Most of us remember Martial Law as a painful turmoil that the
nation ever experience. A national
situation associated to all forms of violence from killings, enforced
disappearances, lifting of the writ of habeas corpus, massive human rights
violations and grave abuses of military and politicians against the people’s
civil liberties and democratic rights.
Other than all of these, who would forget to associate the former fascist
dictator President Ferdinand Marcos to Martial Law? It was a decade-lasting of political
situation affecting all aspects of the country’s social system. In fact, one of the 2 remarkable changes to
the country’s political system ever known, 1st to GMA’s legacy. We don’t
mean a good and exemplary legacy but a traumatic, unashamed and decadent legacy.
What then
do we need to understand about Martial Law as a mark to our history, after 40
years of declaration?
The generation of today had not been born during the period,
rather use as an excuse to have known how Martial Law impact our country’s
social system, the generation of today is too fortunate to have the rich
resources of information and the advancement of technologies to know the
realities and become more aware and informed.
To start with, let us answer the question how did it all begin? Some of you probably would answer that the
attempt to assassinate Former Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile made it all
possible, a big NO! It was a manipulated
and orchestrated incident to justify the declaration of Martial Law. The reason behind the declaration has a deeper
reason from the point of view of the reactionary politicians in the period, a move to mitigate the spread of their
topmost fear: the growing
vigilance of the Filipino people for genuine societal transformation. You might wonder what is there for them to fear that democracy is in fact
the power of the people! That is exactly
the reason why, they fear the power of the people heightening!
Important events of the economic and political situation globally
and nationally happened before the declaration.
To cite the most important: The
state visit of former US President Nixon which craft policies for globalization,
the approval of the bilateral state agreement on the IRRI rice research
funding, the global siren of socialism spearheaded by the People’s Republic of
China, the First Quarter Storm described as the height of the dynamic, vigilant
and heroic social movement of the youth, the radical peasant movement at the
countryside, the uprising of the Muslim-Filipinos against Marcos’ manipulation
on the issue of Sabah, Marcos ending term as 2-termed President (1965-1972) and
the global people’s movement of social change as the response of the people of
the world to the massive and intensifying crisis of hunger, unemployment and
inequality. For your information, it
wasn’t only Marcos who took the path of Fascism as a form of rule; it was a
global trend amongst the governments at that period of time, an imposition of
the USA’s foreign policy against the empowering people of the world. A global call among the reactionary
government to shove aside all possible results favoring the oppressed people of
the world against the global crisis systematized in the campaign of Low
Intensity Democracy. These were the CONTEXT.
The big question is, why aren’t these written in our history
books? Well, they wouldn’t want us to learn from it, they wouldn’t want for the
new generation to learn from the past that indeed the response to an oppressive
and exploitative situation can be answered by the people’s movement to change
it! This is however, to put it on a
direct and straight-forward point of view.
As the state of Martial Law progresses, in real sense didn’t serve
its purpose. The vigilance and the
heroism of the Filipino people with the important role of the youth at that
period, intensified. Student-youth who
formerly did not believe on the idea of radical change became part of the
movement for radical change. Who wouldn’t
be? When hundreds of people are charged
of cases whether criminal or political are pursued, when hundreds of people are
gone missing without a trace, when pure and peaceful assemblies become a massacre
and amidst all these no justice is achieved.
To add, the state of hunger, inequality and the global crisis of
uncertainties remain and the governments are more antagonistic, manipulative
and exploitative!
We believe you knew how the Martial Law ended and how Fascist-Dictator
Marcos was put down in power. You would
answer the famous “EDSA PEOPLE POWER or the EDSA REVOLUTION” made it that
placed former Pres. Cory Aquino as the next president of the Republic of the
Philippines. To put it on record she did
not contribute nor spearheaded the MOVEMENT TO CHANGE THE FASCIST-DICTATOR
RULE. She went into hiding at the whole
duration of the Martial Law. There is
nothing wrong with it, we can understand why she needs to but for her to be
attributed all of the efforts that culminated to the end of Martial Law and the
ousting of Marcos is wrong. IT WAS THE
NAMELESS, FACELESS, VIGILANT, FEARLESS AND HEROIC FILIPINO PEOPLE AT THAT
DECADE, our grandparents, parents, sisters, brothers who stand against
oppression and exploitation made it all happened!
Do you see now, what is there to learn from remembering the days
of Martial law? It is not the declaration, it is why Martial Law was declared
in the first place and how did the people respond to it.
VIGILANCE
AND HEROISM SUCCEEDED! It proved
again that when people stand their ground for what is true, right and just, nothing
is impossible to achieve. No brick walls
can’t be broken and no distant dreams can’t be achieved.
We are confronted by a context now, similar to the context of martial
law; will you respond the same as our heroes?
We should be. It only takes the
Will to DO IT. Start off by knowing the
facts, draw truth from it, form your conviction to pursue what is right and
COMMIT your life to COURAGE AND JUSTICE.
LONG LIVE FREEDOM!
LONG LIVE THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE!
Youth
for Nationalism and Democracy-Cebu
September 20, 2012
Mobile phone number: 0923-960-4108/Facebook
account: YND-Cebu
