Martial Law protest likens BBM to ‘Apo’

A case of the fruit not falling far from the tree?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. faced accusations of repeating the repression and corruption associated by protesters with the alleged dictatorship of his father as groups took to the streets Sunday, a day before the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.

The People’s Assembly led a protest caravan from opening programs at the House of Representatives in Quezon City and the Supreme Court in Manila before converging at 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 groups.

The protesters cited alleged corruption in flood-control projects, political dynasties, workers’ rights and what they described as continuing government repression.

“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 labor sector convenor Judy Ann Miranda told the DAILY TRIBUNE.

Miranda said Filipinos continued to face problems similar to those during the “Apo Marcos Sr. dictatorship” and the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

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

Senator Imee Marcos, the President’s sister, has herself said her family was given a second chance to redeem its name but that the opportunity had been squandered.

“It was a tragedy that our own family had been given a second chance and instead of grabbing it and leveraging it into great development and prosperity for the Filipino people, we’ve just wasted it,” Imee said in May.

She lamented that her brother’s government has been consumed by the administration’s campaign against the Dutertes, which she described as “insane and wicked.”

Wage hike hit

“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,” said Miranda, secretary-general of Partido Manggagawa.

The coalition also criticized the government’s handling of the minimum wage, saying it rejected a proposed P85 increase and approved only P60.

Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition convenor Benjamin Alvero said the protests grew out of the movement over alleged anomalies in 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 to other districts, who are proven to have been involved in anomalies and corruption should be held accountable,” Alvero said.

He said the movement was not limited to progressive groups.

“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,” he said.

Students and youth organizations from universities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces also joined the protests, raising concerns over education funding and campus issues.

Parallels

Bulacan State University student leader Rhenmar Bobila said students studying the Marcos Sr. period saw parallels with current events.

“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,” Bobila said.

“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,” he added.

Akbayan Youth of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila also joined the mobilization, opposing budget cuts and calling for the completion of the university’s North Wing building.

Marcos Sr. declared martial law through Proclamation 1081 on 21 September 1972, expanding presidential powers and placing the country under authoritarian rule.

The period saw the arrest and detention of opposition figures, activists and critics, restrictions on the press and reports of torture, killings and enforced disappearances.

People Power

Marcos lifted martial law in 1981 but remained president. Following the 1986 snap presidential election, allegations of fraud and a political crisis triggered a mass civilian uprising along EDSA.

The People Power movement, joined by opposition leaders and military officials who withdrew support for Marcos, forced him to leave Malacañang on 25 February 1986. Marcos and his family were flown to Hawaii, ending his 20-year rule.

The EDSA uprising restored democratic institutions under President Corazon Aquino and became a defining symbol of the country’s return to democratic rule.

Republic Act 10368, enacted in 2013, later established a recognition and reparation program for victims of human rights violations committed during the Marcos regime.

The law covers victims of summary execution, torture, enforced disappearance and other gross human rights violations committed from 21 September 1972 to 25 February 1986.