VICTIMS of martial law on Monday led a “birthday-bash” rally at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) in Taguig City in time for the 100th birthday celebration of the late dictator, Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Aside from the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (Carmma) and ex-political detainees group Selda, conveners and members of the Movement Against Tyranny joined the protest to criticize President Duterte.
The Movement Against Tyranny is an alliance of groups and personalities that aims to unite all freedom-loving Filipinos against tyranny and build a broader front to counter “the increasing fascism and militarist rule” of the Duterte administration.
The protest was also joined by delegates from the Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya 2017, the nationwide caravan of national minorities from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao currently holding a Kampuhan in UP Diliman.
People’s organizations under the umbrella of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan also took part in the protest.
In a statement, Bonifacio Ilagan, Carmma spokesman, said, “Here’s one big rally of bashers on this birthday ‘celebration’ of a dictator and plunderer organized by no less than the current President himself. Let us mark this day that whatever the Duterte administration does to complete the rehabilitation of the Marcoses, will be met with protests.”
Ilagan added all the people participating in the caravan suffered under martial law, in one way or another, from Marcos to Duterte.
“We, former political prisoners and victims of torture under Marcos, are joined in by the Lakbayan, especially those who experienced the atrocities of martial law in Mindanao declared by Duterte. They have experienced the human-rights violations that their elders have survived through,” Ilagan said.
The protest also sought to demand the Marcoses return all ill-gotten wealth, and make the Marcoses accountable for their crimes.
“No compromise and no immunity. We should bring this to the streets. We have no other recourse but the people, who should have a sense of justice, accountability and history for us to be able to truly move on, and mark it down that we shall never allow plunderers and criminals to power…never again,” Ilagan said.
In a separate statement, Party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis denounced Duterte’s signing of Proclamation 310. Casilao said the move is “a mockery of people power and democracy in the country.”
Casilao also criticized what he described as the “latest babble” of Duterte on declaring martial law across the country due to alleged threats by communist rebels.
“This intolerable gibberish should be dealt with seriously and protested by freedom-loving Filipinos and sectors, as the President is obviously approximating public opposition and apathy, on whether to push through with the declaration,” Casilao said.
Casilao added Duterte is “hallucinating” of an authoritarian rule since last year and established by his martial-law declaration in Mindanao in March.
“It would be reckless if he is expecting a different result from doing the same thing as Marcos did, to the point of plagiarizing the basis for a declaration and blaming the ‘communists’,” Casilao said.
Marcos’s Proclamation 1081, cited 18 bombing incidents from March to September 1972 and blamed the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
“While Marcos distinctly knew the revolutionary movement was guided by the Chinese revolution, which implies espousing a long protracted war in the countryside, rather than abrupt insurrectionary offensives in the urban centers, he deceived the public with the manufactured bases and declared martial law. Worse, it is what Duterte is carrying out at present,” Casilao said.
Casilao also slammed Duterte’s abandonment of the poor sectors who are hoping for real reforms under his administration.
“He betrayed the peasants, indigenous peoples, workers, urban poor and other marginalized sectors, he upheld the interests of the elite few, hacienderos and oligarchs,” Casilao said.
Casilao went on to blame Duterte for the rejection of former Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael V. Mariano by the powerful Commission on Appointments.
Mariano, he said, was championing the interests of farmers against big landlords, such as the Cojuangcos (Hacienda Luisita) and Lorenzos (Lapanday).
“The President also conned the workers and urban poor on his failed promise to end contractualization of labor and ‘no relocation, no demolition’, condemned the Lumad children and communities to atrocious aerial bombings and militarization, continued the killing of peasant activists in the countryside and self-sabotaged the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines,” Casilao added.
“The sought martial law of President Duterte is certain to protect the interest of the rich and oppress the poor,” Casilao said.