Martyrs not Victims
It has been 44 years since the declaration of Martial Law. Many people, students, teachers, politicians, and activists who voiced out their defiance against the current oppressive regime saw imprisonment, torture, and death during the years of Marcos’ dictatorship. Yet despite having showed fortitude in defying the regime, society remembers them only as victims because of the horror stories.
Our society today ended up forgetting that these victims had a cause they were fighting for. The term ”victim” belittles them, because it simply means a person who suffered due to a certain event When people think martial law victim, they assume that they were helpless and unjustly victimized, not that they were strong people fighting for a cause and ready to suffer the consequences for it. The men and women who suffered in those days should not be called the victims of martial law; they should be seen as the martyrs of our freedom today.
Why do I say that they should be called martyrs? It is because the word “martyr” means someone who died for their beliefs. These people suffered and died for their beliefs. Calling them martyrs pays more respect to them because it implies that they suffered or died for their cause, showing heroism and bravery for the country. These “martyrs” are the people who fought against Marcos and suffered because they fought the good fight. Even until today, they continue to serve as inspiration for Filipinos. There are many examples of these martyrs and their stories. The most common activists back then were students and other youths.
An example would be Bonifacio Ilagan, a student activist from UP, who suffered for helping the spread of Anti-Marcos Propaganda newspapers. He completely changed his lifestyle and hid underground along with a group of other student activists to continue the good fight while hiding from authorities. He didn’t let martial law scare him into surrendering. He continued fighting for what he believed in, until he was arrested. After two years in prison, he wrote a play named “Pagsambang Bayan” to articulate anti-martial law sentiments and was arrested again. Eventually, he was released and today he is alive and he still continues being an activist today.
There was also Ronnie Jardin, a campus leader of an FEU student organization against Marcos. Unaware that he was under surveillance, he scheduled a trip to Tuguegarao with his friend as driver. The morning of his supposed departure, he passed by the university to pick up anti-Marcos pamphlets. However, he was apprehended by soldiers before he could return to the car. He attempted to make a run for it back to the car but was gunned down.
Lastly, there was Liliosa Hilao, a consistent honor student of the “Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila”. She was the editor-in-chief of HASIK, PLM’s student publication, which openly criticized the Marcos regime. Despite being too sickly to join the rallies, she fought the regime with her pen. For her brave actions, she suffered a horrible fate. She was found dead in the detention center of Camp Crame. The cause of death reported was from drinking muriatic acid. Authorities claimed it as a suicide, but no one really believes that. Her body was bruised all over, her lips were burnt from soldiers killing their cigarettes on it, and according to her sister, her internal organs were removed to cover up signs of sexual abuse her captors committed.
It seems to me that the martyrs are brave people like Ilagan, Jardin, and Hilao, who went out to defy what they believed was injustice: the abuse of the Filipinos by their very own government. Though they lost their lives for a lost cause at the time, their fight planted the seeds of victory for the future of the Filipino people.
Their stories are that of valor, and it is belittling if we remember them for being another human rights abuse statistic in the Marcos regime and not for the struggle and sacrifice they underwent for our freedom today.
These stories make me think that if I were an activist who died fighting against Marcos, I definitely wouldn’t want to be remembered as victim with no cause. Plenty of people who suffered were good honest people ready to sacrifice because they wanted to oust Marcos due to his abuse, and today they are remembered as victims not as heroes. If I died during those days and went to activist heaven and I could see the how people remember us today, I would be outraged. I wouldn’t want to be remembered as another statistic, I would want be remembered as a revolutionary martyr.
At the end of the day, we should pay respect to the people in the past who suffered and died. They are more than just another statistic to be used in propaganda. They were people who had ideals and beliefs, who fought for them and were ready to take risks and push their boundaries for the country. The least we could do for these martyrs is respect them.
