FORTY-FIVE years and five presidents later, Filipinos are once again expected to appreciate the genuine meaning of democracy as they commemorate the day when former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines on September 21, 1972.
However, this year’s celebrations may be different from what Filipinos are used to.
Only work and classes in public offices and schools throughout the Philippines are suspended on Thursday, September 21. It is not a holiday—President Rodrigo Duterte clarified—but a “day of protest.”
The president made this declaration on Tuesday, September 19, after hearing that his critics bared plans to hold rallies to condemn the killings tied to the government’s war on drugs and and his declaration of martial law in Mindanao..
For Duterte, he said that he will protest because many “yellows” (officials aligned with the opposition Liberal Party), in various government agencies are “very corrupt.”
On Monday, September 18, several senators, members of the Cabinet during former Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s administration, and the Magdalo party-list group convened to launch a new multisectoral organization, #TindingPilipinas, to protest “draconian policies of the Duterte administration.”
Former Civil Service Commission Chair Karina Constantino-David described #TindingPilipinas as “a coalition of coalitions of different groups seeking to expand nationwide and reach the grassroots.”
“We lay the wrongdoings we see around us on the doorstep of the President. We also recognize that he is not doing this alone and that there are many others helping him along on this destructive path for whatever motives. But the end result is the same: national degradation,” #TindigPilipinas said in a statement of unity.
“We must overcome fear and apathy. We must summon our heritage of courage. We must speak out and unite in protest over the wrongs being committed,” the group added.
While some leaders and their loyal followers refuse to take a breather from political quagmire to remember the September 21 martial law anniversary, there are still those who will mark this day to remember the wretched moments of the martial law era, especially for the people who have to endure it.
As painful as it is, remembering lessons from the martial law inspires Filipinos to never let it happen again. To do so, Filipinos must see this day as neither a political rally nor a spiritual event. They must see it as a day of unity through reflective observance to move past differences and iniquities and help move the nation into the right direction.
Through these reflections, let’s hope Filipinos realize their collective goals as a nation and how every one plays a crucial role in making them come true. (AJPress)
