Groups warn of growing authoritarian rule on 48th Martial Law anniv

Several groups marked the 48th anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law through a protest held at the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines on Monday, September 21.

During the protest, Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares urged people to fight historical revisionism and never forget the horrors of that dark chapter in Philippine history.

He also likened Duterte’s tendency to turn to militant solutions, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, to Marcos’ strongman rule during Martial Law.

“Nandito tayo ngayon para gunitain ang karahasan ng Martial Law, para labanan ang historical distortion ng mga Marcoses at ni President Duterte, para labanan ang nakaambang diktadura ni Duterte…. Anong koneksyon ni Duterte kay Marcos? Parehong-pareho ang rehimen nila. Heneral at mga militar ay nangunguna sa ating gobyerno,” he said.

(We are here to remember what happened during Martial Law, fight the historical distortion of the Marcoses and President Duterte, and the looming dictatorship of Duterte…. What’s the connection between Duterte and Marcos? Their regimes are very similar. Generals and military take the lead in the government.)

During the multisectoral protest that featured youth groups, human rights defenders, and women’s groups such as Gabriela and the International Women’s Alliance, the protesters condemned human rights violations under Marcos’ Martial Law, and those under the Duterte administration.

The groups registered their strong opposition to the Duterte administration, fearing that the country will once again witness a repeat of Martial Law, which spurred almost 10 years of military rule marred by human rights abuses, corruption, and attacks on press freedom.

The protesters observed health protocols throughout the protest.

Jire Carreon/Rappler

Since the pandemic started earlier this year, Duterte has focused on the strict implementation of quarantine guidelines and putting former generals in the lead of the government’s pandemic response as “czars.”

“Imbes na maglagay ng doktor sa mga pwesto, puro militar na walang alam ang namumuno dahil sila ang kaibigan ni Duterte…. Simple lang naman ang aming hinihingi, ‘di kami nanghihingi ng rebelyon gaya ng sabi ni Duterte. Gamot, hindi bala ng baril. Kasama kaming mga health workers na lumalaban sa pasismo ni Duterte dahil ang public health ay tungkol sa kondisyon nating lahat,” said Simon Sacramento of the Philippine Medical Students’ Association.

(Instead of tapping doctors, the government tapped military men who have no idea what to do, simply because they are friends with Duterte…. What we’re asking for is simple. We’re not asking for a rebellion like what Duterte said. We want medicines, not bullets. Health works are part of this fight against the fascism of Duterte because public health involves us all.)

Duterte had earlier dared medical societies to stage a “revolution” against him after they criticized the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He later added that the “revolution” will enable him to exercise presidential powers to quell it.

Ateneo de Manila University professor Francis Gealogo, meanwhile, pointed out the irony of celebrating the anniversary of the EDSA Revolution that ousted Marcos, and seeing the House of Representatives approving a bill that declares the late dictator’s birthday as a non-working holiday in Ilocos Norte.

Recounting the silencing of media during Martial Law, Kenneth Guda of Pinoy Weekly raised concerns over the increasing attacks on press freedom under the Duterte administration, including the shutdown of ABS-CBN after its franchise expired and its bid for a new one was rejected by Congress.

“Marami sa atin ngayon, ‘di na umabot sa diktadurang Marcos, ngunit sa pag-aaral, alam natin paano sinupil noon ang midya,” said Guda.

(Many of us didn’t witness the dictatorship of Marcos, but from our studies, we know how he silenced the media.)

Jire Carreon/Rappler

Detained Senator Leila de Lima, in a message read by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Carol Araullo, urged Filipinos to not only remember the atrocities under Marcos but also condemn Duterte’s authoritarian rule over the country, especially after the passing of the anti-terror law.

“Bago pa man dumating [ang] pandemya, matagal nang humaharap sa krisis ang ating bansa. Dala ito ng marahas at mapaniil na gobyerno na pumatay sa libo-libo. Kaya hindi nakapagtataka na lumulubha ang kalagayan ng bansa sa gitna ng pandemya,” De Lima said.

(Even before the pandemic happened, the country has long been facing a crisis caused by the government’s killing of thousands of people. It’s not surprising, then, that the state of the nation is getting worse in the middle of a pandemic.)

At the end of the protest, the groups burned an effigy that depicted the President as a virus, to symbolize what they called the administration’s negligence in handling the coronavirus pandemic. – with reports from Philippine Collegian, UPLB Perspective, PUP The Catalyst, and Tinig ng Plaridel/Rappler.com