A DICTATOR buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani is one among the many reasons why we will always remember how we were betrayed as a nation. We will never forget all human rights violations under Ferdinand Marcos’ brutal martial law.
How do we forget the atrocities of martial law when we continue to see the killings, the illegal arrests, and the myriad of rights violations today? We are wheeled back to the time of Marcos’ martial law with the skyrocketing prices of goods, the record-breaking inflation, the Filipino people in deeper poverty, and critics of the government being attacked and persecuted. These are not mere flashbacks or throwbacks. These are the very reasons why the Filipino people overthrew the Marcos regime.
Imee Marcos recently drew flak for her “move on” remark addressed to her generation, adding that the millennials have already moved past the issue of martial law. Coming immediately to her sister’s defense, Bongbong Marcos said he understands her sister’s sentiment about “something that happened 32 years ago.” This “something” were the 3,257 killed, 35,000 tortured, 70,000 incarcerated, the 737 Filipinos who “disappeared” from 1976 to 1983 during martial law. Many were tortured, mutilated and dumped on roadsides for public display to create widespread fear. This “something” also included ruling the country for 20 years from 1966 to 1986 and plunging the economy into a spiralling crisis weighed down by heavy foreign borrowings and profligate spending for the benefit of one family and cronies.
We can never sit still knowing that money stolen from the country’s coffers during martial law has still to be returned and nobody is in jail for their crimes against the Filipino people. It is arrogance then on their part to demand that the victims of martial law atrocities move on. While it is important for the Marcoses that we forget about the human rights violations and plunder during martial law because they will vie for national positions in 2019, historical accountability cannot be sacrificed for political ambitions.
There can be no moving on without the return of all ill-gotten wealth stolen from the Filipino people. There can be no moving on unless there is accountability and the Marcoses’ admission that massive human rights violations were committed during martial law.
