I was a martial law baby and was too young to remember how it was and what it really meant. What I have are pieces of anecdotal stories based on my own limited experiences and those of my relatives who, being Marcos loyalists, painted a rosy picture of what could be considered the darkest period of our history.
There wasn’t any activist among them, so it makes sense why they think it’s a glorious moment for everyone.
In fact, the only person I know of who thought otherwise was a friend of an uncle who was imprisoned for three months solely because of a joke that was badly misconstrued.
He was in the corridor of Palma Hall in the Univesity of the Philippines when the constabulary arrested him because he kiddingly shouted “Panahon na,” then whispered to his friends “ng rambutan!” When he got out, he became a noted progressive leader and, to this day, has been vigilant about human rights issues.
The thing about human perspective is that it’s mostly caged by narratives you’re exposed to, buttressing everything you personally witness, hear and feel. This is why I do not belittle seemingly idiotic views, which seem stupid only because I have been subjected to a tapestry of points of view that education affords me.
Honestly, it was only when I studied in UP that I got to understand to a certain extent how informed opinions are shaped. Our worldview tends to become myopic when we do not see what’s on the other side, and we do not attempt to get out to see a clearer picture of things.
I grew up poor and for the most part I hardly knew better because my life had practically remained the same, whether it was Marcos or Cory who was in power. For most impoverished people, they could not care less whether it was Leni or BBM they voted for. Calling them “stupid” won’t work because they’re not the problem, not even its root cause.
You couldn’t blame them for supporting the war on drugs because, from their own vantage point, ours was a safe place and community regardless of whether due process was respected or not.
At the end of the day, those who claim to know better should stop condemning people. They should go down from their ivory tower or get out of their echo chamber so they can relate more, commune better, and feel what the ordinary Juan goes through and the ordeal he needs to overcome, as they blindly worship those whom they feel understand and identify with them.