THE UNIVERSITY commemorated the 52nd anniversary of the Martial Law declaration on Sept. 21 by lighting up its landmarks in red and screening a film on military rule under the Marcos regime.
On Sept. 20, the Main Building, Arch of the Centuries, and the Santisimo Rosario Parish were illuminated in red, which Simbahayan Director Froilan Alipao said was a “stand that we respect and uphold human rights.”
“This is our show of the importance of human rights because the undesirable values, the disrespect to human rights under the Martial Law, carried on until today,” Alipao told the Varsitarian in a mix of English and FIlipino.
Simbahayan spearheaded the “Francisco de Vitoria Human Rights Week” from Sept. 17 to 21, an event named after the Dominican theologian and human rights advocate. It coincided with the anniversary of the proclamation of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s military rule.
On Sept. 17, Simbahayan hosted a screening of “11,103,” a documentary that tackles the stories of Martial Law survivors. An exhibit on the lives of Thomasian survivors of the military rule was also put up by the community development office on Sept. 18.
A Mass and lighting of candles was organized by the Artlets Student Council and AB Pax Romana on Sept. 21 at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.
Simbahayan organized the Human Rights Week activities alongside the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Memorial Foundation, Dominican Family for Justice, Peace, and Care for Creation Philippines, Office of the Vice Rector for Religious Affairs, Institute of Religion, National Service Training Program, and the UST Central Student Council.
‘Never stop’
On Sept. 21, the Artlets Student Council, Simbahayan, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) opened a screening of the 2018 film “ML,” which recounts the horrors of the Marcos military rule.
“ML” director Benedict Mique called on Thomasians to reflect on human rights violations under the late dictator, encouraging them to continue telling the stories of Martial Law survivors.
“Do it again and again and never stop because if no one will do it, no one will realize that it happened and it’s gonna be forgotten,” Mique said during the talkback session.
Submitted as an entry to Cinemalaya 2018, “ML” explores the violent torture that happened during the Martial Law years through the perspective of Carlo, a student who learned of the abuses after interviewing a retired colonel for a school requirement.
Mae Caralde, CCP’s division head for film, broadcast, and new media, said Filipinos must continue to fight back against the atrocities committed under Martial Law.
“Aside from torture is a violation of human rights, torture is unmaking of our bodies, unmaking of our world […] Our antidote is that is we speak, we claim the language, we claim our bodies,” Caralde said.
Marcos Sr., on Sept. 21, 1972, signed Proclamation 1081, placing the Philippines under Martial Law. The announcement to the public, however, came only on Sept. 23, when martial rule was already well underway and after the arrests of opposition politicians and dissidents. Sydney Venice V. Berba
