THE ATENEO community expressed its displeasure over former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ attendance at the 40th anniversary dinner of the Ateneo Scholarship Foundation, Inc. (ASF) held on July 5.

Photographs of Marcos posing with ASF scholars while flashing a “peace” sign went viral online.

While the sign is a harmless gesture for recent generations, it was recognized as the Marcos camp’s victory sign during the Martial Law era from 1972 to 1981.

Marcos served as first lady of the Philippines during the two-decade reign of her husband, former President Ferdinand Marcos, who placed the Philippines under Martial Law.

Martial Law was enacted during the onset of a supposed Communist insurgency against the Marcos administration. It entailed the creation of a new constitution which allowed the president absolute control of the entire government.

The ASF, established in 1974, is a non-profit, non-stock corporation that provides scholarships for Ateneans. While financed by contributions from the Ateneo alumni and the university’s partners, it is autonomous from the university.

Following the criticism on social media, University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ released a statement that read: “I apologize for any doubts that may have arisen on the mission of the school and the pain that this event may have caused. We would like to assure you that we in the administration have learned our lesson to be more mindful of those we invite in our celebrations.”

In an interview with The GUIDON, Villarin said Marcos’ presence at the ASF dinner was “not part of the plan” and that he learned about it only hours before the event took place.

“It was really more of a last-minute thing, which some people felt should have been done as a matter of social obligation,” he said.

Marcos organized a Van Cliburn piano concert in 1974 that yielded around P6 million in proceeds—a sum that helped start the ASF.

Villarin clarified that he has no control over the ASF’s decision. He was invited to the event as a guest, being an ASF scholar himself.

ASF Chair Hector Tagaysay has not replied to The GUIDON as of press time.

Necessary apology

According to Villarin, while many people deemed his apology needless, there are also those who believed it to be insufficient.

Villarin mentioned that after he released his statement, he received messages from the Marcos camp that said they understood where he was coming from.

However, some people from the Marcos camp thought the apology was an impolite gesture since the former first lady merely accepted an invitation to the event.

As for Villarin, he felt the apology necessary, “if only to stem the anger” of the people who may have “felt wronged” by the incident.

Ateneo Debate Society President Inah Robles said the apology was well-meaning, but not well-phrased.

“It seemed more concerned about creating a distance between [the] Ateneo and ASF, and it seemed to put the blame on Imelda for an event she was merely invited to,” she said.

On the other hand, Ateneo School of Government Dean Tony La Viña, PhD, said that Villarin’s decision to issue an apology was the “right thing to do.”

“He didn’t have to do it because there’s a distinction between [the] Ateneo Scholarship Foundation and [the] Ateneo de Manila University. But for the eyes of the public, they don’t see the distinction,” he said.

He further added, “There was no way you can justify to the public that invitation.”

The Ateneo Assembly Executive Director for Research and Advocacy Leo Abot said Villarin showed “good leadership” for apologizing over the incident.

“By owning up to the actions of the ASF, which carries the Ateneo name, he took the opportunity to reaffirm what the Ateneo’s values ultimately are,” he said.

Not forgetting

Villarin said it was clearly stated in his memorandum where the Ateneo stands amidst the controversy.

“We are not blind to the darkness that happened during [Martial Law] and we recognize [that darkness].That’s why we’re doing double-time on nation-building. It’s because of what happened during those terrible years,” he said.

Villarin added that the Martial Law period under former President Marcos represents a painful time in history, during which a number of civilians suffered.

Ateneo alumni Edgar Jopson, Emanuel Lacaba and Evelio Javier were among those who died fighting against the Martial Law regime.

Abot said that the era of activism exhibited by these martyred Ateneans remains relevant today.

“Though it’s a complicated issue, I believe that the university should do its part in honoring the memory of these martyred Ateneans. Their courage should be emulated, in contrast to the aversion of today’s youth toward politics,” he said.

Wake-up call

Villarin described the incident as a wake-up call for the Ateneo to refrain from complacency and to reignite its sense of history.

He added that the challenge now is to think of creative ways on how to know more about these significant milestones in history.

Likewise, Robles said there are many students who are uninformed about the sufferings experienced by Filipinos during Martial Law.

“I think that this also shows that there is a need for the university to make students and even the staff more socially aware,” she said.

For Abot, the issue serves a reminder and a challenge for student leaders to help Ateneans play a more active role in history-making and nation-building in a way that “does justice to our predecessors.”

La Viña commended student groups such as the Christian Union for Socialist and Democratic Advancement and the Ateneans for Agrarian Reform Movement.

He said that while student groups today are not as political as they used to be during the Martial Law period, their efforts in directly working with basic sectors in society is laudable.

“I think every generation has its own challenges and every generation all saw people that rise up to the challenge,” he said.