STATEMENT ON THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARTIAL LAW

Ngayon, ang larawan, alaala, mga pangitain at anino ng martial law ay nananatili't nakakubabaw sa country. "Halos walang pagbabago." Sa pamamagitan ng calibrated pre-empted response (CPR) ng kasalukuyang rehimen, nagpapatuloy ang panunupil, ang paghihigpit at kawalan ng kalayaan sa pamamahayag at asembleya. (photo:ttp://www.geocities.com/ CollegePark/Pool/1644/martiallaw.jpg)
Kontrolado't nanatiling malakas ang impluwensya ng mga may tendensiyang pasistang Generals sa AFP at Malakanyang. Atat na atat nilang ibalik mule ang martial law at anti-subversion law, sa akalang siyang susi sa pagpapahina ng rebelyon at insureksyon sa bansa.

Tulad nuong martial law, walang humpay ang paglabag sa karapatang pantao, political killings at mga nawawala (missing). Kamukha rin nuon, talamak ang pangungurakot at katiwalian sa gubyerno. Kung may conjugal dictatorship noon, may "conjugal" regime na umiiral din ngayon. Sa nakalipas na tatlong dekada (35 years), ano ang bago?

Doy Cinco / IPD
September 20, 2007

Posted by: "AFAD" afad@surfshop.net.ph
Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:26 am (PST)
NEVER AGAIN!
A Statement for the 35 th Anniversary of Martial Law)
September 21, 2007
(photo;www.geocities.com/.../Pool/1644/martiallaw.jpg)
Today, members of Claimants 1081, who are victims of the dark years of the tyrannical and rapacious Marcos regime, commemorate the 35 th anniversary of the imposition of Proclamation 1081 – the infamous Martial law of the Philippines. On this day, Claimants 1081 will light candles before the Bantayog ng Mga Bayani (Monument of Heroes), wherein names of victims of those years of terror and those who fearlessly confronted the regime by their struggle are engraved. These names of heroes and martyrs that symbolize sacrifices and martyrdom convey a message loud and clear: *NEVER AGAIN*! May these lighted candles illumine our path in realizing this message in its most concrete sense.

On this day, nightmares of martial law came back to our minds in kaleidoscopic vividness – the dissolution of the Congress, the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, the curtailment of freedom of expression through complete control of the mass media, the suspension of many basic human rights, among others, the right to assembly – all in the name of maintaining law and order throughout the Philippines, preventing or suppressing all forms of lawless violence as well as any act of insurrection or rebellion and enforcing obedience to all the laws, decrees, orders and regulations promulgated by the infamous dictator upon his direction.

Innumerable Filipinos have been victimized by torture, extra- judicial execution, enforced disappearances, the names of some are engraved in the Monument of Heroes. However, many of them are victims whose names may not have been written in the Wall of Remembrance, yet these nameless and faceless martyrs and heroes of the struggle shall forever be remembered. While we forget not their martyrdom and heroism, we must always remind ourselves that the struggle for justice, redress, reparation and the recuperation of their historical memory continues. The signs of the times that speak of the continuing human rights violations, especially manifested by recent cases of extra-judicial killings and disappearances are themselves a constant reminder that the struggle is far from over.

The youth of today may not have personally witnessed the Martial Law and its horrible consequences on the Filipino people. They do not have the first hand experience, yet as citizens, they need to understand our past in order to be part of the present, to learn from the lessons of history and move on to the future. They may not have personally experienced the horrors of Martial law, but if they thoroughly study the country's situation, we are in no better position than those years of Martial law because many of the Marcos regime's manifestations of tyranny we still continue to witness during our present times – the violations of both civil and political rights and the economic and social rights. One difference in the situation, however, is that the people are not as united as before in the common struggle against the dictatorship, a serious matter worth reflecting-on.
As justice remains a hollow byword for the victims of martial law and as more people are being victimized by the supposedly democratic administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, indeed, we have to seriously think and act together as a people in our struggle for justice and against impunity. (photo:blogs.amnestyusa.org/.../stop_torture.jpg)

We call on the Philippine Government to immediately:

1. Sign and ratify the United Nations Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance
2. Enact the anti-enforced disappearance bill into law!
3. Enact the human rights compensation bill into law
NEVER AGAIN!
Signed and authenticated by:
MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO, Secretary-General Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances
ROLAN ABIOG, Secretary-General Claimants 1081