TO COMMEMORATE the 44th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, the University of the Philippines—Diliman (UP)’s College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council (CSSPSC) held a satirical educational campaign titled “Salamat, Marcos” last September 20.
Though the discussion focused more on the educational aspect, the speakers poked fun at former President Ferdinand Marcos by thanking him for implementing Martial Law – not because of infrastructure or economic development, but for bringing out the nationalistic spirit among Filipinos.
Three speakers tackled the prevalence of historical revisionism among the youth and the seeming increase of Marcos supporters who are also in favor of implementing Martial Law again today.
Adrienne Onday, a sociology student, contextualized the present in terms of the Martial Law era.
She pointed out similarities between the Marcos and Duterte administrations, including the implementation of curfews, increase in complaints against the government, the undermining of the minority, human rights violations, and strong imposition of discipline.
Onday also asked Filipinos to “tap” their “compassion, humanity, and social responsibility” amid the rising cases of human rights violations in the country.
She also expressed her frustration for people who discourage others with beliefs that are contrary to theirs.
“Silencing [the] opposition is very unhealthy for a democracy because democracy means that everyone has a say, and we all come to a compromise or a middle range,” she said.
Dark days of the ‘Golden Age’
UP History Department instructor Francisco Guiang recounted the events that transpired during the Marcos administration which sparked student activism.
Among the activists he cited was Edgar Jopson, an Ateneo de Manila University student, who arranged a peaceful protest during former president Ferdinand Marcos’ 1970 State of the Nation Address to call for a non-partisan Constitutional Convention.
During his speech, Guiang reaffirmed the torture that happened to several people during the Martial Law era by citing sources such as Susan F. Quimpo’s Subversive Lives and Raissa Robles’ Marcos Martial Law: Never Again which detailed the accounts of the victims.
Although activists were also caught and tortured by the military, they did not stop fighting against the dictatorship.
“Nagkaroon ba ng decline [ng student activism]? (Has there been a decline [in student activism]?) Not really. They would have difficulties in recruitment…but they still managed to have some members because of the prevailing political atmosphere… up to the time when they ousted Marcos,” he said.
The ‘B’ word
Aaron Mallari, UP History Department instructor, discussed the polarized discussion prevailing in social media. He said that despite heated accusations of being “biased” for one side over another, no one can ever claim that they are completely unbiased.
“No one is truly objective,” said Mallari. “The very person that you are already governs how you view the world, [and] already constitutes a bias.”
Mallari does not discourage online discourse, although he asserted that it would be more productive to strike a conversation with people in the opposition instead of starting an argument with them.
He also stressed the importance of impartiality – to weigh in all sides of the issue before making judgments.
“Don’t add to the polarity. Ask questions,” he added.
