By FRANCK DICK ROSETE
Bulatlat.com
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – After watching a martial law-related film, Irene Jahn Udtohan, a third-year psychology student, realized the horrific state-sponsored violence during dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s martial law 52 years ago.
Udtohan, a student-advocate from environmental group Hirang ng Hiraya, was among the Kagay-anons who gathered at the city museum on Saturday night, September 21, to join the public screening of the documentary film “11,103,” which tackles the collective stories of Martial Law survivors in the country.
DAKILA Cagayan de Oro organized the screening to commemorate the 52nd year of martial law as part of the 12th Active Vista Human Rights Festival.
The student-advocate saw the pain caused by martial law, especially to the victims and survivors, seeing them in tears despite the incident five decades past. She also recalled the experiences of her parents, who were also victims of land grabbing under the Marcos Sr. dictatorship.
“I believe that this scenario may happen again, not just under the Marcoses, but with a lot of potential politicians who might be very corrupt and cruel in our society,” Udtohan said.
Active Vista Community Manager Jose Santos III said the public screening primarily aims to educate the people, especially the youth, which could potentially lead the sector to combat disinformation about martial law and mobilize people to support advocacies on human rights and democratic principles.
“Aside from the truth, there should be context,” Santos told Bulatlat. “The moment that you put a face and voice to those people who were part of 11,103 [victims], it would be difficult to forget.”
According to a report by human rights group Amnesty International, 50,000 people were arrested and detained under martial law from 1972 to 1975. It also documented a pattern of torture, and conducted further research on enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions.
Meanwhile, in a school-based event, Buklod Atenista and the Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan Central Student Government held a screening of Edjop, a film produced in 1986, about the life of student leader Edgar Jopson turned New People’s Army fighter.
Young activist during martial law
Cagayan de Oro veteran journalist Froilan Gallardo, also on Tuesday, recalled his years in high school as a youth activist when martial law was imposed. He narrated how his group Kabataang Makabayan held a protest despite the risk of being arrested.
Gallardo said the 20-member group Kabataang Makabayan staged a march-rally going to Cogon Public Market, cautioning market goers about the adverse effect of the rule, especially on people’s rights and to the economy.
“It was odd, but not one of us was scared when we marched around Divisoria, shouting the slogans ‘Digmaang Bayan Laban sa Martial Law!’ (People’s war against martial law),” Gallardo, now president of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, one of the longest media organizations in the country, said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Not to repeat
Jesus Christopher Salon, a local historian and officer-in-charge of Cagayan de Oro City Museum, said the current generation should be aware of human rights violations in order not to allow a repeat of abuses in martial law in the present time.
Talking about the concerns on human rights, he said, is the significant part of commemorating the military rule.
“Mostly, the people now are desensitized, saying that it was a long time ago, we should move on, and that is because most of the people did not experience it firsthand,” Salon told Bulatlat, expressing her concern. (JJE, RTS, RVO)
