Activists commemorate martial law declaration in Tacloban
By Vierra Estelle
TACLOBAN CITY –Student activists in this city, a bastion of the Romualdez-Marcos clan, commemorated the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of martial law with a rally, as well as prayers and lighted candles.
Amid threats of red-tagging and possible arrests, the activists gathered at the city’s Redemptorist Church wearing black shirts and holding placards demanding “No to Martial Law!” last Friday, September 21.
Additional placards also said “Hands off Activists!” and “Activists not Terrorists!” later lighting candles inside the church.
University of the Philippines (UP)-Tacloban student Kyle, sister to political prisoner Maye Domequil, said she joined the rally to call for her sibling’s freedom, as well as others arrested on February 2020 collectively known as the Tacloban 5.
She said her family’s suffering recalls to mind stories about the horrors of martial law under the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. dictatorship, such as enforced disappearances, torture, and widespread fear among the people.
Tacloban is the dictator’s wife Imelda’s hometown who is widely regarded as half of the conjugal dictatorship and kleptocracy the Marcos name was notorious for.
She is the mother of current Philippine president Ferdinand Jr. whose family, the Romualdezes, are the ruling political dynasty in the city.
She is aunt to House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, one of the most powerful political figures in the country, accused by his nemesis Vice President Sara Duterte as the one who controls government funds.
Kyle said she is determined to do her part to ensure that Eastern Visayas does not fall back into the grips of tyranny.
“We will not be silenced. We will not cower in the face of oppression. Instead, we will raise our voices in protest and in defiance that will echo through the halls of power and shake the foundations of those who seek to control us,” the student activist said.
Meanwhile, UP-Tacloban student council councilor Carl John Bocala said they held the rally to encourage fellow youths to speak up.
“Silence is not an option when there are so many important issues facing our country. We need to show other young people that their voices matter,” he said.
“We can’t let fear hold us back from speaking out against injustice and inequality,” Bocala added.
Yesterday’s rally was the second in as many months held outside the UP Tacloban campus.
Last August, Tacloban police arrested several attendees of UP system’s 57th General Assembly of Student Councils holding a rally in the city.
On September 8, two unidentified men threatened UP Tacloban students at gunpoint.
In a statement, the UP-Tacloban Student Council said it was not the first time in the UP System of a similar case as a recent incident was also reported in UP Diliman.
“We strongly condemn this attack to the UP community as issues of campus militarization and the recent UP-AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) cooperation are precedents to intensify the threats to the safety and security of the studentry,” the council said. #
