By RONALYN V. OLEA
In reaction to Secretary Ricky Carandang’s statement that there is “no practical point” in reopening the investigation as it has already been “resolved,” the relatives of the victims replied, “How could it have been resolved when no one has been punished? Now that the son is in power, all the more we have to press for justice.”
Putragis Amang, kami’y namamalimos lamang ng kapirasong lupa, bakit pinaputok ang kanilang sandata? Hayup nga ba kaming hayup sa turing? Bakit kaming gutom bala ang pinakain? Putragis Amang, ang Palasyo pala ay hindi dulugan ng awa; ang Kongreso pala’y Kongreso ng panginoong maylupa. Saan naming hahanapin ang pangakong paglaya? Putragis Amang, huwag nila kaming itulak…
Survivors Recall Mendiola Massacre
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Survivors of the Mendiola Massacre are left with bitter memories of that day 24 years ago, when soldiers and police fired their weapons at a group of protesting farmers. Their thirst for justice has kept them going in their continuing struggle for land.
Mendiola Massacre survivor Teresita Arjona, whose husband Danilo died with 12 others in the carnage, vividly remembers what happened that day 24 years ago. She is unlikely to ever forget, she says, because the reasons why they marched to Malacañang then are the same reasons why farmers continue to hold protests and rallies and why so many others have been killed.
Mendiola Massacre survivor Pedro Gonzalez knows by heart the crimes the governments that followed the Marcos dictatorship committed against the Filipino people. These, he says, make him remember what he is fighting for.
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
To the Supreme Court, they sent a letter addressed to Chief Justice Renato Corona appealing for the speedy resolution of the Hacienda Luisita case. To the Justice department, it was a letter to secretary Leila de Lima seeking the reopening of the 24-year-old Mendiola Massacre case.
DAVAO CITY — Progressive groups in the Southern Mindanao Region, led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, held a picket rally at Freedom Park, Davao City, Friday to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the infamous Mendiola Massacre and to condemn the new counter-insurgency program of US-Aquino regime dubbed as Oplan Bayanihan. (Photo by Jose Hernani / bulatlat.com)
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
As the 24th anniversary of the infamous Mendiola Massacre nears, farmers led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) called on President Benigno S. Aquino III to bring justice and closure to the issue by reopening the investigation.
Survivor
Click here to read past Bulatlat stories on Mendiola Massacre Mendiola Massacre: 23 Years Later Click here for Bulatlat’s full coverage of the 10-day Lakbayan-National Peasant Caravan that preceded today’s commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre.