IN COMMEMORATION of the 50th anniversary of Martial Law on September 23, the Loyola Schools (LS) community has prepared a battery of initiatives to combat historical distortion.
Beginning the University’s period of commemoration, the Ateneo Martial Law Museum’s (AMLM) Junior Fellows, the official student arm of the AMLM, will host a ceremony entitled “Martial Law @50: The Ateneo Remembers” on September 19 at the Leong Hall Auditorium. The event will feature keynote speakers such as Senator Risa Hontiveros (AB SOS ‘87).
Community Engagement Head and AMLM’s Junior Fellow Kara Angan confirmed that from September 19 until October, the AMLM will open to the LS community and the general public an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law. This is all in line with their larger goal: to turn the campus into a “living museum” for what has been dubbed as one of the “darkest chapters” of Philippine history.
Beyond the digital museum
Following Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016, the AMLM was launched as a digital museum to combat the widespread miseducation regarding the Martial Law period.
In line with its thrust, the AMLM held an online assembly last July 23 to invite different student organizations, offices, and departments in the University to organize their own activities for the upcoming 50th anniversary.
During the assembly, Angan mentioned that the Ateneo Art Gallery and AMLM will be releasing a series of video interviews that chronicle the untold stories of Martial Law victims and activists—accounts bolstered by experts’ insights. The AAG released the first video, Remembering Martial Law: Butch Abad in conversation with Ryan Magno, on their YouTube page last June 30.
The series was produced in conjunction with other pieces of art that commemorated the 50th year anniversary of Martial Law. This included the exhibition “Pio Abad: Fear of Freedom Makes Us See Ghosts” at the Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) last April 19 to July 30.
Informing these initiatives—as well as all the other upcoming ones—are the three pillar thrusts of the AMLM: mag-aral (study), magturo (teach), and manindigan (make a stand).
Mag-aral points to the digital library on the AMLM’s website, which is divided into four sections: “Beginnings of ML,” “ML in the PH,” “End of ML,” and “Lessons from ML.” The second pillar, magturo, refers to the Martial Law resources made available to researchers and educators for the creation of their teaching modules. Lastly, manindigan pertains to the additional lectures, art pieces, infographics, and other materials sponsored by the AMLM.
Revisiting the past
Along with the AMLM, the LS community has also begun planning their own activities for the upcoming 50th anniversary of Martial Law. According to Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) Director Luz R. Rimban, the Communication Department’s ACFJ and Eugenio Lopez Junior Multimedia Center have partnered together for an interview series to commemorate student activism during Martial Law.
This series revisits the anti-Marcos struggle of Ateneo Batch 1972 when Martial Law was declared. Speakers include the socio-political “Down from the Hill” manifesto authors Jose Luis A. Alcuaz, Gerardo J. Esguerra, Emmanuel A. F. Lacaba, Leonardo Q. Montemayor, and Alfredo N. Salanga, as well as other former student activists.
Aside from the alumni initiative, the Sanggunian Commission of Socio-Political Development (CSPD) Commissioners Arianne Villareal and Gabrielle Bernardo shared that their commission will also collaborate with the AMLM for student-led activities. In particular, they will stage live reenactments of scenes from Martial Law on university grounds.
In addition, Villareal and Bernardo said that the CSPD contacted various organizations such as the Ateneo Blue Rep, the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool, Matanglawin, and Heights. Together, they hope to host information campaigns, film viewings, and fashion shows. Notably, a plan is underway to host a forum aimed at debunking the myths surrounding Martial Law.
To fully develop these plans, the CSPD expressed that they will still have to hold meetings with the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo-Manila (COA-M) and other political organizations.
Moreover, COA-M President Nina San Andres also mentioned that their council will conduct a talk on student leadership and activism during the Martial Law period. They will also launch a social media campaign called “Martial Law @ 50: The Aftermath” with the Ateneo Junior Marketing Association.
Additionally, the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool will host a talk called “Music of Martial Law,” while Ateneo Entablado prepared a mural presentation and street performance entitled “Mulat Aral.”
As of writing, the League of Independent Organizations (LIONS) Coordinator Alex Derpo said that their league is in the process of concretizing its plans for the upcoming commemoration.
Descending the hill
In recent years, student organizations within and beyond the Ateneo have played an indispensable role in combating the crisis of historical distortion. In this regard, San Andres recalled that the Council has always been committed to socio-political discourse and action and has also supported their organizations to do the same.
“As we are thrusted into these uncertain times where we find our truth to be at risk […] we are called to speak up and take a stand, utilizing the different platforms that we have […] to respond to these challenges brought by the current political context,” she said.
In a similar vein, the CSPD expressed their hope that their initiatives spark conversations to safeguard history from distortion.
“Remember why we are Ateneans. Go back, remember, reflect, and look beyond. […] We shouldn’t even be ‘on the hill.’ […] If we are the ones saying that we’re on the top, then we are the ones who are blind to reality. […] We are the ones splitting ourselves there,” Bernardo said.
