Chapter 10
Opening Salvo
Events happened too quickly after the imposition of Martial Law in the country. The so-called ABC of Martial Law coined by Rueben Canoy in his Counterfeit Revolution, an acronym for Camps Aguinaldo, Bicutan and Crame were all filled to the rafters by those who were identified earlier in the hit list. Like a bull came rushing for the big kill against a matador, Martial law paved the way for the arrest for those earlier identified in the order of battle among the opposition. Thus, the first wave of arrest included Ninoy Aquino, Salonga, Tañada, Pimentel, Diokno and countless faceless individuals who were herded in Rehabilitation centers like drug addicts and criminals. Similar incidents happened in the provinces sending unfortunate souls into the stockades. Those who managed to slip away from the dragnet set by the Brown Shirts found in their solace and protection in the hills and mountains increasing to maximum the number of insurgents.
“Where else would these hapless people go
than to secure their lives to safety from the collective strength of the people
up in the hinterlands?”
President Marcos might have been shortsighted
on this. But he was the direct source of such mass exodus of peasants, student
leaders and ordinary citizens to the hills. In fact, he was aid to have
recruited the highest number of NPAs.
You cannot right a wrong approach with
another wrong approach or solution in other words as Horace might view it.
Those who have good connections with
better-off families and were anticipating their fate under Marcos used the
backdoor and went in haste to United States and other countries for safety.
Undaunted by the sweeping detention and threats to their lives, these men with
uncompromising virtues hold on their last breath and muster enough courage
fighting back Marcos through the use of print media. Documenting human rights
violations and evil of Martial Law, these young men published in the
international dailies Martial sad stories drawing sympathy and financial
resources helpful in handling Marcos’ downfall later. One such valiant group
was Ninoy Aquino Movement based in US headed by Sonny Alvarez who became
senator later. This group was credited in documenting the ill-gotten wealth
amassed by Marcos while in office. Its brave expose’ would later win a Pulitzer
Prize for San Jose Mercury News in California
The succeeding arrests of people alleged as
either subversives or mere supporters followed suit and revealed untold
sufferings of the brave Filipinos. Those who later fall into the military
prison camps were many. The arrests were all-embracing regardless of creed,
profession and persuasion. Fr. de la Torre was an SVD priest, Satur Ocampo aand
Julius Fortuna were Journalists, and Fidel Agcaoli, a firebrand nationalist.
Victor Corpus, an erstwhile professor at Philippine Military Academy in Baguio,
Bernabe Buscayno, the founder of the New Peoples’ Army, the armed combatant of
Communist Party of the Philippines. They fell into the hands of the military
one after the other. The list continues.
These gentlemen learned later the stark
reality in detention centers and started paying the price for their cause.
Burning of genitals, electric and water shock treatment, pulling off of
fingernails using pliers among others became the fad of the time. The longer
the prisoners do not confessed, the longer they were tortured. Task Force
Detainees (TFD) established later in 1974 by Association of Major Religious
Group has the complete data and presentation of the harrowing experience of the
political detainees. Ninoy had also his Testament from the Prison Cell
telling an account of his abduction, his spiritual transformation, his refusal
to be tried by the Military Commission and the strong defense and encouragement
and defense put up by Salonga in a Military Tribunal. The book was the product
of his reflection while inside the prison cell he put into writing and collated
from several manuscript he gives to Cory Aquino after each visit made. Ninoy
did not recognize the legality of the military court and in fact sees no
difference with a kangaroo court.
Good for those who were properly accounted
for as political prisoners, the Task Force Detainees and other
cause-oriented groups rallied their release and freedom to the end. But for
those summarily executed, it was just too bad for them to have darkness and the
silence of their executioners as mute witnesses.
“God knows how to punish these ruthless
executioners comes the time of reckoning,” many survivors would soon reveal
after experiencing the savagery of militarization.
It is even disheartening to learn that
those who were not able to resist the shock treatment became nuts and or given
the coup de grace to lessen their sufferings. Euthanasia in action, you might
say it. May they all rest in peace and God makes their souls whiter than snow.
Ironically, movies would portray later these butchers as heroes never touching
the plot of their stupid exploits. The moviegoers just loving seeing it anyway
like crazy..
Marcos massive detention activists
murdering some are reminiscent of Joseph Stalin’s purging of his enemies he
perceived as threat to chair vacated by Lenin. It’s not a far-fetched idea that
Marcos’ attempt of putting the strong opposition behind barbed wires is a
photo-copy of Stalin. The only difference and catch is that Marcos was smarter
than Stalin. He knows how to execute his plan in the right place, right time
and with right reason. At least, that is what Marcos perceived in proclaiming
Martial Law on September 21, 1972.
Martial Law as concept became hot stuff and
most abused concept even among his apostles surprisingly. Marcos himself sounds
like a fifteenth century reborn apologist defending its necessity. He
repeatedly claims that it is not a military take-over civilian function, not
even a coup d’ etat and never an attempt of installing a revolutionary
government. The military has not taken over the government, he would flatly
defend.
”It is merely called upon to assist the
civil government to restore within the shortest possible time the tranquility
of the Filipino people and the security of the Philippines
“Civil authority is still supreme except
where it cannot perform its functions and prerogative or is not adequate to
protect individual properties and life,” says Defense Secretary Juan Ponce
Enrile.
“A heaven-sent relief, “any foreign
investors alarmed by the state of rebellion would say.
Too many justifications by too many
apologists. Such had been the situation when Martial Law was implemented. There
were indeed too many ‘whys’ depending on the personality of the speaker. Unfortunately,
the more they utilized rhetoric the faster they explained the issue away. Such
is the common perception of a layman. That following the declaration of Martial
Law comes the death of democracy.
Unknown to Juan de la Cruz, save for the
President and his apologists, it has been thought that Uncle Sam helped in
instigating the declaration of Martial Law. In fact, the Justice and Peace
Review would divulge later that draft of Martial Law’s declaration was on
the American Ambassador’s desk two months before it was issued. Who’s fooling
whom? Quite understandable because the resurgence of nationalist movement
threatening US and its allies was eminent. Internecine strife within the elite
was just a good excuse.
To whose benefits after all Martial Law
accrued? Nothing else but US, Marcos and most importantly, the military
establishment unparalleled in the history of the country. That the latter
underwent sweet metamorphosis invested with enormous power and privilege by
Marcos could be considered a lasting legacy. The opposite holds true. It’s the
civilians who bear the high cost. To think that the majority who suffered most
are the innocent victims, new born, children and even elders who should have
been given decent burials makes the issue all the more outrageous.
For its part, it is understandable that
Uncle Sam would like to maintain its US
bases in the country and continue adopting the Philippines
There are twenty other countries in the
world where US blatantly intervened according to Tom Gervasi, Director, Center
for Military Research and Analysis. These happened between 1800 and 1983.
These countries are: Nicaragua ,
Peru , Panama , Uruguay ,
Columbia , Chile ,
Honduras , Puerto
Rico , Dominican Republic ,
Cuba , Mexico , Guatemala ,
China , Siberia ,
Korea , Laos , Congo ,
Vietnam , Grenada and Panama
The recent political development in Middle East after has shown it all how ruthless Uncle Sam
is in connivance with United Nations. So it’s practically very easy to sell
one’s soul to Uncle Sam.
All you have to do is to keep mum about his
intervention and meddling. That’s what happened to our country’s economy. Again
we should learn a lesson from our past mistakes. Chiang Kai Shek, Gandhi, Tito
and the rest taught us how to say “enough” or we allow the US Philippines
Power begets power. Marcos himself became
Jack Whirler of all trades’ double as a result of his PD 1081. Sustaining
fourteen long years of dictatorship is no ordinary feat to a mortal. But Marcos
did it extraordinary. First, it allowed him to produce another Constitution.
Second, as Commander-in-Chief, he could make as many Presidential Decrees,
General Orders, Letters of Instruction and similar decrees as he wishes. He did
enjoyed his orgy of making laws. Cardinal Sin himself later criticized Marcos’
prolific decrees which became laws of the land claiming that even saliva he
spits are made laws the following day. Thus, ushering the death of democracy.
With one man rule anyway plus the blind loyalty of his cohorts and trusted
lieutenants, how would democracy survive. Domino effect was all felt everywhere
in judicial system, Senate and House of Representatives. The judiciary,
legislature and congress stripped off of their vital functions were transformed
into mere rubber stamp by Marcos overnight. Good that he did not go nuts
managing and controlling everything. It’s quiet tough specially for an ordinary
citizen. Take for instance his smorgasbord long list of laws. Any ordinary
taxpayer would suffer an intellectual indigestion, a great shame to this
country of many higher institutions of learning, once he reads them. Consider
for example his moralizing in his first fifteen general orders extolling
Filipinos of adopting Cleanliness is next to Godliness dictum be it in his
house, road, and community or in government and encouraging thriftiness by
limiting town fiesta to only one day making it as simple and economical as
possible. People from Bohol and Dalagit, Cebu
could definitely not buy such idea or general order as Marcos might say it.
While his general order deals with not
so-serious issues, his letter of instructions were imperative and coercive
ordering his Secretaries of different Department to take control of everything
their hands could lean on for and in behalf of the government. And this one is
for Ripley’s believe it or not, indeed one of Martial Law’s irony. It tried to
confiscate vital private industries and yet Marcos himself and cronies keep
theirs and worst, engage in wanton destruction of other properties. As an
offshoot of this modus operandi, each crony would amass wealth as much as he
could with impunity. Management by example, the greedy cronies justify.
Manapat’s Some Are Smarter Than Others written in monastery provides
revealing account of the plunder of the economy by selected few smarter than
others as the title of the book suggest..
Presidential decrees were another laws of
the land couched in legalistic terms but were good only in papers. Example of
these were PD 2 and 27, two agrarian related decrees subjecting the entire
country under Agrarian Reform Program and decreeing the emancipation of tenants
from the bondage of soil applying only to the tenant-farmers of private
agricultural lands primarily devoted to rice and corn. Well decreed but not
when it dawns to Juan de la Cruz that the President himself excluded 1,800
hectares of his farm right in his own backyard in Ilocos Sur. Follow what I say
but not what I do, he would probably meant.
His
PD 28 establishing seven Regional Prisons so far served its purpose later.
Generally though, such aforementioned proclamation did more damage to many Juan
de la Cruzes prompting them to seek defense in the mountain either becoming
armed combatants or merely supporter of the rebels’ cause. With thousands of
concerned Filipinos fleeing in the hills finding strength from collective force
of the people, Marcos definitely qualifies as the biggest NPA recruiter.
Over all, it’s the Filipinos themselves who
received the severe beatings from the proclamation of Dictatorship. Filipinos
to mean the great majority herded in many prison camps who were civilians with
the rest allegedly subversives or participants to commission of crimes. Initial
numbers apprehended by the military troops was 60,000 of whom 45,958 were later
released leaving 4,553 and the 2,500 as participants in the commission of
common crimes. Unfortunately, none of those charge with violent overthrow of
the government and those who committed crimes were brought into the court. How
could the military tribunals anyway handle their cases given their numbers?
Soon the government face additional burden of maximizing budget for meals of
those newly arrested. Alarmed by the worsening scenarios of Martial Law, The
Roman Catholic Association of Major Religious organized the Task Force
Detainees on January, 1974 barely more than one year after the declaration
of Martial Law. TFD calculated that there were 75,000 prisoners of conscience.
Other human right group followed suit. The Free Legal Assistance Group extended
free legal services to political detainees and calls for better prison
condition and facilities.
The Ecumenical Movement for Justice and
Peace (EMJP) organized October 1979 also extended
the necessary lift by documenting human rights violation, a fact many military
men didn’t like or abhorred. If a military kills a rebel out of official duty
in protecting the sovereignty of the state and security of its citizen, he
would be charged with human rights violation. But if a rebel happens to kill a
government trooper, it is just alright, said one disgruntled military.
Detention and arrest of political detainees
is just a prelude to another important dimension of Martial Law i.e. torture
reminiscent of Hitler’s systematic genocide of the Jews he alleged belonging to
lowly and degrading Aryan race. Actonian adage of Edmund Burke was right:
“power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Marcos denied it several times. But torture
was part of his machinery. Aberrations, he might say yes but not outright
torture ban by Geneva Convention and Protocol II where the Philippines Asia connecting
several islands in the Visayas. This refers to lying-on-the-air torture where a
detainee lies with his feet on one bed and his head on the other bed. He’s then
beaten when his body falls or sags. Other forms are truth serum, famous among
detective fiction and stories; Russian roulette, Falanga-beating soles of feet
until a detainee is unable to walk; beating with fists, kicks and karate blows;
beating of contusive instruments; heads pounded against the walls or furniture;
standing naked before an air-condition unit; water cure and other forms of
torture. People notorious of doing these are mostly officers of PC, NISA and
other military and police intelligence officers, AI further noted.
Lt. Col. Rodolfo Aguinaldo, Provincial
commander of Cagayan Province, former head of C2 Special Intelligence team was
considered as one of the most persistent and systematic Lord of Torture in the
military according to EMJP. He employs almost all techniques imaginable to
squeeze desired information by putting filthy things in the mouth of a detainee
like a cockroach, dead rat or even human excreta. That’s what he did to Henson
Laurel and Satur Ocampo, erstwhile journalists. Gerry Bulatao who would become
top executive of the Department of Agrarian Reform suffered similar fate from
the hands of this rabid torturer. Similar complaint was lodged against Gen.
Jovito Palparan called the Berdugo for having killed many rebels during his
round in Mindoro. His orgy of killings innocent civilians and leaders made him a
dreaded military officer during his term..
The arrest was indeed sweeping for as long
as your name is included in the list of battle. Your day and nights will be
never be the same again until you’re captured and treated to horrendous
persecution. But good for these people that their bodies were accounted for.
Those enforced disappearances incidentally are yet to be counted and itemized.
There are thousands of them. One such
tragic end was Nong Colas who after volunteering as missionary in a village
hasn’t returned yet home. The reason why Cedric, his eldest son still
celebrates his birthday with an earnest hope short of miracle that he would
come back someday. Unfortunately, the incident right after the declaration of
Martial Law and since then not even any shadow of his father could be seen, let
alone his name heard.
There have been reported cases of those who
went nuts as a result of torture. Others just died. The rest were just given
coup d’ grace. If distrust by the military against the political detainees and
ordinary civilian would stay killing in turn these detainees and or civilians
in the process, then we are not far remote on what happened to Khmer Rouge
Regime under Pol Pot where close to 700,000 or 1 million people died between
1975-79 of illness, exhaustion and or starvation. A certain Fernandez
incidentally of course of Filipino
lineage was incidentally one among the accomplice
of Pol Pot’s savagery. When do we Filipinos ever learn? While there is still
time or when we’re already blown into bits and pieces to borrow Aldous Huxley
idea in his Brave New World.
. .
. . . . . . .
Undoubtedly, Martial Law was never that
good alternative. It brings us closer to death all the more each day. This what
many Filipinos experience, treated as
scapegoat of a system not of their own choice.
It was just like double whammy among human
rights victims as torturers would even become big guns of the society they
serve – from Brigadier General to Lawmakers of the land, Senators in Senate and
Congressmen in the House of Representatives.
Their lives were even portrayed as role models in make-believe world of
movies. And the gullible Filipino moviegoers just enjoyed viewing them anyway
not knowing their real story and the pivotal roles they played in the past.
Same people holding on to power and their dynasty taking turn later one after
the other.
“Wowow,
when would this vicious cycle ends?” the bottom line and hanging question the group wants addressed.
What a fun the group had – all open for
possibilities where years would lead them through.
Those however both of Driarco and Taklin
was already consecrated for a purpose as if following pre-ordained path giving
themselves in service for others. Fr. Driarco smiled thanking the power of
reflection, his mind transformed into a temporary camera e events of the past
on cue could be played back at will in such colorful fashion.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
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