I was only five years old when martial law was declared by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
I did not personally experience the early atrocities of the martial law years; but as I grew in age, I became aware of them as I heard more and more horrible stories about human rights violations from older people who shared them in whispers in many “umpukan.” Also, I witnessed how a neighbor, a member of the defunct Philippine Constabulary, would show off and fire his government-issued armalite rifle whenever he got drunk. The general atmosphere then was of fear, great fear—of government, and of people in uniform. And one could sense it affected most of the public.
I learned more of the martial law abuses when I involved myself in social movements. I joined political rallies, including the biggest of them all, the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.
Marcos is no hero! And he will never be to the people who suffered so much at the hand of his brutal regime. Filipinos who use common sense in arriving at major decisions will never entertain even the thought that Marcos deserves to be honored and emulated.
Now, he is to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, because nine “lackey” justices see no specific law prohibiting the interment of a dictator in a sacred ground reserved for heroes worthy of emulation.
Indeed, why is there no such specific law?
That there is none may be providential—to test our (common) sense of history and decency. Unfortunately, nine supposed-to-be honorable justices failed the test—and failed us.
CARLITO D. BISA, carlitobisa@ymail.com