ML victims vow to fight historical revisionism

Three hours before Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was inaugurated as the country’s 17th president, a number of victims and survivors of his father’s dictatorship gathered in Quezon City yesterday, vowing to fight for the truth about atrocities committed during martial law.

The victims, mostly in their 70s, took an oath before the Bantayog ng mga Bayani to guard against what they described as continuing tyranny, falsehoods and trampling of people’s rights and freedoms.

They also passed torches to their younger companions, which they said is a symbol that the next generation will continue fighting the efforts to revise the history of the country.

For some martial law survivors, the reality that another Marcos is in power is a nightmare they have to endure for six years.

“Bangugot kumbaga sa ating salita pero realidad at kailangan tanggapin (It’s a nightmare, but it is a reality and we need to accept it),” playright Bonifacio Ilagan told reporters in an interview.

An activist during the dictatorship of Marcos’ father and namesake, Ilagan was imprisoned and tortured in 1974.

Now 70 years old, Ilagan never thought the day would come that Marcos’ son would become president.

Another victim of martial law, former Commission on Human Rights chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales, urged people to open their eyes to the truth that martial law was a dark period in the country’s history. She said people should not become victims of historical revisionism painting martial law as a golden era.

On the call to forget the past and just move on, Rosales said: “It’s a question of ignorance and what can you do when there is so much ignorance.”

Kamuning police Station 10 commander Lt. Col. Elizabeth Jasmin said there were at least 70 martial law victims and their supporters who took part in the event. There was no untoward incident and the attendees left the venue peacefully.

Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) criticized the President for being selective in his inaugural speech, omitting the atrocities committed during the dictatorship.

“As expected, Marcos Jr. used his inaugural speech to again praise his father for the latter ’s so-called legacy, conveniently avoiding any mention of the fascist dictatorship Marcos Sr. is most notorious for,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes said in a statement.

He added that Marcos’ ascension to the presidency would never extinguish the crimes and abuses of his father’s regime.

“No amount of repetitive playing of Bagong Lipunan will change this bloody record. These will remain historical facts,” Reyes stressed.

He said Marcos ignored major issues such as high oil prices, crushing taxes, low wages and human rights.

“We should brace ourselves for more of the same. Indeed, there are no reasons to celebrate this day,” Reyes added.

At least 2,000 members of Bayan and other cause-oriented groups held a rally at the Plaza Miranda in Quiapo.

Activists initially planned to hold their program at the Liwasang Bonifacio, which is around 1.2 kilometers away from the National Museum where Marcos took his oath of office. However, Reyes said they decided to change the venue to Plaza Miranda upon the request of the Philippine National Police. He noted that the President’s supporters had occupied Liwasang Bonifacio a day before the inauguration, which raised security concerns for the police.