by MLC | Sep 21, 2014 | Martial Law Stories
Source: Rappler
‘Go beyond your mobile phones, Facebook and Twitter. Join the protests and understand the discussions. Understand the people’s anger against the pork barrel and against corruption’
It is quite an experience when women who survived the dark moment in Philippine history that was Martial Law get to talk to today’s young women and girls: they are met by a shy silence when they mention the Martial Law buzzwords “Diliman Commune,” “UP Barikada,” and “First Quarter Storm.”
Psychiatrist Dr. June Pagaduan-Lopez, professor of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, and Indai Sajor, an international gender and peace expert, spoke before a packed room of students of Miriam College early this month to mark the month when Martial Law was declared and to illustrate what the era was like.
No student hollered nor shrieked in agreement when the Martial Law catchwords were mentioned. Other girls combed their hair or were struck to their tablets and mobile phones. But it wasn’t all that bad because a few students raised their hands to signify that they are aware of that regime.
An exclusive girls’ school formerly known as Maryknoll College and is recognized for its staunch education on and advocacy for gender equity, human rights, and environmental protection, Miriam College conducted the forum, “Women in the Anti-Dictatorship Struggle: Remembering Martial Law” organized by its College of International, Humanitarian and Development Studies and the Women and Gender Institute.
“Go beyond your mobile phones, Facebook and Twitter,” Pagaduan-Lopez enjoined the students. “Join the protests and understand the discussions,” and added an exhortation to a current pressing issue, “Understand the people’s anger against the pork barrel and against corruption.”
Pagaduan-Lopez asked the students to maximize today’s wealth of information made readily available to them by the fast evolving global media technology to “learn about the past and understand what happened.”
Sajor, a gender adviser in the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights who is working in Afghanistan and other countries experiencing strife, said knowing about Martial Law is also helpful in understanding its upside because the period awakened women on their rights as human beings equal to men.
“To die for the country was something we wanted to do at that time,” Sajor said, “and we discovered our strength as women because it was significant for us women to be able to express our voices.”
“We also discovered power relations; women were subjugated even in the movement,” she explained. She cited that “what was personal was political” because while women struggled in the national movement against the repressive Marcos dictatorship, they also struggled in the home.
“Women experienced domestic and state violence at the same time. What was worse was that the abuse committed on women was different from the men in that they suffered more sexual abuse in addition to torture.”
Sajor founded the women’s group Gabriela with beauty queens-turned-activists Maita Gomez and Nelia Sancho and fellow activists Liddy Nacpil and Judy Taguiwalo. Internationally renowned for her work on the Tribunal of the Asian Comfort Women, she initiated a court case to demand compensation and reparations from the Japanese government for the Filipino comfort women who suffered under the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
She said the women’s movement sprang from the activists’ decision at that time to support the candidacy of Corazon Aquino against Ferdinand Marcos. “We knew that Cory was from the elite, but we took the stand behind her and this overwhelmed the men,” she said. Thus began the rest of history that initiated “gender equality” that became an ideal to this day.
She further said that her Martial Law experience and knowledge about the structures of power taught her “how to work with the Taliban and to negotiate in Kandahar (Afghanistan)” on the right of girls to be educated. “Sometimes, people and groups defined as the enemy will not always be the enemy.”
Pagaduan-Lopez co-founded the Medical Action Group, an organization that provided medical and psychosocial support to the victims of human rights abuse during the Marcos dictatorship. She was also the founder of the Philippine Action against Torture.
Her colleagues included doctors Bobby dela Paz, who practiced among the poor in Samar province, and Johnny Escandor, a radiologist who also worked in rural areas. Dela Paz was publicly killed and Escandor was found dead with signs of torture.
Pagaduan-Lopez and Sajor were arrested and imprisoned for political reasons during Martial Law. During the forum, they were joined by Susan Macabuag, who is now director of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Dr Amna Shakil of the organization Nooru Salam, and Sister Helen Graham, a Maryknoll sister who is now teaching Biblical Theology.
Graham, one of the founders of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines that documented the era’s arrests and torture under the Association of Major Religious Superiors, said she left the United States not just to experience working in another country but also to escape the civil rights strife – only to find herself joining the street protests in Manila during Martial Law.
She recalled that “the military did not know what to do with religious people,” especially foreigners, at that time, so her group was able to take care of some of the activists without experiencing harassment, but only up to a certain time.
Professor Aurora Javate-de Dios, executive director of Miriam College’s Women and Gender Institute, said, “Today’s generation is detached and distant from what happened during Martial Law when close to 60,000 were arrested and detained in its first year alone.”
She recalled that schools were closed, basketball courts became open spaces to corral people who were known subversives, and most of media were taken over by government. The military was the only remaining institution that was untouched by the dictatorship and the military generals became the new elite at that time.
“The Martial Law machinery muzzled people from 1971 to 1983 that the Philippines became notorious internationally for human rights violations,” she said. “But its flipside was partially reflected in how Filipinos reacted with their hope and resilience.”
De Dios recalled that some of the former Maryknoll alumni who were active in the movement then were Karen Tañada, executive director of the Gaston Ortigas Peace Institute; Gigi Francisco, global coordinator of the Development Alternatives for Women in the New Era; and journalists Jo-Ann Maglipon and Arlene Babst. In its neighboring Ateneo de Manila University were Ed Jopson and Bayani Lontoc.
A video presentation of images of Martial Law, with the protest song “Wala Nang tao sa Santa Filomena” by Joey Ayala playing in the background, was shown to the students at the start of the forum. It ended with the singing of “Bayan Ko,” known as the opposition anthem during Martial Law.
by MLC | Sep 21, 2014 | Martial Law Stories
Source: Rappler
‘That day was said to be the beginning of one of the darkest eras in Philippine history’
Forty-two years ago, Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081 declaring martial law and proceeded to rule the country without accountability− not even to the Constitution that he had sworn to serve. Today, we remember September 21 not as a “National Thanksgiving Day” but a sad episode in our nation’s history.
Martial law stumbled into our midst like a thief in the night. It’s like suddenly waking up the next day with a strange gut feel that something seemed not right. Nevertheless, you squandered around, hoping to confirm your suspicious thoughts. And there, you discover the systematic looting; your precious human rights, stolen, robbed!
The day the nation stood still
Contrary to popular belief, it was on the night of September 22, 1972 when Proclamation 1081 had gone full steam. It appears that September 21─the official date of commemoration─ refers to the actual signing of the proclamation and it was only on September 23, 1972 when martial law was made known to the public. Later though, Marcos revealed that he really signed the martial law edict on September 17, 1972.
So our story begins on September 23, a Saturday morning when a certain eerie of silence jolted the nation from deep slumber. Everybody woke up without newspapers on their doorsteps. On TV, except in one station where the national anthem was repeatedly played, broadcasting had been stopped. Nothing on TV but ‘snow’ and static on radio. The streets of Metro Manila were said to be virtually uninhabited and abandoned like a lifeless city.
Hours passed, still no newspapers. People grew restive as fear and panic began to set in. Something terrible was certainly in the offing, baffled Filipinos must have thought. By nightfall, news started to circulate that FM would address the nation and everybody was told to stay put. At exactly 7:15 p.m. that day, the cat was finally out of the bag as the President appeared on national television saying that he had just declared Martial Law.
That day was said to be the beginning of one of the darkest eras in Philippine history.
Benefit of the doubt
While many people view martial law today as a metaphor for everything that is corrupt, oppressive, and detestable, President Marcos saw things very differently when he issued the proclamation. And for a while, many ordinary Filipinos then, tired of traditional politics and economic instability, also gave Marcos the benefit of the doubt.
Obviously, they did not mind exchanging their civil and political freedoms for the material necessities of daily existence like a stable job, regular food on the table, and probably, a secured future for their children. In fact, even in the academe, a great number of intelligentsias did think of Marcos’ theory of revolution as offering the possibilities of correcting the ills of society.
Marcos feared history
Of the qualities that made Ferdinand Marcos who he was, his sense of history appeared to be very prominent in his decision points. He used the lessons of the past to hold on to power longer than any Philippine president to date. But he also viewed history prospectively which explains why he left diaries, speeches and wrote a great deal of books to aid scholars, and probably confound history buffs.
As early as 1966, on the day of his first inauguration as President, the lines appear quite clearly drawn for Marcos. Driven by his obsession with national greatness and passion, Marcos had seemingly nothing but deep-seated contempt for the status quo since he occupied the presidency. But it was only in 1971, through his book entitled, “Today’s Revolution: Democracy,” when the handwriting on the wall began to appear more legibly: martial law was imminent.
Marcos began with a straightforward diagnosis on the national condition: “Ours tends to be an oligarchic society…the consequence is an oligarchic order or an oligarchic democracy.” A year later, this time on “Notes on the New Society,” (1972) Marcos finally launched his creative vision, one that has no parallel in Philippine history in terms of boldness and conception, he said: “the fundamental task of drastic political reform is to democratize the entire political system.” Although a product of the old system of politics, Marcos saw the need to turn against it and embarked on a journey that would radicalize the social order controlled by the political elite. Sensing the situation had reached a point of crisis, Marcos seized his moment in history and waged a ‘democratic revolution,’ one that was often bruited by martial law ideologues as peaceful, legal and constitutional.
Revolutionary president or despot?
It is said that Marcos had planned all along to perpetuate himself in power. One obstacle, however, could have prevented him from doing so − the 1935 Constitution. But Marcos knew his constitution forward and backward, and understood its potential thoroughly. Being a brilliant lawyer, Marcos dared to stretch the limits of the fundamental law, studied the cracks in the constitutional structure and experimented them to the bitter end. That he did, and got away with handily.
I have no memories of martial law. I was born exactly the same year when martial law was nominally lifted. And I dare not challenge the facts. They are here to stay. But facts can’t be selective. Neither should we. Martial law years is the martial rule not only with its infamous human rights violation or curtailment of basic freedoms, but it is also about a national vision, a dream which unfortunately was not realized. If at all, every September 21 can be and is also a day to celebrate our gratefulness for the freedoms we enjoy today.
Ferdinand E. Marcos the dictator is dead but his “revolutionary ideology” will be remembered long in history by different people in different ways.
by MLC | Sep 21, 2014 | Martial Law Stories
Source: Rappler
Claimants for compensation under the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Law are hoping that their claims are honored – and that the atrocities under Martial Law will never be forgotten
MANILA, Philippines – Mercy David, a 25-year-old from Concepcion, Tarlac, and part of a generation of Filipinos born after EDSA, cannot relate to stories on the 14 years of martial rule under President Ferdinand E. Marcos, because there is no concerted effort to make them learn and remember.
LINING UP. Human rights compensation applicant Leticia Abaquita (R), 82 year old, with claimants from Mariveles, Bataan. Photo by Rick Rocamora
Mercy never learned it in school, but instead learned from her father, Carmelito Lobo David. The elder David was shot in the stomach and tortured as he was suspected as a cadre of the New People’s Army (NPA) during the Marcos regime.
Mercy is one of the 13,000 who have filed claims under Republic Act 10368, the law passed by Congress that recognizes the heroism and sacrifices of all Filipinos who were victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime. She is filing a claim in behalf of her father.
Those eligible for compensation are the victims of summary executions, torture, enforced or involuntary disappearances, and other gross human rights violations committed during the Marcos dictatorship, covering the period from 21 September 1972 to 25 February 1986.
Every morning since May 12, at least a hundred claimants from all over the country have lined up to file their claims. Some are from Isabela, Quezon, Bataan, Antique, Tarlac, Samar, and many other provinces.
All of them are hoping that the Human Rights Claims Board will rule in favor of their claims for compensation.
Some preferred to file their claims in Manila rather in their home province because they are afraid that their claims may not be filed. According to claimants from Basey and Marabut, Eastern Samar, a certain Rene from Tacloban allegedly offered to help them file their claims, for a fee of P850 per person.
After collecting the hard-earned savings of the claimants, most of whom were also victims of 2013’s Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Rene never showed up do what he had been paid for.
The fiiling of claims ends on November 10, and everybody hopes that they will get approval of claim compensation.
Many say they would like to make sure that the atrocities they suffered during martial rule under Marcos would not be forgotten.
by MLC | Sep 21, 2014 | Martial Law Stories
Source: Rappler
If you think that Marcos was the best president we ever had, think again
All of us know Sauron, of course. He was the main antagonist in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy “The Lord of the Rings,” the Second Dark Lord who wanted to control the whole of Middle Earth and plunge it into darkness.
Faced with a common threat, all the freedom-loving creatures of Middle Earth banded together to put an end to Sauron’s evil rule. The Dark Lord, they argued, had to be stopped or it will spell the doom for all peoples.
Sauron is a dictator, a tyrant. The kind of rule that he had in mind was a dictatorship, where there is a central power (the dictator) that controls everything. Remember the various rings that were given to the Lords of Men, Elves and Dwarves that were all controlled by the One Ring?
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
That, plain and simple, is a dictatorship.
DARK PAST. In this file photo, former first lady Imelda Marcos stands next to a portrait of her late husband and President Ferdinand Marcos in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, on May 5, 2013. File photo by EPA/DENNIS M. SABANGAN
Unfortunately, the Philippines was once also under darkness and we, too, had our Sauron. That was Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos. The dictator was Marcos, and Marcos was Sauron.
Why is that so? Here are 4 points that show the eerie parallelism between the two.
1. Dictators use any means to stay in power
One of their favorite tactics is trickery or subterfuge. Sauron, for instance, despite his sinister appearance disguised himself as the beautiful Annatar (the Bearer of Gifts) to seduce the Elves and gain the loyalty of both Dwarves and Men. Hinting that he was an emissary of the Valar (the benevolent gods living in the island of Valinor), Sauron offered…
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die.
As a further enticement, Sauron claimed that great power will be conferred on anyone who wields any of the 19 rings. But unknown to them, the Dark Lord forged another ring in secret, using the volcanic fires of Mount Doom. By pouring part of his spirit and his malice unto the One Ring, Sauron was able to fashion a powerful artifact that can dominate all the other rings and bind their wearer to the Dark Lord’s will.
Marcos was also a master of trickery. While he was twice elected to the presidency (first in 1965 and then in 1969), the 1935 Constitution prevented him from seeking another term. To extend his rule, he declared Martial Law, abolished Congress and began ruling the country by presidential decree.
According to Marcos, Martial Law was needed to crush the looming communist rebellion, counter violence in the streets, and preserve peace and order. He added that he was finally prompted to impose military rule after learning that Juan Ponce Enrile (who was then Defense Secretary) was ambushed by unidentified assailants while on his way home to Dasmariñas Village on September 22, 1972. That same night, Marcos allegedly signed Proclamation 1081.
But in his book “Dead Aim,” journalist Conrado de Quiros claims that on the morning of the same day, Enrile received a telephone call from Marcos telling him, “Make it look good, Johnny,” hinting that the entire ambush was a fake.
Further study from American academic David Wurfel also suggests that Marcos had already signed Proclamation 1081 as early as September 20, but he needed an immediate justification for doing so.
In end, the dictator had the said document dated September 21, believing that good luck is always associated with any number divisible by 7.
2. Dictators hate anything that oppose them
When Sauron’s true intentions for forging the great rings was finally revealed, the Dark Lord immediately waged war against the Elves, and began besieging the Elven realm of Eregion. After two years of seemingly endless fighting, the Elves were finally defeated in battle and their once flourishing kingdom utterly destroyed. Their king, Celebrimbor, was also captured by the orcs and was brought to Mordor, where he was tortured and eventually killed.
The survivors, however, continued their resistance, retreating to a valley to the north which eventually became the Elven kingdom of Rivendell.
This was also the case with Marcos. After declaring Martial Law, the military began rounding up both student activists and suspected communist leaders. The regime also arrested prominent opposition leaders such as Senators Benigno Aquino Jr. and Jose W. Diokno who were both incarcerated in Fort Bonifacio. And to ensure unanimity of opinion, the government detained hundreds of journalists and closed all publications that were critical of the regime.
The Martial Law regime’s system thought control was so severe that it is believed to be responsible for the disappearance of Primitivo Mijares. A once-favored journalist of President Marcos, Mijares fled to the United States shortly after the declaration of Martial Law, then wrote the book titled “The Conjugal Dictatorship,” which reveals the abuses and corruption of the Marcos family and their cronies. His whereabouts have not been located up to this day.
3. Dictators don’t share power
This is what Gandalf told his fellow istari (wizard) Saruman after learning of the latter’s decision to join Sauron and getting hold of the One Ring for himself. For Gandalf, the Dark Lord’s craving for power is insatiable and it would be foolish for Saruman to think otherwise.
Marcos also displayed the same tendency, as he kept power for himself. After the declaration of Martial Law, for example, a new Constitution was ratified in January 1973 which provided for a shift from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government. Under this setup, the President was the symbolic Head of State while executive power lies with the Prime Minister, with legislative authority vested in a unicameral National Assembly (later replaced by the Batasang Pambansa).
However, despite these legal provisions, Marcos continued to exercise lawmaking powers and refused to call for legislative elections until 1978. He also assumed the position of Prime Minister, relinquishing it only in 1981 to Cesar Virata. Unfortunately, despite his formal position as head of the government, Virata was simply a mere figurehead since real power was still in the hands of Ferdinand Marcos.
4. Dictators will control you and deprive you of your choice and freedom
That was what Sauron sought to do by presenting himself to his minions as a god. In fact, the Easterlings (tribes of Men east of Mordor) worshipped Sauron as their deity. And if you’re a god, you don’t really expect someone to disobey you.
Of course, Marcos wasn’t crazy enough to portray himself as a god. But he did cultivate an image of a strongman who was the sole hope of the country. In his campaign sorties for instance, Marcos promised that, “this nation will be great again,” and that he alone had the will and the vision to lead the Filipino people to the bright future that they deserve.
In fact, Marcos’ megalomania was so intense that he had his likeness emblazoned on the five-peso bill and ordered his engineers to build a giant bust of himself along a portion of Marcos Highway that leads to Baguio.
When these structures failed to awe people into submission, his regime would then use force and intimidation to keep everyone in line. In fact, the Marcos regime was so brutal that according to Prof. Alfred McCoy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it was responsible for 3,257 cases of extrajudicial killings. This is in addition to the more than 35,000 who were tortured and the more than 70,000 who imprisoned.
So, if you think that Marcos was the best president we ever had, think again. He may seem appealing with his warm smile and victory sign, but remember that even Sauron the Dark Lord can disguise himself as the beautiful Annatar offering gifts. Both never shared power.
by MLC | Aug 26, 2014 | Martial Law Stories
Source: Rappler
The long-disputed Arelma assets are now ordered seized by the state
SEIZURE. More ill-acquired assets are to be seized by the state from dummy foundations of the Marcoses. File photo by AFP
MANILA, Philippines – After 5 years of one appeal after another by the Marcoses, the government is set to seize at least P147.49-million (US$3.37 million*) of the former presidential couple’s ill-gotten wealth known as the Arelma assets hidden under a dummy foundation.
In a writ of execution made public Tuesday, August 26, a special division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan ordered the permanent seizure of “forfeited assets, properties and funds” of Arelma Incorporated.
Arelma Inc is among the corporate entities used during the presidency of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos to steal public funds and hide them in a foreign account.
The subject forfeiture case against the heirs of Marcos and his wife Imelda was decided upon 5 years ago by the anti-graft court – on April 2, 2009. The Marcoses have since appealed before the Sandiganbayan and the Supreme Court (SC) to no avail.
On March 31, 2014, the SC decided with finality in the government’s favor.
The writ issued by the Sandiganbayan last August 18, 2014 ordered the court’s sherriff to enforce the SC decision. The order was received by the Sherriff & Security Services Division Acting Chief Albert dela Cruz last August 22.
The case at hand is just one of many concerning the recovery of stolen assets by the Marcoses.
Arelma assets
In 1983, the Arelma assets were estimated to be at US$3.37 million (P147.49 million*). Disputed in multiple courts through the years, the funds were managed under an account at the Meryll Lynch Asset Management in New York.
All interests accrued and shares grown through the years will be credited to the account and eventually turned over to its rightful owner.
Arguing for the issuance of the subject writ, government lawyers led by former Solicitor General and now Supreme Court Justice Francis Jardeleza said the Arelma assets are “in danger of dissipation.”
Jardeleza argued that the Philippines may lose its claim on the assets unless a writ of execution is issued immediately.
He added that the pursuit of the Arelma assets has already faced various opposition, citing two human rights claims in foreign courts.
by MLC | Aug 21, 2014 | Martial Law Stories
Source: InterAksyon.com
MANILA – Martial law victims on Thursday trooped to the Aquino residence in Times Street, Quezon City to remind Pres. Aquino that it was not just former Sen. Benigno Aquino, his late father, who fought the former dictator.
Protesters led by the group SELDA urging the people not to allow the resurrection of dictatorship. Photograph by Krisken Jones.
The Martial Law era activists renewed their call: No to dictatorship! Never again to martial law!
They chanted slogans like “We ousted a dictator before. We can do it again!” and expressed their resolve not to allow the resurrection of the dark days of martial law.
“The people opposed the Marcos regime long before the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino was assasinated, and long before martial law was declared,” affirmed Marie Hilao-Enriquez, a staunch activist and political prisoner during martial law.
The protesters held placards bearing signs that said “Biktima ni Macoy noon, biktima ni Noynoy ngayon.”
“We should remain vigilant and defiant to any sitting President who pretends to be ‘pro-people, pro-democracy and patriotic’,” Enriquez said.
The country has not seen significant change from the time of former dictator Marcos up to Noynoy Aquino’s administration, remaining under the shackles of corruption, subservience to U.S. policies and state repression, she added.
“And now, Noynoy Aquino wants to perpetuate himself in power by amending the Philippine Constitution and clipping the powers of the judiciary … His regime is set on further selling out the national patrimony. Noynoy Aquino is doing a Marcos,” Enriquez asserted.
The activists said they are calling on the Filipino people not to take these sitting down. “We call on our fellow Filipinos to do the same during Martial Law: Makibaka, huwag matakot!”
