What’s next after the Marcos burial at the LNMB?*

Ma. Donna S. Rebong

This article first appeared in The Science Scholar

In 2016, the calls and chants of “Hindi bayani si Marcos”, “Never again to Martial Law” and “Marcos, Hitler, Diktador, Tuta” resonated across different protest areas as a response to the surreptitious Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). As many Filipinos voiced out their rage and strong condemnation against the hero’s burial given to Marcos that day, many Marcos apologists encouraged them to just move on, arguing that it was already done and we cannot do anything about it.

This disturbing statement of Marcos defenders then raise many questions from the protesters themselves: Can we really not do anything about it? What’s next after the Marcos burial at the LNMB? Do our protests end the same day of Marcos’s burial? I think the answers to these questions lie on the meaning of our protests for each one of us.

For some, our protests exhibit our strong disapproval on the effort to revise and rewrite our history which gives honor to a proven plunderer and a human rights violator. For others, our protests reflect our capacity to discern the truth from the lies, showing our assertion that as a nation we know the real definition of heroism and martyrdom.

Despite these varied meanings, it should be emphasized that our dissent against Marcos burial at the LNMB is a shared collective sentiment. It is a campaign which embodies the general consensus among us: To not forget the lessons of our history especially the heroism of Martial Law martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country.

So why do we choose to remember our Martial Law martyrs? Who are they in the first place? What is the relevance of their martyrdom and sacrifices for us?

Martial Law martyrs were not merely individuals who chose to oppose Marcos dictatorship out of their own volition. They were not simply a group of people who were against the human rights violations committed during Martial Law. They were not just people who joined rallies and criticized the tyrannical Marcos government.

Martial Law martyrs were peasant educators, union organizers, student leaders and red fighters of the national democratic movement. They were courageous advocates of pro-people policies such as genuine land reform program, national industrialization and nationalist, scientific and mass-oriented education. They were members of national democratic organizations which advanced people’s movement for a just and humane Philippine society.

In essence, Martial Law martyrs were the unsung heroes of the Filipino people who presented the national democratic program as a concrete alternative to a society that bred the abusive and oppressive Martial Law. They were the heroes who wholeheartedly fought to change the society that produced corruption, exploitation, and culture of impunity. So, the answer to the questions raised earlier are primarily founded in the realization that there is a need to continue forwarding this national democratic alternative.

This realization equates then to the important task to engage the people and educate them about the real stories of Martial Law which highlights the significance of people’s movement. It implies the need to rechannel and redirect our rage, disappointment and condemnation into organized actions, campaigns and mobilizations to show our fellowmen that we will not bow down to oppression and injustice.

More importantly, this realization necessitates the expansion and consolidation of the different organizations which advance and promote pro-people policies and programs. These are our responsibilities to the Filipino people.

Thus, as we shout our chants to express our collective dissent, as we display the banners of our calls and advocacies and as we raise our fists of defiance during our various protest actions, we are also declaring our commitment and conviction to continue the fight for revolutionary change which our Martial Law martyrs, our real heroes, died for.

About the Author

Ma. Donna S. Rebong is a Social Science teacher in Philippine Science High School-Main Campus. She was the Head of the Social Science Unit from August 2017 to July 2019. She graduated from the University of the Philippines-Diliman with BA History (Magna cum Laude) and MA History degrees.