Never ever again to Martial Law!
Today is September 21, 2017. Why should we remember this date?
On September 21, 1972, 45 years ago, Proclamation No. 1081 was signed y Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, placing the Philippines under Martial Law. He held on to the presidency from 1965 and was toppled by the February 1986 EDSA People Power's Revolution.
While in power, Marcos released general orders including: "the transfer of all powers to the president, authorizing the military to arrest individuals conspiring to take over the government, the enforcement of curfew hours, and the banning of group assemblies. His letters of instruction included the closure and seizure of private media and public utilities, among others."
Freedom was curtailed. Rappler reports that "according to Amnesty International, about 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 tortured (through electrocution, water cure, and strangulation), and 3,240 killed during Martial Law from 1972 to 1981." Many of those arrested remain missing until this day.
Corruption was rampant, public funds siphoned off privately. Du30 confirmed that the Marcos family was planning to return "some few gold bars" and "the ill-gotten" wealth plundered from our economy (estimated at US$5-10 billion). Check out the GMA network and other references for reliable details about the Marcos "ill-gotten" wealth.
While Marcos and his cronies enriched themselves, millions of Filipinos lived in poverty, our people "exported" as labor, children were pushed to work, including selling themselves, displaced rural folks migrated to urban areas and our foreign debt ballooned, among others. Again, please check out reliable references about the adverse impacts of the Marcos regime on Philippine society, economy, and politics.
Why do we need to remember not to forget September 21 and Martial Law aside from the above enumerated issues?
Within those 14 years of dictatorship, our people temporarily were silenced, intimidated, threatened, shackled, frightened, and forced to submit to the blatant wrongdoings of the dictator, his family, and his cronies. Yet, with pride, please remember that within those years of authoritarianism, silent protest and anger led to a revolution, first of hearts, then of a united people ready to lay down their lives for the sake of regaining freedom, for our people, for our children, for our country.
Fast forward to today. Mindanao is now under Martial Law. Will the rest of the nation be placed under Martial Law soon?
Even without martial law, thousands have been killed, many related to DU30's anti-drug campaign. Critics in the Supreme Court, Ombudsman, the Senate, Commission on Human Rights, among others, are threatened with impeachment, arrest or P1,000 budget respectively.
Human rights abuses, curtailment of freedom, corruption, lies, misinformation, EJKs, on one hand, and unchecked huge drug smuggling, on the other hand, and other more abuses clearly show that remnants of the Marcos' martial law days are here.
Today, protests and mobilizations have been lined up against these threats and terror at any of the following: UP Diliman Community, 9-12 noon, UP Carillon Plaza, then caravan to UST and Mendiola; Laban ng Masa, Mendiola, 9-12 noon; Movement Against Tyranny, Rizal Park Grandstand 5 pm; and, Tindig Pilipinas, CHR Grounds 6 p.m.
Here in Cebu, contingents will converge along Sto. Rosario Church at 8:30 am, then march to Gaisano Metro Colon at 9:30 for a short rally, then to Plaza Independencia for wreath laying and torch lighting ceremony at the Martial Law marker, then followed by a short program and mass singing.
All who treasure freedom, truth, and justice, all who say "never again to Martial Law!" are invited to come out, be seen and be heard.
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