Sen. Joker Arroyo does not believe Conrad de Quiros’ claim that he “worked for the Left underground throughout martial law.” (Inquirer, 1/12/12)
In the spirit of fairness, I come forward to confirm De Quiros’ declaration. Yes, he was an active member of the anti-dictatorship movement under the umbrella of the National Democratic Front (NDF); he was, in fact, with the mass movement even before the declaration of martial law. I know, having served as the political officer—first time I am admitting to the fact—of the first underground collective to which De Quiros belonged. He wrote for the publications of the NDF and its allied organizations and performed other tasks. Yes, he took on a nom de guerre apart from a nom de plume.
Once, De Quiros actually lived in an underground house that served as a base of artists and writers fighting the martial law regime. To establish and maintain it, we mobilized his mother and a brother. Though the neighborhood was eventually raided by the military, the clandestine base remained secure.
It’s been more than 30 years since our last association in the underground movement. These days we only bump into each other, and rarely at that. While I may not agree to all that De Quiros opines now, I am eminently touched by his disclosure, after all these years, that he “came from the ranks of the Reds,” and of which he “remain(s) eminently proud.”
About Senator Arroyo, it also happened that, together with numerous political detainees, I benefited from his pro bono services in a rebellion case that was tried by a military commission in the mid-1970s. And for that, I am eminently thankful.
—BONIFACIO P. ILAGAN, chair, First Quarter Storm Movement