By Joseph B.A. Marzan
The Panay People’s Coalition, a broad coalition of political groups across the region, will come together in Iloilo City on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 to commemorate the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the country by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
In an invitation letter to Daily Guardian, the group said that they will be holding the protest action to “guard the return of the dark years of injustice, poverty, and crisis”.
“On Sept. 21, 2020, the country will be commemorating the 48th year of the declaration of Martial Law. As we commemorate this day, we are remembering all the sacrifices of those who selflessly opposed the fascist and authoritarian rule of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. To honor their sacrifices, we are steadfast in guarding the return of those dark years of injustice, poverty and crisis,” the coalition said.
They will hold the main program at the Sunburst Park, which will be followed by a march toward the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.
The groups will also be protesting against the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte, being likened to those of Marcos.
Duterte in August 2016 verbally ordered the burial of the late dictator, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in the case of Ocampo vs. Enriquez later in November of the same year.
“The nightmares of the Marcos dictatorship still haunt us until this day, most especially under the rule of the Marcos’ most-trusted present-day ally Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte with so much idolatry to Marcos, facilitated the burial of the late dictator in the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016 and just recently, his supermajority in congress pushed for a local holiday in Ilocos in honor of the late dictator. Duterte is also not just hell-bent in revising history in favor of the Marcoses as he imitates as well the Marcos-style reign of terror and state fascism,” the group said.
In light of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the group said it will implement strict health protocols.
The Omnibus Guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) allows for areas under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) to hold public gatherings with up to 50 percent of the venue’s total capacity.
Iloilo City has been under the MGCQ since September 1, 2020.
Panay People’s Coalition previously held a protest on July 27, 2020 to counter Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
HISTORY
Marcos declared Martial Law on Sept. 21, 1972 via Presidential Decree No. 1081, which would mark the beginning of his 14-year single grip on power over the country.
Based on various data provided by Amnesty International, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, and other human rights groups, the Marcoses’ 20-year-long rule of the country resulted to 3,257 known extrajudicial killings, 35,000 documented torture proceedings, 77 known disappearances, and up to 70,000 incarcerations.
A notable death was of former Antique governor Evelio Javier, who was gunned down by alleged Marcos henchmen in the newly erected Capitol building in San Jose town.
Panay Island currently celebrates Evelio B. Javier Day on February 11 of each year via Republic Act No. 7601, approved by President Corazon C. Aquino on June 3, 1992.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas was also one of the notable detainees of the Marcos regime.
The late dictator was also famous for “crony capitalism”, or the mandatory takeover of large companies, to be given to close friends and allies known as “cronies”.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 1986 that the gross national product (GNP) of the Philippines declined by 9 percent between 1984 and 1985.
The GNP measures the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced by the country’s factors of production irrespective of their location.
This administration was known to have incurred massive debt, which was pointed as a cause of economic decline during its waning years.
The Supreme Court in the case of Republic vs. Sandiganbayan in 2003 ordered the forfeiture of more than U.S. $658 million from deposits made by the Marcos family to accounts in Swiss banks.
These were held in escrow at the then-government-owned Philippine National Bank (PNB) according to the case’s text.
The Belgium-based Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt reported that the $2-billion Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, completed in 1985, reached total repayments of up to $22 billion which ended only in 2007.
The level of debt incurred during the Marcos administration had forced his successor, Corazon Aquino, to sell off more than 230 government-owned assets in 1991.
These included notable companies such as Philippine Airlines, MERALCO, and Union Bank of the Philippines.
On Sept. 2, 2020, 197 members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of House Bill No. 7137 which seeks to declare Marcos’ birthday, Sept. 11, as a special non-working holiday each year in his home province of Ilocos Norte.
It was authored by his nephew, Representative Angelo Marcos Barba (Ilocos Norte-2nd), together with two other representatives from the province, Ria Christina Fariñas (Ilocos Norte-1st) and Rudys Cesar Farinas I (Probinsyano Ako partylist).
According to House Journal No. 5, 12 representatives from Western Visayas voted affirmatively on the measure.
These included Reps. Carlito Marquez (Aklan-1st), Greg Gasataya (Bacolod City-Lone), Emmanuel Billones (Capiz-1st), Janette Garin (Iloilo-1st), Michael Gorriceta (Iloilo-2nd), Lorenz Defensor (Iloilo-3rd), Raul Tupas (Iloilo-5th), Gerardo Valmayor Jr. (Negros Occidental-1st), Leo Rafael Cueva (Negros Occidental-2nd), Francisco Benitez (Negros Occidental-3rd), Juliet Marie Ferrer (Negros Occidental-4th), and Ma. Lourdes Arroyo (Negros Occidental-5th).
Seven other representatives, Teodorico Haresco Jr. (Aklan-2nd), Loren Legarda (Antique-Lone), Fredenil Castro (Capiz-2nd), Ma. Lucille Nava (Guimaras-Lone), Julienne Baronda (Iloilo City-Lone), Braeden John Biron (Iloilo-4th), and Genaro Alvarez (Negros Occidental-6th) did not vote on the measure.
The bill met opposition from victims of the activities of the Marcos regime.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has also previously stated that a Senate Bill on Marcos’ birthday will “swiftly” pass through the upper chamber.
