Forty years ago martial law was declared by Ferdinand Marcos. What followed was a tumultuous and dark episode for the Filipino people. It would be betraying them if this national experience is not imprinted in the memory of the nation as some would wish to.
The legendary heroism of people who dared against all odds to stand up for freedom and human dignity must be told and retold, lest these be forgotten and the nation fail to learn the painful lessons of martial law.
The stories of the survivors of the worst of martial law, who continued and/or continue to push for social transformation even after Marcos’ fall, are a powerful inspiration and a challenge to those who have become cynical of the struggle for meaningful change. In their stories unimaginable things become real, and shocking tales are so commonplace. Their stories tell of thousands of people unjustly incarcerated, deprived of food, beaten, electrocuted, raped, tortured.
Some were made to eat human excrement or forced to lie naked on a block of ice. Quite a number were summarily executed. These were just some of those methods used by the dictatorship to break the spirit of those who resisted. The abuses were meant to silence and terrorize Marcos’ political enemies.
The survivors who carry on the fight for justice in our country are living testimonies of man’s indomitable spirit, courage and strength. Let me mention three young people who did not waste their youth in those martial law years. Marie Hilao Enriquez remains a human rights champion. Dr. Carol Araullo, a former student leader at the University of the Philippines, continues to serve the interests of the toiling masses; the UP Alumni Association honored her this year as an outstanding alumni for equality and social cohesion. And Prof. Judy Taguiwalo still combines her academic discipline with social activism. These three women were detained, but continue to pursue the cause of freedom. For them, the fight goes on until every Filipino shall have been truly free and shall have lived in dignity. Their lives are the melody and lyrics of Bernice Johnson Reagon’s “Ella’s Song”: “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.” Yes, they are way past their youthful age, but they have kept alive their fighting spirit, the flame of hope and their unconquerable will.
Yes, we will continue to celebrate the lives of the many unsung heroes like them. And we promise that we will continue to honor their memories with our work so that their sacrifices will not be in vain.
Martial law is years ago. Still today, even as the Arroyo administration has yet to be made accountable for the human rights violations during its watch, there remain 385 political prisoners unjustly kept in detention; and more than a hundred victims of extrajudicial killings have fallen, and still counting, not to mention the growing number of displaced Filipinos.
Martial law is not just history to be told; it is history to be “never again” repeated.
—NORMA P. DOLLAGA,
Kapatirang Simbahan Para sa Bayan,
kasimbayan@yahoo,com.ph