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BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA
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ILOILO City – Ilonggo activists and survivors of deposed president Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law marked the 44th anniversary of its declaration with a rally yesterday.
They protested the Duterte administration’s decision to have the dictator buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“Marcos’ burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani will be a reversal of the hero’s recognition given to the victims and survivors of martial law. That is historical revisionism. The name of the cemetery itself is enough reason why a fascist dictator ousted by the people cannot and should not be buried there. Bury him in Ilocos,” read part of a statement released by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) in Western Visayas.
It would be like adding insult to the injuries suffered by the martial law victims, said Reyland Vergara, spokesperson of Bayan in Panay Island.
Yesterday’s rally at Plazoleta Gay was also participated by Panay Alliance Karapatan, a human rights coalition.
According to Vergara, the atrocities and human rights violations perpetrated by Marcos’ martial law aimed to cower and paralyze the Filipino people can still be felt.
“Those who survived the torture, even until now, often wake up screaming in the middle of the night. Many suffer from claustrophobia and paranoia. All of them have stories to tell. All of them want to forget but they cannot,” read part of Bayan’s statement.
On Sept. 21, 1972 Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081 placing the Philippines under martial law to supposedly quell rebellion. He ended up prolonging his stay in power.
According to Bayan, “well-known political opposition figures were imprisoned. Labor leaders, farmers, church people, women, and lawyers, together with the outspoken student leaders found themselves on the run from the dreaded Philippine Constabulary. Many were arrested, tortured and killed.”
Vergara lamented that today’s youth appear ignorant of what happened during Marcos’ martial law.
“Ila hambal maayo si Marcos, mayo sadto ang panggoberyno ni Marcos. Dako ini nga challenge kun paano ma-edukar maayo ang aton pamatan-on,” said Vergara./PN
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