Celebrating and documenting the struggle

This week, the Cebu media community marks Cebu Press Freedom Week, now in its 34th year. The observance always coincides with the anniversary of the declaration of martial law on September 21.

This enduring celebration is uniquely Cebu, and I would like to congratulate the convenors of Cebu Press Freedom Week, the organizers of the various forums, media organization meetings, and other events, including a pickleball tournament, as well as supporters from the private sector and civil society for making this week-long celebration something to look forward to every year in September.

As we celebrate Press Freedom Week and observe the anniversary of the declaration of martial law, we also, with sober realization, take note of the passing of giants in Cebu history and literary circles this year. I am referring to National Artist Resil Mojares, who passed away on September 5; Paul Rodriguez of Bayan, who passed away on September 16; and, prior to them, retired Judge Meinrado “Menmen” Paredes, who died on July 11.

I have always believed that creative literature and the struggles for human rights and national progress are intertwined. Remember, our struggle for independence from Spanish colonial rule traces its origins to the writings of literary genius Dr. Jose Rizal and the journalists of the reformist movement at the time.

The works of Mojares, as demonstrated in “Brains of the Nation” and “The War Against the Americans,” taught us that nation-building requires looking beyond simplified narratives --studying both our intellectual triumphs and our local compromises-- so we can build a future guided by an honest understanding of our past.

Before he died, Judge Menmen had started to work with us his fellow members of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) to write the history of FLAG in Central Visayas, especially its struggles during the martial law period. We are tasked to continue with that initiative.

This tradition of literature as an instrument of truth and civic memory should continue to be encouraged and supported, especially in Cebu and other communities outside the national capital, where written narratives are often sparse.

Recently, I became involved in drafting a project proposal for an NGO's book project. The inspiration for this initiative actually goes back to 2014 and 2015, when the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board (HRVCB), established under R.A. 10368, or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, faced a deadline to receive applications.

Back then, our law office assisted human rights victim-claimants pro bono in executing sworn affidavits. These documents recounted specific, detailed human rights violations that occurred in Cebu during the dictatorship, such as illegal arrest, detention, and torture.

For many victims and surviving relatives, executing those affidavits meant revisiting deeply painful trauma from the martial law era simply to meet the legal standards of the point system. The work we did was not only crucial in helping victims secure official state recognition and reparation, but it also gave me an idea that it should serve as a starting point to document their ordeals into a book, with their consent.

Though no book materialized at the time, I remain hopeful that through the many stories uncovered in their sworn statements, the victims will finally be heard and their narratives memorialized as part of our historical literature.

As Mojares taught us, true history is built from the ground up. Our celebration of Press Freedom Week and our efforts to document civil society's struggles in civic spaces must champion courageous storytelling. It is through these narratives that society preserves its institutional memory, confronts red-tagging, and protects its democratic space.