Desaparecidos’ kin urged to continue loved ones’ fight for justice

MANILA, Philippines — On All Souls’ Day, families of enforced disappearances (Desaparecidos) were urged to continue to fight for justice and carry on the causes their missing loved ones championed, even with no bodies or graves to visit.

The families, together with members from the groups Desaparecidos Philippines, Karapatan, and Hustisya, gathered at Claret School in Quezon City for a Mass and a program as they offered prayers and flowers for their missing kin.

“Kung nandito ang ating mga kaanak, alam natin lahat na sila ay hindi humihiwalay sa pakikibaka sa lansangan para igiit ang makatarungang sahod, para igiit ang lahat ng mga karapatan para sa maayos na pamumuhay ng mamamayang Pilipino,” said Ofelia Balleta, secretary of general of Hustiya, a human rights organization.

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(“If our relatives were here, we all know that they would not stay away from the struggle in the streets—to demand fair wages and to assert all the rights necessary for a decent life for the Filipino people.”)

She urged the families of desaperacidos to unite with other sectors, particularly workers struggling with low wages and rising daily expenses, as they continue to seek the return of their missing loved ones.

“Kaya patunayan natin na tayong mga kaanak ay tulad din ng mga mahal natin sa buhay na dinukot nila,” said Balleta.

(“So let us prove that we, the relatives, are just like our loved ones whom they abducted,” said Balleta.)

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“Meron tayong pag-ibig sa ating kapwa upang isulong ang kanilang mga naiwang gawain sa hanay ng mamamayan,” she added.

(“We have love for our fellow human beings, which compels us to continue the work they left behind in the service of the people.”)

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According to Karapatan, more than 1,900 victims of enforced disappearance have been documented in the Philippines since the Marcos Sr. dictatorship. /ms