It was an era in history that older generations of Filipinos would rather forget.
But lessons from this tumultuous period has taught us to commemorate the past — if only to recount the nightmare that was martial law, and to make sure that it never happens again.
On September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos declared martial law (through Proclamation 1081), in the hopes of creating a “New Society.”
Pres. Marcos justified his new decree, saying that threats to his government were being made by communist and Muslim insurgents.
It has been four decades since then.
As Efren S. Cruz wrote in his Breakthrough column (from Philstar.com): “The Filipino people, especially the youth, need to be reminded and taught that never again must we ever allow a Marcos rule to be restored. This month – September – we need to be reminded so we can ask the next generation to stop listening to the ‘siren song’ of these false prophets who are trying to rewrite our nation’s history.”
“Let us never forget that that the Muslim insurgency was not the cause of martial law but simply one of the excuses that Marcos abused. Martial law was the proximate cause of the present Muslim insurgency. Hopefully today, the fires ignited in Mindanao by Martial Law may finally find a peaceful settlement. More importantly, we should learn from history that allowing blatant abuses of power results in deep, lasting repercussions and consequences that will continue to affect future generations long after we are gone,” Cruz further wrote.
Chairman of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights Loretta Ann Rosales gave a similar message in the December 2011 PCIJ 15-minute documentary for Human Rights Day (Lest We Forget: Martial Law and Its Victims): “The main message I would like to say about this is that as citizens, human beings, the most important thing is self-worth. You come to terms with yourself, it’s so easy to come to terms with the rest of humanity. And that’s what counts, realizing ourselves as human beings, and working for a much more humane society. That’s the message of martial law.”
While it seems that the country is currently disheartened with seemingly insurmountable hurdles (i.e. the pork barrel scam and the ongoing war in Zamboanga), it would be good to remind ourselves that we have come so far ever since we reclaimed our freedom 27 years ago, through EDSA.
Now, more than ever, as Filipinos and as guardians of our democracy, we need to join forces once more and keep the flame of vigilance burning in our pursuit of truth, justice and peace.
Let us learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure that they will never be repeated again.
(AJPress)
