I was in my sophomore year in high school when then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Outside of the imposed curfew hours (that invented stay-in parties), I really did not feel that anything wrong was going on. The song “Bagong Lipunan” and the line, “Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disisplina ang kailangan” were mainstays on radio and television. Up to now, I still know the lyrics of Bagong Lipunan.
The only activist I knew that time was a cousin who was already in college, Kuya Dong. I distinctly remember having a conversation with him on current events and why he became an activist. It was from him where I got the notion of “attacking the root of the problem.”
Still, perhaps I was too young, and my world view was too limited to understand what martial law was really about.
It was at the University of the Philippines where I came to understand the many problems besetting the country and how dissent was being silenced using martial law. I came to know about the mysterious disappearance of activists, and the arrest of certain personalities. The corridors were rife with whispered talks about walk-outs and rallies being organized to protest violations of human rights.
It was in UP that I learned about and understood human rights. It was there where I came to appreciate freedom of expression, the value of democracy, and the need to stand up for and defend human rights. Still, this awakening was not translated into action. It took the death of Ninoy Aquino for me to fully grasp the importance of active involvement in the ouster of the Marcos dictatorship.
“Never again!” was the battlecry after Edsa 1. This ought to be the battlecry now.
After Marcos Sr., the drafters of the Cory Aquino Constitution put safeguards so any future declaration of ML would be difficult to abuse. But now, the same threats have come back. Our democratic gains, our human rights are again at risk. The country is jittery.
The whole of Mindanao is under martial law. A vicious war is being waged in Marawi City, the home of Maranao freedom fighters I personally know and have worked with.
I have written about how fond I am of Marawi City, and how much I care about the well-being of my Moro brothers and sisters. It has been weeks since the ISIS-inspired Maute group attempted to take control of the city and since then, fighting has been going on victimizing and terrorizing ordinary people. Tens of thousands were forced to flee leaving their homes and whatever possessions they have behind. Those who chose to stay risk their lives and properties.
The Maute group, and other terrorist groups like it have no place in a civilized world. Indeed, they must be crushed. Duterte’s ML declaration should not be a cause for too much worry IF people are able to trust that this will not be abused.
It does not help that the decision to declare ML seemed arbitrary on the part of the President. Other officials claimed that they were not consulted. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana even went as far as saying that the military is capable of handling the problem in Marawi even without martial law. A decision as important as this should have been subjected to discussion among his key Cabinet officials. The perspectives of the country’s security forces should have been seriously considered. The arbitrariness of this decision reinforces people’s perception about this president’s strong authoritarian tendencies.
It does not help that the declaration covers the whole of Mindanao and not only Marawi City. Mindanao is one-third of the country. More importantly, there are more Mindanao areas that do not have problems as serious as this one created by Maute and it does not make sense that these areas are now under Martial rule.
It does not help that the President himself has repeatedly publicly announced that he may prolong the effectivity of martial law, and that he may expand coverage to the whole country. Such declarations directly threaten our democratic gains and people’s exercise of our human rights.
It does not help that the Constitutional safeguards against ML abuses are completely ignored by both Houses of Congress. No less than the Constitution, the highest law of the land, commands Congress to convene, discuss, and consider the validity of this martial law declaration. Instead, the leadership of the House of Representatives and Senate chose to simply, and individually manifest their support to ML declaration without convening and voting as one body. The fact that both Houses continue to defy the Constitution is beyond troubling. This is unconstitutional and should rightfully be questioned before the Supreme Court. We should not tolerate another rubber stamp Congress. The people ousted that with the late dictator.
Lastly, it does not help that we have failed in educating our people about human rights. Sadly, many of us do not seem to mind that our democratic gains are under serious threat. One only needs to check online comments to realize the very low appreciation of people of the rights that enable them to speak their minds, even bash those who are protecting their rights. This realization I share with other human rights advocates during the recent forum organized by the Alternative Law Groups (ALG). There is much to do in terms of human rights education and we must do what we can to recover lost ground.
Our rights, our very democracy are at risk. Freedom-loving Filipinos are again called upon to be more vigilant. The Constitution MUST be followed. Defend our freedoms and rights. Never again will we allow the country to slide back to a dictatorship.
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