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[av_heading heading=’Dela Fuente brothers: martyrs, heroes of Marcos’ martial law’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY RHICK LARS VLADIMER ALBAY
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Saturday, February 24, 2018
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The story
does not end
with the painful thud
of your fall.
Our vulnerability broke,
our hearts cried,
knowing the morning
will be different without you.
But in the blackest night,
even at death
we cannot forget nor speak
of abandonment and loss.
There will only be
a brief pause
in the raging night.
For our dream
is an eternal flame
that lights countless torches
in the throbbing hearts of millions.
It will continually endure
the dark and windy storm and prevail
over the changing seasons
of human life
And the visible outline
of the brave vision seen across
the dark sea of history
that has urged you
will urge us on!”
– Edward Oliver dela Fuente (1953-1984)
ON March 29, 1983 – at the height of Ferdinand Marcos’ regime, John Herbert dela Fuente, a young Ilonggo activist, was shot dead at close range while asleep at a relative’s house in Jaro.
The local constabulary reported that the killing was the product of an “armed encounter” but people knew he was really “salvaged,” executed for his activism and support for the fight against the tyranny of a dictator.
His brother, Edward dela Fuente, a student of Central Philippine University and former editor-in-chief of the student publication the Central Echo, wrote the poem above to commemorate John’s sacrifice, swearing to live on and continue his fallen brother’s plight for the freedom of the country.
Edward was the eldest son of two leaders of the Baptist Church in Iloilo. He regularly attended church services, and was also then the president of the National Baptist Youth of the Philippines.
Unbeknownst to Edward, a year later, he would suffer the same fate as his brother. He was abducted by the military, tortured and killed while serving at a remote and poor community in Aklan.
“I thought [John] died of natural causes when we came to the morgue to find his body,” recounted their mother Lucy dela Fuente, who tragically has outlived both her sons. “But then I noticed signs of torture: his bloody nails and fingers, bruises and scars, the mark of a boot print on his back, I was shocked and taken aback by the cruelty Marcos’ soldiers had taken upon my son.”
At Edward dela Fuente’s wake at their residence in Jaro, hundreds of people came to pay their respects. Most of them were peasants from all over Panay. They told us how our son made an impact on their lives, Lucy dela Fuente related.
When it was time to take him to his final resting place four kilometers away, they – the masses Edward aided and helped organize – insisted on carrying his coffin on their shoulders.
And as Edward’s poem goes: “There will only be a brief pause in the raging night.”
The multitudes of oppressed Filipinos gradually found their footing, gathered strength, increased in numbers – outraged by the abuses and corruption of Marcos and his cronies – they readied themselves for the storm looming over the horizon.
In 1972 – a whole 45 years ago – the dictator Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081 declaring martial law. What followed was an era of oppression and corruption – a regime responsible for the deaths of 3,240 Filipinos and the torture of around 34,000, as well as billions looted from the government.
But you can never truly restrain the masses calling for freedom; Marcos would eventually be forced to leave the Philippines in 1986 after the unified People Power revolution – just two years after the death of the dela Fuente brothers.
There’s a need to honor and remember those who fell in the night, those who fought for freedom that they themselves did not get to experience – the freedom we now, most of the time, take for granted.
Those who fought for what they believed in and those who paid with their lives, did not die in vain. We remember and honor their sacrifice, holding their memory dear.
It’s always darkest before dawn. #NeverForget #MarcosNoHero/PN
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