Representatives of various youth groups announce a protest rally on the afternoon of September 20 at the Luneta Park in Manila to commemorate the 47th anniversary of Martial Law declaration by Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.
The protest rally will go by the theme ‘Laban Kabataan, Laban Bayan.’ The organizers said the protest will carry such theme because the it is not only about Martial Law in the past, but also about the de facto martial law under President Rodrigo Duterte today.
Representative from the Save Our Schools Network decried the closure of Lumad schools in Mindano and the more than two-year Martial rule in the island.
According to the panelists, other repressive policies that define Duterte’s de facto martial law includes the state of lawless violence in Bicol Region, Negros Island and Samar; Oplan Sauron in Negros that saw more than 87 civilians killed; Oplan Kalasag in the National Capital Region that implemented deployment of military troops in urban poor communities, especially those with demolition threats; Duterte’s human rights records of more than 250 political killings and 209 political prisoners; Oplan Tokhang with more than 6,600 mostly poor drug suspectskilled in actual police operations and 20,000 more homicide cases; the all out war against the New People’s Army that actually meant militarization and more human rights violations in the countryside and, the push to revive or pass repressive laws such as anti-subversion law, amendments to Human Security Act, mandatory ROTC for Senior High School, lower minimum age of criminal responsibility, etc.
They said these repressive policies against the people are done in the midst of revelations on corruption and cronyism in government and police and government officials themselves involve in gunrunning and illegal drug trade.
They said the design of implementing tyrannical policies as cover for the repressive economic policies and corruption in government smelled like Marcos’ martial law, and Duterte himself has many times expressed his adulation of Marcos and his family.
The youth leaders chose to make the announcement at the ‘Bantayog ng mga Bayani’ where Martial Law heroes and martyrs names were etched in stone.
