Robredo urges Filipinos to proclaim truth about Martial Law
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo urged Filipinos on the 49th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to proclaim the truth about this dark time in the country, warning that not doing so may allow money and power to dictate history.
“Kapag nanahimik tayo — kapag hindi natin pinadaloy ang naratibo sa sari-sarili nating mga espasyo, pera at kapangyarihan ang magdidikta ng kasaysayan,” Robredo said in a statement on Tuesday. “Kailangan nating ulit-ulitin, sa bawat pagkakataon, ang katotohanan: Sa ilalim ng rehimeng Marcos, nagdusa ang Pilipino.”
(If we stay silent — if we do not let the narrative flow in our own spaces, money and power will dictate history. We need to keep repeating, in every instance, the truth: Under the Marcos regime, Filipinos suffered.)
Robredo listed facts about Marcos’ martial rule, including the plunder of state coffers and the massive human rights violations. She also noted that the debt incurred by Marcos would be paid by generations to come and that his brand of politics still persists and oppresses Filipinos today.
“Diktador si Marcos, at hindi niya napagbayaran nang husto ang krimen niya; katunayan, patuloy ang pagpapakasasa ng kanyang angkan sa kayamanang ninakaw niya mula sa atin,” said Robredo, who in 2016 ran and won against Marcos’ son and namesake, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in the vice presidential race.
(Marcos is a dictator, and he did not pay enough for his crime; in fact, his clan continues to enjoy the riches he stole from us.)
Marcos’ two-decade rule saw thousands imprisoned, tortured, killed and disappeared — a fact that was recognized by a Hawaiit court and affirmed by the United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1995 and the Supreme Court in 2003.
Republic Act No. 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act also recognizes that there “were victims of summary execution, torture, enforced or involuntary disappearance and other gross human rights violations” under the Marcos regime.
The same law established the Human Rights Victims Claims Board, which has listed 11,103 people who were victims of human rights violations under Marcos’ rule who would receive around P180,000 to P1.7 million in compensation.
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