‘Righting martial law distortions next’

THE NEW law granting compensation and recognition to the victims of martial law is an opportunity to correct whatever distortions in history have been made concerning the atrocities of the Marcos regime, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said yesterday.

The Human Rights Violations Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 will thwart any cover-ups or attempts to erase from memory the excesses of the Marcos dictatorship, said CHR Chair Loretta Ann Rosales.

“The new law serves as an impetus for intensified human rights education for the security sector,” she told a press briefing.

Rosales said the military and the police must correct their behavior and realize their role as protectors of human rights, territorial integrity and public safety.

She said textbooks and other reading materials at all levels must be reviewed and corrected to reflect the truth about martial law and to celebrate the sacrifices of those who had opposed it.

She said a Roll of Martial Law Victims, as well as a museum and library and archives in their honor will be established.

These activities will be initiated by the Martial Law Victims Memorial Commission with the help of the Commission onHigher Education.

The memorial commission is an independent institution attached to the CHRfor administrative and budgetary purposes, and is run by a board headed by the CHR chair.

Rosales said the ill-gotten wealth amassed by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his family and his cronies and returned to the Philippines by the Swiss government in 1997 will be used to recompense the victims.

“This measure of justice would not have been made possible without the strong efforts of the international community, particularly the Swiss government, who have always been our steadfast partners,” she said.

“This law concretizes international law in helping the state realize its three-fold obligation to promote, protect and fulfill human rights for all,” she added.

Too late for many victims

Playwright Bonifacio Ilagan, a martial law victim, said the passage of the reparation law was “very significant,” but lamented that it came too late for many victims like Carlos Ortegawhodied before he could get any kind of compensation.

Ilagan, who is vice chair of Samahan ng ExDetainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda), remembers seeing a frail Ortega queueing last year to claim his $1,000 check for martial law victims whose payment a United States court had ordered.

According to Ilagan, Ortega, a union leader who had been arrested and tortured, ended up not getting his check at all as his name was not found on the list.

Ortega died in 2012 without receiving reparation. Early this year, Ilagan thought of calling up Ortega’s wife when he learned that the victims reparation act was about to be passed. He was aghast to learn that the wife had died too.

“No one among us fought martial law thinking that we would be rewarded in the end. We fought those battles in our youth because we wanted to serve the country,” said Ilagan, who was also delisted and was unable to claim his check last year.

He pointed out that while they welcomed the signing of the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act for the victims of martial law, their quest for justice would not end with the financial compensation.

After real justice

“Whatwe are after is real justice. Morethan the measly amount in reparations, what we want is for this dark period to be never forgotten and for the perpetrators to be prosecuted,” said Ilagan.

“It took a bit long, 12 years since we first lodged a bill in Congress. But, like they say, better late than never. For all martial law victims, the law is very significant,” said the playwright.

At a press conference yesterday, Selda said the passage of the reparation law was the result of the efforts of thousands of human rights victims of the Marcos regime.

Under the law, the government will provide P10 billion to pay compensation to the victims. It also mandates the teaching of the atrocities of the martial law period in the schools.

The original master list included 9,539 victims although Selda expects this to go beyond 10,000.

According to Ilagan, Ortega was in his 30s when he was arrested.

Hesaid it wasmanyyears beforehesawOrtega again, and this was last yearwhenOrtega, rail thin fromillnessandadvancedage, joined thequeueto claim his $1,000 check which never came.

400 victims have died

“He really expected that he would receive it. It would not have made him rich, but it would have helped a lot because he was already sick,” Ilagan said.

Selda estimates that at least 400 victims have already died.

“Each month, I receive at least three advisories that some of our members have passed away. Most of us are in our 50s, 60s. Some are in their 70s,” said the 61-year-old Ilagan.

Selda chair Marie Hilao-Enriquez said it was not enough that the government offered reparation.

“This law is about indemnification. We also want the perpetrators to be prosecuted and to publicly apologize,” she said.

Enriquez lamented that the Marcoses and their allies were back in power.

“As long as human rights violations continue, with or without martial law, we stand with the people for justice, democracy and human rights. Never again will we allow the enemies of the people to perpetrate the same injustices, oppression and exploitation against the majority of the Filipino people,” she said.