Never again

THEY SAY that the past is in the past, that we need to move on and focus on what lies ahead. Well, I say the past is there for a reason that can never be forgotten or ignored.

I’ve always been fascinated by the events that transpired during the 1986 “People Power Revolution.” I’m sure it was one of those moments in which everyone felt proud to be a Filipino. It showed our capability to unite and to conduct a revolution driven, not by tanks, guns and artillery, but by prayers, flowers and peace.

When I was younger, all I knew was that a bunch of people went to the streets to call for the ouster of a certain Ferdinand Marcos from the presidency, and that a woman named Corazon Aquino served as their leader and inspiration. But as I grew up, my curiosity increased tenfold and I found myself buried in the pages of my fifth-grade textbook, reading everything related to the martial law era. Certain characters were introduced to me: allies of the Marcos regime such as Prime Minister Cesar Virata and Armed Forces chief Fabian Ver, and those who broke their allegiance to the Marcoses, such as Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel Ramos. Others played vital roles in the success of the revolution, like Jaime Cardinal Sin and June Keithley.

There was also Ninoy Aquino, who was assassinated on his return to the country in 1983. All I knew back then was that he was a champion of the people and a very prolific speaker who voiced out his thoughts and opinions without fear. I admired these qualities so much, and I was struck and deeply moved why such a great man was killed.

I often asked my grandmother about her experiences during the Marcos regime. She told me of how radio and TV were all taken over by the government, and of the mysterious cases of people disappearing without a trace. At a young age, I was very interested, but it didn’t matter so much at the time. Each year on Feb. 25, during the commemoration of Edsa I, I made it a point to watch documentaries about those trying years. I stumbled upon one showing on IBC 13 and discussing the life of Ninoy Aquino.

My father also urged me to watch the documentary as he thought it would be good for me to be informed, and so I did. I learned that Ninoy was part of the opposition during the martial law era. Because of this, he was mainly the target of pointless accusations by the Marcos regime, which led to his being imprisoned; he was even sentenced to death as punishment for his alleged “crimes.”

But what intrigued me most was the time Ninoy spent in Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija. I wasn’t watching a horror movie, but I covered my eyes with my hands and took a peek at the TV screen from time to time. He was treated inhumanely: During visits his family members weren’t even able to touch him because there was a screen between them. I couldn’t bear that someone had to undergo something as harsh as that, especially if they didn’t do anything wrong. Then the fateful day came that he was assassinated at the airport, and the documentary was concluded.

I had a hard time sleeping that night, and I found myself wanting to know more. I researched on the numerous cases of harassment that were committed during the Marcos regime, and on the activists who simply vanished and are still unheard from to this day. I read about the opulent lifestyle that the Marcoses had back then, and it filled me with so much rage. How can you book expensive trips to various places, buy extravagant jewels and lots of pricey shoes, while the rest of the country went hungry? I was shocked that some people could still live normally even with tons of skeletons in their closets.

Other thoughts sprang up in my head as well. What could have been if martial law never happened? Could things have turned out to be so much better than they are now? From then on, I didn’t exactly turn into an Aquino loyalist, but I did become opposed to the Marcoses.

With Election Day nearing, I find myself in utter disappointment. The Internet is full of trolls that can easily fool unsuspecting netizens, especially the youth. As I was browsing Facebook one day, I found one post saying that the Philippines was at its “golden age” during the Marcos regime.

But maybe it is true: The martial law era is the “golden age” of salvaging, the “golden age” of the repression of our freedom to speak, the “golden age” of one family that lived in opulence while the rest of the nation battled poverty each day.

I read the post in disbelief and almost laughed out loud. This is the perfect piece of evidence that shows how misinformed the Filipino is nowadays. This is a huge cause for concern because the youth spend so much time in social media sites where wrong information can easily be ingrained in them. And if the youth are to be the hope of this country, they need to be properly informed on the issues that the nation faced in the past and the lessons that it should have learned. Perhaps the youth are easily misdirected. They lack the interest to read and to fully understand the information being given to them. I even find some who are vocal of their support for Bongbong Marcos in his run for the vice presidency, and who testify that the Aquino administration did nothing to improve the country.

Young people have been so dependent on social media; they do not know that not everything they read is entirely true. And with the surveys showing Bongbong Marcos ahead of his rivals, all I can do is shake my head.

Bongbong Marcos always says that he is not his father, that he and his family have nothing to apologize for. But what about the ill-gotten wealth that his family amassed from the people themselves? What about the so many unanswered questions about the Marcos regime? And while his family reigned supreme in our land for decades, did he even care a little bit about the welfare of his countrymen who were being deprived of their rights due to his family’s wrongdoing?

At the very least, he should have the decency to say sorry. His refusal to do so has led me to wonder if this man possesses a conscience at all.

“Never again.” Those were the two most prominent words that I saw in almost every article discussing Edsa I, and they can mean many things. Never again to oppression. Never again will this country submit itself to a ruthless dictator. Never again will the people be deprived of their freedom to voice out their thoughts and opinions. Never again will our democracy be harmed or taken away. These are the lessons we have learned from Edsa I.

And as voters flock to the polling stations on May 9, one almost-forgotten lesson needs to be revived. It is crucial that our voters be duly reminded of this, so the horrors of our past will no longer haunt our future. It is to never again put another Marcos in power.

Enzo Miguel M. De Borja, 15, is in Grade 10 at Pasig Catholic College.