Iloilo’s sons lost to Marcos’ martial law
DELA FUENTE BROTHERS
IN 1972, exactly 46 years ago today, dictator Ferdinand 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’s coffers.
At the height of Marcos’ brutal reign in 1983, John Herbert Dela Fuente, a young Ilonggo activist, was shot dead at close range while asleep at a relative’s house in Jaro, Iloilo City.
The local constabulary reported that the killing was a result of an “armed encounter”