Manila marks 50th anniversary of martial law
MANILA: The Commission of Human Rights on Wednesday urged Filipinos to protect the freedom as the nation observes the 50th anniversary of martial law declared by the late “strong man,” Ferdinand Marcos on Sept. 21, 1972.
Hundreds of Filipino activists on Wednesday took to the streets to mark the 50th anniversary of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s declaration of martial law.
“As of martial law, time can make measures vulnerable. We call on every Filipino to protect our history as the truth captured in the collective experience in 1972 as an important facet in addressing traditional justice,” Jacqueline de Guia, executive director of the CHR, said.
In the run-up to the start of martial law, promarcos posts has been filled with Facebook and Tiktok with false and misleading claims about the period,accordingtoanagencefrance-pressereport.
De Guia said that remembering martial law does not mean stuck in the past, because there are lessons to remember and teach future generations.
The Philippines restored democracy in February 1986 through the relatively peaceful EDSA 1 “People Power” revolution that ousted the late dictator, Marcos, and installed former democracy icon, then president Corazon Aquino.
De Guia also urged the Filipinos to be vigilant against abuse of power. According to the human right’s watchdog, Amnesty International, there were 100,000 victims of martial law with 3,000 killed, and 34,000 arrested.
The Marcoses were also alleged to have amassed illegal wealth, estimated at $10 billion based on the World Bank – UN Office on Drugs and Stolen Assets Recovery report.
Various groups have been likewise holding a number of events to remember what they say is a “dark chapter” in the country’s history.
The aim is “Never again, never forget” campaign, probably in the light of a Marcos again occupying a position in Malacanang Palace.
At the same time, Congressman Edcel Lagman
of Albay province in the Bicol region and a martial law survivor, said Filipinos can forgive martial law, but never forget the atrocities and deception of martial law.
“The memory of both the horrors of martial law and the courage and conviction of victims and survivors must be indelible in our history. We must resent all efforts of historical revisionism and selfserving history in literature and the arts, including cinematography,“Lagman said in a privileged speech at the House of Representatives.