WITH THE theme “Prometheus Unbound,” this year’s Martial Law Week was filled with talks, forums, exhibits, and other engagements in memory of the declaration of Martial Law 47 years ago and the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
The theme is taken from Jose Lacaba’s poem of the same name, which was first published about a year after Marcos declared Martial Law through Proclamation 1081 in 1972. The piece has since been used as a rallying call for resistance and protest.
This year’s Martial Law Week is a collaboration between the Sanggunian, the Office of Social Concern and Involvement, and the Union of Students for the Advancement of Democracy.
The Martial Law Eve Mass held at the Immaculate Conception Chapel on September 13 opened the event. Soon after, the Fallen 11 Live Exhibit was performed around the Loyola Schools (LS) campus, while the Martial Law Photo-Narrative Exhibit was presented at the LS Promenade throughout the week. Both initiatives aimed to pay homage to martyrs who lost their lives as they fought for freedom during the Martial Law era.
Moreover, this year’s commemoration emphasized the repercussions of the Martial Law implementation in Mindanao, as ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte following the Marawi Siege in May 2017.
The “Environmental Impacts of the Martial Law in Mindanao Forum,” held last September 16 highlighted this pressing concern, with Lumad representatives providing insights on how Martial Law in Mindanao has put their community at risk. Among their struggles is the the exploitation of the Lumad’s ancestral land at the hands of foreign mining companies, which is further aggravated by the government’s silence.
Moreover, what sets this Martial Law Week apart from its previous iterations is the Commission on Elections Satellite Registration that was held at Gonzaga 310 on September 19. Residents from District 2, 3, and 6 in Quezon City were highly encouraged to register and exercise their right to vote in the next elections to ensure that the atrocities of the Marcos regime will not happen again.
Other activities spread out during the week included forums with prominent figures such as Neri Colmenares, Boni Ilagan, and other key individuals who have made their fight against Marcos known and remembered by constantly encouraging critical discourse among the youth
To close the event, students convened for the Never Forget Culmination Rally held at Gate 2.5 on September 23.
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