipagtanggol ang sarili niya sa mga naghahasik ng gulo, sa mga rebelde na nais bumagsak ang pamahalaan, sa mga susupil na mga dayuhan sa lahat ng pamamaraang ito, may gamit ang martial law at yan ay ginamit ilang beses na sa Amerika man at sa ibang bansa," the senator added.

Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972, placing the Philippines under Martial Law.

According to data from the Human Rights Victims’ Memorial Commission, more than 11,103 victims suffered from violations of human rights.

A total of 2,326 victims of enforced disappearance were recorded.—LDF, GMA News