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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
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THE RELEASE of the initial list of martial law human rights violations claimants is most welcome. The Human Rights Victims Claims Board (HRVCB) is expected to release the full list soon. The initial list contained some 4,000 claimants eligible for recognition and reparation.
This is a partial victory for the victims of human rights violations under dictator Ferdinand Marcos. They painstakingly fought for recognition before the courts, before government agencies and in the streets. This is a victory that needs to be fully achieved.
The recognition of these martial law human rights victims and their compensation has gargantuan historical implications. More than anything, it reaffirms a dark chapter in our nation’s past that Marcos apologists try to erase from history books – the brutal martial law and its abuses.
Marcos’ martial law’s biggest victims were the Filipino people themselves. Many became victims of forcible disappearance and have, up to now, never been found. Many were killed. Certainly, human rights abuses were rampant and the perpetrator was the Marcos military machine.
Martial law symbolized the repression and corruption of the Marcos regime. Sadly, many of the victims of human rights violations under the Marcos dictatorship have left us without seeing justice rendered, 44 long years after martial law was declared. Worse, the governments that followed after the dictatorship appeared to show tolerance and gave concessions to the Marcoses. It is not surprising that the Marcoses continue to flaunt, with impunity, their political power.
According to the HRVCB, there are more than 75,000 applicants who filed for recognition and reparation, and there are still more than half of the victims who are yet to be processed and be recognized. The initial list of 4,000 claimants is way far from the actual number of applicants. HRVCB should expedite the whole process.
It has been a painful and protracted struggle for Marcos martial law victims. Many have already died. Those still with us should not be made to wait any longer. Justice must be served.
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