Groups rally for accountability on eve of Martial Law anniversary

Several groups and organizations staged protests on Sunday, a day before the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, to demand government accountability and remember victims of the Marcos Sr. administration.

The People’s Assembly launched a motorcade caravan following opening programs at the House of Representatives for its Quezon City leg and the Supreme Court for its Manila leg before proceeding to the EDSA Shrine for the “Lakbay Pananagutan: Never Forget! Hindi Nabubura ang Katotohanan” mobilization.

Led by Tindig Pilipinas, the coalition includes the Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition, Kalipunan ng Kilusang Masa, iDefend, Clergy for Good Governance and other sectoral and faith-based organizations.

The groups called for greater accountability among public officials amid concerns over corruption and impunity.

“On the eve of Martial Law, we are here at the EDSA Shrine to remind the people of the bloody and dark period of Martial Law, and that it is still happening until now,” People’s Assembly convenor and labor sector representative Judy Ann Miranda said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Tribune.

Miranda drew parallels among issues during the Martial Law period under former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the Duterte administration’s war on drugs and the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., citing what she described as persistent corruption and political dynasties.

“From the People’s Assembly and the ranks of workers in Partido Manggagawa, the truth should not be flooded,” she said in Filipino.

“We are commemorating Martial Law for fifty-four year, but let us remember that until now, there is still dictatorship. Workers’ wages are being undervalued, unions are being dismantled when you organize, and the calls for the safety of women, as well as the right of young people to organize and form unions, continue to be suppressed by the government,” the Partido Manggagawa secretary general added.

The coalition also raised concerns over alleged corruption in flood control projects and the persistence of political dynasties.

It also criticized the rejection of a proposed P85 minimum wage increase, saying the government instead approved a P60 increase.

The People’s Assembly is set to hold activities Monday morning at the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on 21 September 1972.

“EDSA Power is alive, joined by different sectors and different protests in different parts of the Philippines, to once again call for the imprisonment of corrupt officials, the passage of the anti-political dynasty bill, and to ensure that the wages of the Filipino people are increased,” Miranda said.

Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition convenor Benjamin Alvero said the People’s Assembly was a continuation of the protest movement that emerged over alleged anomalies in the country’s flood control projects.

“Now, we are seeing that it is not only flood control [anomalies] that should be monitored. The impeachment should also be monitored, and we must ensure that all our officials, from Malacañang down to districts, who are proven to have been involved in anomalies and corruption should be held accountable,” he said.

“Our message to Malacañang and Vice President Duterte is that this is not only a partisan issue of the progressives, but a general issue of the citizens, governance, and accountability, regardless of what political color you are,” the Labor Education and Research Network executive director added.

Students join Martial Law anniversary eve protest

Youth organizations and student councils from universities inside and outside Metro Manila also joined the People’s Assembly caravan and program in Quezon City, calling for greater attention to issues in the education sector and increased funding for schools.

Students from Bulacan State University were among those who joined the mobilization on the eve of the Martial Law anniversary.

BulSU-Sarmiento Campus Student Council Governor Rhenmar Bobila, a third-year Social Science Education student, said students in his field study the events during the Marcos Sr. administration and their relevance to the experiences of Filipinos today.

“It is sad to think that what we are studying, which we thought would remain only as a memory that would change in our generation, happened again when the dictator’s son was elected,” he told DAILY TRIBUNE.

“As one of the future teachers of the country, we will not teach or spread the idea that the dictatorship under Marcos was good or that it made life easier for Filipinos who experienced it,” Bobila added.

Speaking on behalf of his fellow students, Bobila also called for an increase in the education budget and proper allocation of funds for the sector.

Akbayan Youth members from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila also joined the mobilization, saying the PUP community opposed budget cuts and calling for the completion of the university’s North Wing building, which remains under construction.