This day marks the 51st anniversary of the declaration of martial law in the country.
On September 21, 1972, Proclamation No. 1081 was signed by the former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Two days later, martial law was declared on national television, allowing the dictator Marcos Sr. to consolidate power by extending his term beyond the two years allowed by the 1935 Constitution.
During the time of martial law, over 70,000 people were imprisoned, with 34,000 tortured and more than 3,000 killed through extrajudicial means. This period is marked as one of the darkest times in our country’s history. With journalists and private media groups targeted, leaving only a controlled press to operate. These inhumane actions resulted in severe human rights violations. It ended with the eruption of the EDSA People Power Revolution on February 25, 1986, putting an end to the abuse of power by the Marcos regime.
Today, the Marcos family has returned to Malacañang 37 years after their exile in 1986, with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. winning the 2022 presidential election. Recently, the Supreme Court of the Philippines also decided to uphold the dismissal of a civil forfeiture case involving P1.052 billion in their alleged ill-gotten wealth. This series of events raises the question of whether the Filipino people have forgiven the history of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. as a dictator who abused his power over five decades prior, or if we are simply too quick to forget.
Despite the appalling wrongdoings and atrocities committed during martial law, the Marcoses refuse to acknowledge them. Rather than facing the truth, President Bongbong Marcos even stated in a 2021 interview that he can only apologize for his own actions, revealing a dismissive and avoidant attitude towards his father’s abuse of power during his dictatorship.
Clearly, justice alone is not the only thing that cannot be easily achieved for the survivors of martial law, but also the compensation that they deserve. And it’s not because they weren’t heard loud enough; it is that the Marcoses are still blatantly choosing to be blind and deaf to all their faults and lapses, even though five decades have already passed.
While some people may opt to overlook the reasons behind the Filipinos’ participation in the EDSA People Power Revolution 37 years ago, there will always be individuals who will deem it crucial to recollect the events that unfolded 51 years ago and the atrocities that occurred during the period between the declaration of martial law and the revolution.
Whatever the case, one thing’s certain:
The forgotten events from yesterday will never erase the significance of today.
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