Construction of Martial Law Museum to start in December

MANILA, Philippines — The Human Rights Violation Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) and the University of the Philippines (UP) have agreed to expedite the construction of the Freedom Memorial Museum (FMM) honoring the victims of human rights abuses during the martial law period with the groundbreaking for the project set in December.

In a joint press statement, the HRVVMC and UP said both parties came to an agreement to formally sign a deed of transfer of the maintenance offices of the UP Diliman campus to another location to be provided by HRVVMC. This will pave the way for the clearing of the area where the FMM will be constructed.

The signing of the deed of transfer is slated for Sept. 27, as part of the commemoration of the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

“The transfer will pave the way for the clearing of old structures and start of construction at the future site of the Freedom Memorial Museum which will serve as a vital educational resource and a poignant reminder of our nation’s history,” the HRVVMC and UP said in a joint press statement.

The HRVVMC and UP said they aim to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the actual construction of the museum by December this year.

The museum will rise on the 1.4-hectare land along C.P. Garcia Avenue in UP Diliman. The HRVVMC earlier said that the museum will have a theater, an augmented reality space and other interactive features to attract the youth.

The area is currently occupied by a UP Diliman unit in charge of campus-wide maintenance and repairs as well as physical set-ups during special events.

“The affected UP personnel and equipment will be moved to new offices and workshops which HRVVMC built in exchange for securing the property,” the UP and HRVVMC’s joint statement read.

“The human rights victims of martial law, human rights defenders and the UP community welcome this gesture of unity between two freedom-loving institutions,” former Social Welfare secretary and retired UP professor Judy Taguiwalo said.

Taguiwalo was among the thousands of activists who suffered torture and incarceration during martial law.

The construction of a memorial museum honoring the victims of martial law is mandated under Republic Act 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 signed into law by the late former president Benigno Aquino III.