HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Horrors of Martial Law Recounted
Stories of valor cheered

Davao activists, young and old, met to commemorate the 33rd year of martial law declaration last Sept. 21, showing that the seeds of political activism planted way back in the martial law years continue to grow.

By CHERYLL D. FIEL
Bulatlat

DAVAO CITY – The covered court of one of the oldest elementary schools here, the Magallanes Elementary School, was where Davao activists, young and old, met to commemorate the 33rd year of martial law declaration last Sept. 21. The activity became a reunion for old activists and a solidarity night for everyone and was attended by members of the Samahan ng mga Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya (association of ex-detainees against detention and for amnesty) -First Quarter Stormers (SELDA- FQS), League of Filipino Students (LFS), Anak ng Bayan (nation’s youth or AnB), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP), as well as members of the cultural group Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan (young artists for genuine freedom or Karatula).

AGAINST THE DARKNESS: Activists light candles in memory of martial law martyrs at a gathering in Davao City, Sept. 21 PHOTO BY BARRY OHAYLAN

Alliances and people's organizations like Karapatan, Bayan and Gabriela and Kahugpungan sa mga Magtutudlo ug Kawani sa Edukasyon sa Mindanao (KAMKEM or organization of teachers and employees in education in Mindanao) were also represented.

If the well-attended affair were an indication, activism in Davao is, indeed, not only alive but continues to grow as well. This may well be because the seeds of political activism planted way back in the martial law years and even before that have paid well.

Prepared by the city’s young activists, the program was replete both with reminiscences expressed in poetry, dances, songs and chants as well as rage that came out in the skits and slogans.

Activists from the First Quarter Storm era (1970s) gave testimonies of their martial law experiences. To the crowd's amazement, they could still recall the exact places where they were arrested, the “UG” (underground) houses they used, the camps where some of their comrades fell, the people they met in detention and, yes, even the rooms where they were tortured by military and constabulary men.

Accounts of how the narrators outsmarted their captors received the loudest cheers from the young ones in the crowd who were obviously enthralled as they listened intently to the stories of their predecessors.

The more than a hundred activists present agreed that their lives as activists may be decades apart but the cause for which they converged that evening was one and the same – to have the courage to fight any force or person seeking to trample on their freedom and civil liberties.

As the narrations unfolded, it became clear they were not merely accounts of suffering; more than anything, they were stories of strength and determination.

Those who survived to bear witness to the horrors of martial law said they will never get tired of telling their stories. The presence of new faces, referring to the new generation of activists, makes each telling take on a different meaning, they also said.

That evening, young activists depicted in a comical skit Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a president more brutal than the dictator that former President Ferdinand Marcos was.

According to the presentation, Macapagal-Arroyo is not only callous to the cries of the people but has also ordered the killing of countless farmers, workers and activists, most of them conveniently charged as “communist rebels.”

In the light of her declaration that she will now be implementing "get-tough" policies on protests – no doubt due to the activism displayed in Davao that evening and in many other areas of the country where commemorations of martial law were also held – the activists, young and old, showed that they have not forgotten and will never forget the lessons of martial law.

With this, they showed as well that Macapagal-Arroyo had also better learn her history lesson well. Bulatlat

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