A blurry memory: martial law and our collective amnesia PDF

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SIA, Tafline Grace B. Assignment No. 3 TOLENTINO, Amanda Mikaela Celestine D. November 20, 2019 A blurry memory: martial law and our collective amnesia Perhaps no subject in Philippine history is as contentious as the martial law era. A few people, mostly those belonging to the older generations, sp...

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SIA, Tafline Grace B.

Assignment No. 3

TOLENTINO, Amanda Mikaela Celestine D.

November 20, 2019

A blurry memory: martial law and our collective amnesia Perhaps no subject in Philippine history is as contentious as the martial law era. A few people, mostly those belonging to the older generations, speak fondly of it as ‘the golden age of the Philippine economy’. They decry the widespread censure and backlash that their hero receives, insisting that Marcos was the best president the Philippines has ever had. Others are more cautious and reserved, being of the opinion that although there were definitely drawbacks to martial law, it would be wrong for us to speak of the Marcos regime in solely negative terms. Still others refrain from weighing in on the matter, instead wanting us to bury the horrors of our past and move on with our lives. And indeed it seems as if we have listened to them and moved on from the past. Only thirty years ago, so great was the public outcry against Marcos that he was ousted by the People Power Revolution and exiled to Hawaii. Yet now it seems we are willing to forget the past in the name of forgiveness and healing. Millions of us were willing to catapult the dictator’s son to the second-highest position in the land. We have given Imee Marcos a seat in the Philippine Senate and made up many excuses for Imelda Marcos to avoid being put behind bars. Marcos himself has been given a burial fit for Philippine heroes. Now, not only are the Marcoses back in power, but it seems as if they are here to stay. Now, more than ever, we need to ask ourselves the question, “What really happened in the past?” The beginning of the end Evelyn de la Paz was a thirty year old mother when martial law was declared in the country. “The students were missing. They were doing some protests. They just suddenly disappeared,” Evelyn said, noting the dangers of participating in protests. Even while working as a stenographer at the Rice and Corn Administration, Evelyn recalls feeling intimidated by her boss, Pedro Rodrigo, who frequently spoke over the phone with his godchild, President Ferdinand Marcos himself. Despite having typed an entire book for her boss, entitled “The Green Revolution,” Evelyn felt too afraid to ask for a copy of the finished publication. Aside from this being her closest and only encounter with the Marcos family, her husband frequently joined the protests and rallies on the streets, while she continued going about her daily routine, which involved shopping and regularly exercising at the gym, all the while making it a point to avoid leaving the house at night and refusing to travel abroad until martial law was finally lifted in the 1980s.

Mayhem in Mindanao Tomas Sia was seventeen years old when the shadow of martial law descended upon the whole nation. He can still recall the fear and unease in the air when news about Proclamation No. 1081 broke out. In the blink of an eye, he and his fellow Kagay-anons had been stripped of their rights and privileges. No longer could they rely on the rule of law to protect them. Their freedom was curtailed; their every movement was monitored. Long hair and short skirts were banned. Left and right, people were seized indiscriminately and forcefully given a haircut to ‘straighten them out’. The military came down, hard, on members of the opposition, whom they branded as “troublemakers” and “state enemies”. The late Nene Pimentel, Tomas said, was one of those political detainees. Things were bad, he said, but nobody dared to speak out for fear of earning themselves a stint in prison or an early death. News blackout In 1972, Dr. Patricio “Jojo” Abinales was just a freshman history major at U.P. Diliman when the university was closed down in the aftermath of Proclamation No. 1081. Having had nothing else to do, he travelled home to Ozamiz, where he found himself greeted by mayhem. Unknown to Manila and the rest of the Philippines, Mindanao was in the midst of a war. Filled with refugees who had fled from their homes in Lanao del Sur, Ozamiz City was frequented by army ships that would later return with an unsettling number of body bags. When U.P. later reopened, Jojo returned to Manila to continue with his studies. What greeted him could easily parallel the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, including people wearing paper bags, pointing fingers left and right at the communists and activists. In the first year of martial law, two of his best friends, being out-of-school youths, were forced to enlist in the army and stationed in Cotabato. They were later killed in a clash between the military and the rebels while Manila and the rest of the Philippines knew no better. Two sides of the fence Being of different backgrounds and coming from different localities, it is no wonder that Evelyn, Tomas, and Jojo each experienced Martial Law in a unique way. Whereas Evelyn was a working mother in Manila. Tomas and Jojo were both just college students from Mindanao—the former studying in

Cagayan de Oro, and the latter in Manila. Although they did their part in obeying the curfew and avoiding protests, Evelyn, Tomas, and Jojo all felt uneasy about martial law. They were aware to some extent of the atrocities the government was committing, the unusual disappearances of multiple student activists, and the lavish wealth that the Marcos family had accumulated. While Tomas cited his fears of police brutality and illegal detention as having prevented him from participating in rallies, Evelyn’s biggest concern was her minority status as a married woman with children. Both Tomas and Evelyn were unaware of the war waging in Lanao del Sur during the 1970s, and Jojo contends that this was due to the media blackout that Marcos kept in place so as to keep the people from joining the rebellion. Of the three interviewees, Jojo had the most stories to tell because he was the most affected. Even today, he can still clearly recall the horrors that prevailed in this time period. Every time he went home for Christmas, he was bombarded with news about killings, ambushes, and massacres, some of his own friends and relatives victimized by the violence. Bones of contention Today, Filipinos remain divided on the issue of martial law. While there are some who shudder at the mere thought of it, there are others who look back on it fondly and extol its virtues. People have a tendency to base the progress of their country on the tangible, and Filipinos are no exception. How could Marcos be bad, they ask, if he built so many of the things we enjoy today? How could a nefarious villain whom the leftists continuously denounce be honored with a burial meant for Filipino bayanis? How could Marcos be bad if people like Tomas and Evelyn never actually suffered during Martial Law? It is exactly with this kind of thinking that we can see the parallelism between the martial law years and the present. Three years ago, Rodrigo Duterte was elected to the presidency. One of his most awaited policies for this term promises the significant development of infrastructure and industries in what is known as the “Build! Build! Build! Infrastructure Plan”. The project, intended to initiate the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” in the Philippines, promises new airports, roads, and railway transportation systems, which will supposedly contribute to the reduction of poverty, the decongestion of Metro Manila, and the overall improvement of the Philippine economy. However, on the other end of the spectrum are the thousands of lives lost to human rights violations from the drug war, the rising debt, and the normalisation of a culture of impunity that eerily echoes the Marcos era. Often do we take delight in the good that we see and ignore the abuse and violence hiding behind these developments. We Filipinos are a forgetful and forgiving people. If the Marcoses are back on top, it is because we have allowed them to rise from the fetters of disgrace and break once more into the political sphere.

This is because we Filipinos have always found it hard to agree on what life really was like back then. Some deplore the way it is lambasted and vilified in books and films, others cannot speak of it without a shudder. As a result of this dichotomy, the Filipino knows not what to make of the matter. He is bewildered by the conflicting reports and the ongoing debate; he does not know what to think or feel. This makes him vulnerable to the machinations of right-wing historical revisionists and propagandists alike. If the Filipino is gullible and easily taken in by lies and deception, it is because history has failed him. History has become a dessicated subject of facts and figures, devoid of the vitality and depth of the stories that it sprung from. Small wonder, then, that the common Filipino cannot be bothered to trouble himself with learning history, if it is such a tedious subject devoid of meaning and relevance. So what can we do to combat this culture of ignorance? It would seem that the first step is to learn to open up our minds and disabuse ourselves of the notion that history is static and irrelevant, but this is not enough. We must revise history, not as the revisionists want to do, but rather in such a way that it becomes more inclusive and meaningful. What is left for us to do in this day and age is not merely to retell history from the perspective of the common man. We must expand the scope of our knowledge by telling the history of everyone and not just some one. We must learn from their stories and relate them to our own. Only then can we put an end to the cycle of abuse and forgetfulness that serves nobody except those in power.

References Abinales, Patricio N. 2019. (Professor, School of Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Hawaii-Manoa). Interview by Tafline Sia and Beatrice Gatpayat. October 30. De la Paz, Evelyn T. 2019. (Landlord, San Andres). Interview by Amanda Tolentino. November 15. Sia, Tomas. 2019. (General Manager, Golden Century Marketing). Interview by Tafline Sia. November 15.

Appendix A: Excerpt from the Interview with Evelyn

Q: What do you remember about martial law?

“We were sleeping and we were awakened by the news. People were gathering in Quezon City because they said martial law [was] being announced. We turned on the radio and TV, and we saw somebody speaking, informing everybody that Marcos [had] declared martial law. There was no more freedom to travel and [there was a] curfew for a limited time. When found outside, [you would] be jailed. And because radios were taken, the only [available stations was the one] where the president talks. We never go out because there’s a curfew, from ten in the evening up to maybe four or five in the morning, unless you have an emergency. No one [travelled] during that time. I did not enjoy martial law. We were not allowed to travel, 1981 was our first travel lang. I remember I was at the mall, and I only knew when I arrived home that Ninoy was killed in the airport. The news told me. It was all over the world. He was about to go home, but many suggested [for him to not] go home. He thought he’s okay na to go back home, but he was shot down by someone. They say it was the soldiers who killed him. I was also at Slimmer’s World during EDSA. I did not feel so much about martial law. I never go out, I never mind what [Marcos] doing, basta he just keeps dictating. Since 1963, I was working in an office. The ninong of Marcos was my boss, Pedro Rodrigo. He was the chairman of [the] Rice and Corn Administration. Everything I typed was about rice. I typed “The Green Revolution” and he would dictate letters from his hospital bed [for me to type]. I wanted a copy, but I was ashamed to ask because he’s my boss and a relative of Marcos. Sometimes, he calls Josefa Marcos “Mareng Efa” and I could hear them talking. He would always call the library of Malacañang, sometimes Marcos was there.”

Appendix B: Consent Forms

Appendix B: Consent Forms Greetings Mr. Sia! We are students from the Ateneo de Manila University currently taking HISTO 12: Readings in Philippine History under the tutelage of Ms. Maria Elena F. Ferrer. We would like to thank you for giving us a chance to interview you for the paper we are working on. Our paper aims to give an overview of different perspectives on the implementation of Martial Law during the Marcos era. The interview will take place on November 15, 2019. We are anticipating no more than an hour to accomplish the interview. You may contact us at 09178496804 or email us at [email protected] regarding any concerns. The information we gather from the interview will be used to understand different perspectives on the implementation of Martial Law during the Marcos regime. We will see to it that no risks would be associated with your participation in our project. That being said, you have the right to refuse answering any of the given questions or withdraw from the interview at any time. By signing this form, you approve the following: 1. I have received sufficient information about this project and the role I will be playing as a participant. 2. My participation as an interviewee is completely voluntary and no form of coercion was used to gain my participation; 3. I will disclose details such as my gender, current age, age at the time of Martial Law, occupation, and area of residence; 4. I have the right to refuse answering any of the given questions or withdraw from the interview at any time; 5. The interview will be recorded (by video or audio) and transcripted; 6. All or part of the content of this interview may be used for the paper; 7. I have carefully read and fully understood the points and statements written in this form; and 8. I obtained a copy of this consent form co-signed by the interviewers.

Tomas C. Sia Interviewee

Tafline Grace B. Sia Interviewer

Amanda Mikaela Celestine D. Tolentino Interviewer

Appendix B: Consent Forms Greetings Mrs. de la Paz! We are students from the Ateneo de Manila University currently taking HISTO 12: Readings in Philippine History under the tutelage of Ms. Maria Elena F. Ferrer. We would like to thank you for giving us a chance to interview you for the paper we are working on. Our paper aims to give an overview of different perspectives on the implementation of Martial Law during the Marcos era. The interview will take place on November 15, 2019. We are anticipating no more than an hour to accomplish the interview. You may contact us at 09174538505 or email us at [email protected] regarding any concerns. The information we gather from the interview will be used to understand different perspectives on the implementation of Martial Law during the Marcos regime. We will see to it that no risks would be associated with your participation in our project. That being said, you have the right to refuse answering any of the given questions or withdraw from the interview at any time. By signing this form, you approve the following: 1. I have received sufficient information about this project and the role I will be playing as a participant. 2. My participation as an interviewee is completely voluntary and no form of coercion was used to gain my participation; 3. I will disclose details such as my gender, current age, age at the time of Martial Law, occupation, and area of residence; 4. I have the right to refuse answering any of the given questions or withdraw from the interview at any time; 5. The interview will be recorded (by video or audio) and transcripted; 6. All or part of the content of this interview may be used for the paper; 7. I have carefully read and fully understood the points and statements written in this form; and 8. I obtained a copy of this consent form co-signed by the interviewers.

Evelyn T. de la Paz Interviewee

Tafline Grace B. Sia Interviewer

Amanda Mikaela Celestine D. Tolentino Interviewer...