Anti-Marcos group starts fundraising drive

CEBU CITY—Kerrina Atillo was not yet born during the martial law era.

Now 18 years old and a third year business administration student at the University of San Carlos, she is among those leading a campaign against the vice presidential bid of Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“Right now, there are no soldiers following us. We enjoy the right to express ourselves. We can rant on Facebook,” said Atillo, one of the youth leaders of Anti-Bongbong Coalition (ABC) in Cebu.

The coalition, which consists of 70 representatives from cause-oriented groups, gathered in a hotel here on Saturday afternoon for the formal launch of their “No to Bongbong” campaign.

Noel Tabasa, ABC spokesperson, said the group was into raising funds for the campaign, including organizing a concert next month and selling P300-anti-Marcos shirts and P5-stickers.

Atillo said she wanted to help students like her to always seek the truth and not just rely on what was being circulated on social media about the good deeds of the Marcos family.

“We will not stand for Bongbong Marcos. He was there when martial law happened,” she said.

The present generation of the so-called millennials will have to be reminded that they owe the freedom that they now enjoy to student activists who fought martial law, Atillo said.

Former Sen. Francis Pangilinan said in a statement that Filipinos should be reminded of the people who gave their lives for freedom.

“We cannot dishonor their memory by saying martial law was a good thing, it was not,” he said.