On Friday, 21 September 2018, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will commemorate the 46th year since the Marcos’ Martial Law with an event dubbed “Never Again, Never Forget: A day of remembrance for democracy and freedom.” The commemoration seeks to renew awareness of this dark episode in the Philippine history, which was shrouded with grave human rights abuses and various atrocities.
CHR Chairperson Jose Luis Martin C. Gascon underscored the importance of remembering martial law especially in the context of the relevance of the work of CHR.
“We must not forget the lessons of the past so we can guarantee that there will be no repetition of human rights violations and authoritarian abuses. While some are seeking to move on, there has to be accountability in order for healing to begin,” he said.
“The dictatorship experience has paved the way for the creation of independent constitutional bodies like CHR to ensure check and balances and prevent repetition of past excesses and abuse of power,” he explained.
The highlight of the event is the recognition of the victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime who, with their sacrifices and heroism, helped the country restore its democracy. They are the motu proprio cases handled by the former Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board but they chose not to claim the financial reparation for the abuses and indignities they have suffered. They will be immortalized through the establishment of the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Museum.
“The victims will be memorialized through an archive, a museum, and a wall of remembrance. This is to immortalize them in the struggle against dictatorship,” said Carmelo Victor A. Crisanto, Executive Director of the Human Rights Violation Victims’ Memorial Commission.
“We also hope that the memorial will remind current and future generations with regard to sufferings and sacrifices of victims of human rights abuses so they will not take for granted the freedom and democracy they are currently enjoying,” he added.
CHR will also host “abcdEJK: Ang Bagong Lipunan,” a photo exhibit on extrajudicial killings and Marcos’ legacy of repression and impunity. It depicts the social conditions of the Marcos Martial Law that are now prevalent in the current times particularly the unprecedented scale of killings in the bloody campaign against illegal drugs.
Various new spaces and facilities of the Commission will also be inaugurated as it continuously endeavors to provide better and faster services to respond to the call of the times. The Multimedia Facility, for one, seeks to improve the capacity of CHR in advocating for human rights through a dedicated resource for producing materials and broadcasting messages in defense of human rights. This project was made possible through the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Project funded by the European Union and Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).
Civil society groups and human rights organizations will be joining the commemoration to express their solidarity in the affirmation of the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and other similar ideals that the Filipino people hold dear. ###