NOT TOO long ago, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. signed Proclamation No. 1081, which placed the Philippines under Martial Law and marked the beginning of an era that Filipinos will never forget. A revisionist narrative to blur out the atrocities of the past has since emerged, offering the foundations of a propaganda that instead exalts the Marcos family. 

While Marcos Sr.’s administration passed orders that systematically and irrevocably corroded public life, society then sought to shake the prevailing order and upend the politics of the unjust society, an effort that culminated in the 1986 EDSA Revolution. In a bid to uphold the memory and legacy of the revolution, a new movement has emerged—using the memories of the old movement to inform the current for healing, learning, and pursuing change for the better.

Down the memory lane

During the third year of Martial Law, Attorney Filemon D. Nolasco was a freshman entering the halls of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). The halls were eerily quiet during those times as Nolasco and his fellow students were mourning Proclamation No. 1081, which crushed their basic rights, among which was the freedom for expression. “Biruin mo, ang bata-bata pa namin, makakaranas ka ng biglang mawawala na lang ‘yung kakilala mo (Imagine, we were so young yet we experienced losing someone we actually knew),” Nolasco recalls.

With television stations shut down, national daily newspapers effaced, and student associations banned, there were barely any spaces for speaking up. All that was left were a few university organizations such as the UP Student Catholic Action (UPSCA), which Nolasco joined and later attributed as his doorway to activism. In UPSCA, a young Nolasco met Gerry Faustino—a fellow UPLB student who later turned out to also be his roommate.

One day in 1977, Gerry was declared missing, along with nine other students who were also activists. Nolasco believes that this was a message that was sent out to those who expressed dissent. “The message was: Kung magpapatuloy kayo, sasapitin niyo rin ‘yung sinapit ng sampu (if you will continue, what happened to the ten will happen to you),” Nolasco adds.

This group of activists was eventually known as the Southern Tagalog 10. Up to this day, they still have not been found.

After those devastating disappearances, Nolasco felt compelled that someone had to continue carrying the spirit of revolutionary thought and action. The disappearance of the Southern Tagalog 10 became personal for him—as his will to fight was rooted in the personal ties he made with the vanished.

According to Nolasco, life provided him with two diverging roads, but he strayed from the beaten path. “I was next in line,” Nolasco describes. “May darating na punto ng buhay mo na mapipilitan ka talaga. What will you be living for? Papayagan mo na lang ba ‘yon? Or magsasalita ka? (The time will come in your life that you will be forced to fight. What will you be living for? Will you let the injustices be? Or will you speak up?).”

Reliving the past in the present

The culture of terror and dread from Marcos Sr.’s Martial Law still towers over the country—and its activists—today.

Amid this fraught political climate, youth activist Christian Tiu (4 BS PSY) answered the call to pursue activism when Kian Delos Santos—who was roughly the same age as Tiu at the time—was murdered. “To have his life cut short just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time—it brought something in me where I [realized] I can’t just sit and watch and feel bad anymore. I felt like I had to do something,” he shares.

Studying Psychology in college allowed Tiu to understand others much more easily. Now, he firmly asserts that activism necessitates a deep, meaningful connection to the communities he advocates for. “To put it simply, [to be an activist] is to be a person who is steadfast to the will of marginalized communities and a person who is willing to unite with them, to join them in their fight, and to advocate for them through various needs,” he says.

Tiu further describes activism today as “more accessible but still difficult.” Through current technologies, social movements gain faster momentum, making activism more inclusive and participatory. Broader conversations on both global and national issues also ensue across multiple media, which lend platforms for underrepresented voices to express the problems they face.

However, the vilification and stigmatization of activists in the Philippines are more rampant than ever. Tiu argues that the ubiquity of red-tagging has made activism more daunting for Ateneans despite having the privilege of a protective University administration.

For instance, red-tagging has been used to discredit activists who criticize the policies or behavior of government authorities and other influential persons. This may occur via smear efforts against persons viewed as threats, regardless of whether or not they are really involved in unlawful activity.

State authorities have also begun including the quelling of dissent in their responsibilities. For instance, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino halted the distribution of “subversive materials” that are allegedly anti-government. Unfortunately, this is only one of many strategies used to prevent Filipinos from speaking out and following the path of activism.

Heeding the call

Not many choose to take the road less traveled, but the brave few realize the importance of heeding the call of being an activist. Encompassing generations, activists continue to fight against the persisting injustices of greed and corruption.

The legacies of what these activists fought—and sometimes perished—for continue to fall on deaf ears, modified in today’s era of historical distortion. Amid the danger that disinformation imposes, Nolasco stresses that the youth should engage in online activism, especially in a political landscape where echo chambers are dictated by manipulated social media content and algorithms. He adds that one way to fight it is to hold the teachings of history in such high regard, and to never forget. In this regard, Nolasco advises the youth to “always choose the side of the people.”

Likewise, Tiu believes that the need for activism continues to increase in light of sociopolitical issues that are being experienced in contemporary society. “A lot of issues are becoming too big to ignore,” he says.

The road less traveled—the route that no one dares to take—is not guaranteed to be safe, but it is necessary.