Groups on martial law abuses: Never again

MANILA, Philippines — Fifty-four years after the declaration of martial law under the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., human rights groups, church members, and various sectors said Filipinos must continue to defend their right to protest and speak out against corruption, human rights violations, and abuses of power.

“Never again, never forget means defending the rights that the dictatorship tried to destroy. It means refusing to be silenced when public funds are plundered, when corruption is exposed, when human rights are violated, and when government power is abused,” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan spokesperson.

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines called for continued resistance to repression and injustice, saying “we remain committed to seeking justice for the victims and survivors of martial law, while demanding accountability for human rights violations, corruption, and abuses in the present.”

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READ: PNP on alert as protests commemorate martial law

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“For those of us who grew up under martial law, the freedom to speak without fear, to question those in power, to demand accountability, and to participate in shaping our country’s future is something we learned never to take for granted,” said Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR), meanwhile, said democracy must be defended from “abuse of power, corruption, injustice, and the distortion of truth.”

In a statement on Monday, the CHR stressed that remembering is not merely looking back at the past: “It is a commitment not to allow the abuses we have experienced to happen again.”

Edsa Shrine protest

To mark the occasion, Project Gunita and the August Twenty-One Movement held a protest at Edsa Shrine in Quezon City, where they denounced the recent Supreme Court decision that overturned former first lady Imelda Marcos’ graft conviction for alleged ill-gotten wealth.

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Monday’s Edsa rally also marked the second iteration of Sept. 21 protests which began last year over the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal under the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

For Project Gunita founder Karl Patrick Suyat, commemorating the declaration of martial law goes beyond historical awareness, but should deepen the youth’s understanding of the systematic abuses and killings that happened under the dictatorship.

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“It’s important for us to remember, to revisit the archives, to revisit the stories, to retell the stories of struggle,” Suyat told the Inquirer at the sidelines of the rally.

Ferdinand Marcos Sr. imposed martial law on Sept 21, 1972, supposedly to address a communist rebellion, but the regime was marked by widespread human rights abuses and large-scale corruption, many cases of which continue to be litigated in courts today. The Marcos dictatorship was ousted by the Edsa People Power Revolution in February 1986.

Not in Malacañang

While protests marking the martial law anniversary were ongoing in Metro Manila on Monday, President Marcos was not in his official residence.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos conducted a “private inspection of projects” in Bulacan province—considered ground zero of the flood control scandal.

However, the PCO refused to elaborate on the details of his activity. It also has not yet provided handout videos and photos of his supposed inspection as the event was closed to media coverage.

Palace press officer Claire Castro was not also available for comment.

The entire Malacañang complex in Manila was put under lockdown on Monday to deter protesters from breaching the gates of the country’s seat of power.

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Heavy security was also enforced at Mendiola, where a group of protesters marched after converging at Liwasang Bonifacio.—With reports from Kurt Dela Peña and Sheridan Delfino