49 years after Marcos' martial law declaration

Never again should we allow that to happen. Today we recall the darkest chapter in Philippine history, stained by the blood of thousands who died, and countless others who disappeared, were arrested, tortured, and allegedly summarily executed. Proclamation 1081, dated September 21, 1972, was actually signed on September 17 and read to the public on September 23, 1972, placing the entire Philippines under a regime of martial law. The nation did not know until the 23rd that martial law had already been proclaimed two days earlier.

Proclamation 1081 was a declaration to the whole world that President Ferdinand Marcos would govern the nation in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Philippines. Congress was abolished. Both the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives were padlocked. All media outlets were locked down and all political enemies were arrested. Student leaders, journalists, religious leaders, and academicians who were all critical of the Marcos administration were arrested and jailed without warrants and without formal charges. It was the darkest moment in the struggle of the people for democracy.

First to be arrested was Marcos' bitterest political rival, who happened to be his fraternity brother in UP's Upsilon Sigma Phi, Ninoy Aquino, on the evening of September 22. Ninoy, as senator and chairman of the Senate Committee on Tariff Reforms, was conducting a committee meeting at the Manila Hilton Hotel, near the Philippine Senate, which was then located in Luneta, and is now used as the Philippine Museum. He was arrested by General Romeo Gatan. During those times, one is not arrested but merely “invited”. Ninoy's “invitation” lasted for more than seven years. He was detained in Fort Bonifacio until he was allowed to fly to Boston due to his cardiac ailment.

Others arrested that night and at past midnight, were senators Jose W. Diokno, Lorenzo Tanada, Francisco Soc Rodrigo, Jovito Salonga, and Ramon Mitra. Then, they were followed by the arrest of anti-Marcos con-con delegates Napoleon Rama, Heherson Alvarez, Teofisto Guingona Jr., Antonio Araneta, Jose Mari Velez of ABS-CBN, Voltaire Garcia, and Alejandro Lichauco. Journalists who were critical of Marcos were also arrested like Teodoro Locsin Sr. of the Free Press, Chino Roces who was publisher of the Manila Times, Armando Doronilla of the Daily Mirror, Max Soliven of the Manila Times, Luis Beltran of the Evening News, Ernesto Granada of the Manila Chronicle, and many others.

Also listed for arrest were Marcos' former vice president Fernando Lopez and his 1969 presidential opponents Serging Osmeña Jr. They happened to be abroad, so by proxy, Geny Lopez Jr., Fernando's nephew and the son of former Meralco owner, Don Eugenio Lopez Sr. was arrested, together with Serging's son, Serge, or Sergio Osmeña III. They were the ones who staged a dramatic escape from Fort Bonifacio. Actually, there was a rumor that they allegedly paid large sums of money as ransom and they were supposedly allowed to “fly over cuckoo's nest”, so to say.

Others arrested included the activist UP History professor Etta Rosales and human rights lawyer Haydee Yorac. I had the honor as a provinciano student leader from Cebu, to have been arrested too on September 24, 1972. I never asked for a single centavo as reparation for human rights victims. It was an honor to have been detained for 49 days for love of country and in defense of the people's rights.

Today, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to become president. His father's sins are not his. But to many, never again. Over our dead bodies. Does it always follow that when we forgive we should always forget? I do not know about you, but as for me and my house, we will never forget.