Activists trace threat of Marcos return to Malacañang to failed promises of change

MANILA, Philippines — Medy de Jesus was among the millions who spilled into Metro Manila’s streets to oust a dictator who has been brutally ruling the country for over two decades, during which thousands were imprisoned, tortured and killed, and billions were looted from government coffers.

Then fresh from stepping out of a convent, De Jesus was prompted to fight the dictatorship after her eyes were opened to the harsh realities faced by Filipinos living in the countryside who are so poor, they have to resort to eating root crops as they could not afford rice.

But 36 years after Filipinos booted out Ferdinand Marcos in a series of military-backed popular protests, De Jesus said not much has changed for the nation’s poor.

“Ordinaryong mamamayan, nagugutom pa rin. Maraming ordinaryong mamamayan, hindi makapagpaaral ng anak, hindi makapagkuha ng medical services na kailangan nila,” she told Philstar.com at the sidelines of a protest on the anniversary of the People Power Revolution.

(Ordinary people are still hungry. A lot of ordinary people cannot send their children to school and cannot get the medical services that they need.)

The People Power Revolution’s promise of change, she said, was not fulfilled.

“Natuwa tayo na wala na si Marcos. Pero iyong ninakaw, hindi binalik. Iyong mga gutom, nandoon pa rin. Iyong walang trabaho, nandoon pa rin. Ang mga bata, hindi pa rin makapagaral nang maayos dahil walang libreng edukasyon. Walang medical services, health services na kailangan ng mamamayan, wala naman talaga,” she said.

(We were happy that Marcos is no longer in power. But what they stole was not recovered. Those who are hungry are still here. Those who are jobless are still here. Children still can’t go to school because there is no free education. There are no medical and health services that people need.)

Shortcomings, errors

This failure — especially of post-People Power administrations to hold the Marcoses to account, retell their abuses so future generations can learn from them and implement truly revolutionary changes — is why activists say the son and namesake of the fomer president got the chance to mount a bid for their family’s return to Malacañang.

“Mayroon talagang malaking pagkukulang at pagkakamali ang mga rehimen na pumalit kay Marcos na hindi nila in-institutionalize at hindi nila sinustain iyong education, iyong political education about Martial Law and the Marcoses. And hindi nilubos ang mga reforms kaya mayroong ganitong amnesia,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan chairperson Dr. Carol Araullo told Philstar.com at the sidelines of the protest.

(The regimes that succeeded Marcos had huge shortcomings and errors as they did not institutionalize and sustain the political education about Martial Law and the Marcoses. And they did not completely push for reforms which is why there is this kind of amnesia.)

If the latest pre-election survey from Pulse Asia conducted from January 19 to 24 were any indicator, it seems that Filipinos have collectively forgotten the abuses of Marcos’ martial rule that 60% of them would likely vote for his son, Bongbong, if the elections were held during that time.

At campaign stops, Bongbong has invoked images of his father’s rule to woo voters — a strategy that has proven effective as many Filipinos appear to be nostalgic for the dictator's regime which they tout to be the “golden ages” of the country.

But pockets of resistance to these myths remain, with Friday’s protest at the People Power Monument — dubbed by organizers as a large classroom where Martial Law falsehoods are shattered — being one of them.

Rotten system

“Mga kababayan, ‘wag po kayong umasa na babaguhin ni [Bongbong] Marcos ang bulok na sistema. Sapagkat paano niya babaguhin ang bulok na sistema kung ito ang naging daan para makabalik siya sa pwesto at ito rin ang gagamitin niya para manatili sa pwesto, katulad ng kanyang ama,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes at the protest.

(Countrymen, do not hope that Bongbong Marcos will correct the rotten system. Because how can he change the rotten system if this paved the way for him to return to power and he will also use this to stay in power like his father?)

For Reyes, the Marcoses are just preying on the legitimate concerns of Filipinos for them to return to power, using the “rotten system” that prevailed even after the People Power Revolution to their advantage.

But he said that it is not the EDSA revolt’s fault that this system prevailed.

“Hindi kasalanan ng EDSA na nanatiling bulok ang naghaharing sistema. Kasalanan ito ng mga naghaharing uri na nagpapatuloy ng sistemang mapang-api pagkatapos ang EDSA,” Reyes said.

(It is not EDSA’s fault that the system remained rotten. This is the fault of the ruling class that continued the oppressive system even after EDSA.)