FORTY-FOUR years ago, Martial Law was declared by then president Ferdinand Marcos. Knowing how decades have passed, it borne two parallel truths: one was said to be an era of paradise, the other the start of a grim, evil years.
“Why would I believe to what other ‘leftists’ were saying when it was my grandfather (or any elder relative) who told me his firsthand account that it was during the time of Marcos that the nation was at its Golden Age? And thanks to Martial Law, there were no criminality, the people were safe at night.” You must have heard this as the usual rhetoric by naive and unsuspecting “millennials.”
While on the other side, you would have come to this familiar narrative: “Never had been in the history of the Philippines that was so dark under the rule of Marcos’ tyranny and the abuse of power done by the Marcos family. The streets were silent and ‘peaceful’ at night along with the silence of those who opposed the dictatorship. During Martial Law, there was no freedom, not even the right to question the Marcos government for accountability.”
The sad reality was that the new generation were lost, and were left struggling to learn what had happened 44 years ago and 44 years later.
There had been resources that tend to twist historical facts, just like how some ancient scholars destroyed or revised historical accounts of the ancient civilizations or societies.
And now, we are reminded more of Martial Law under the rule of President Rodrigo Duterte.
A number of people - whether they are against or in support of Duterte - both share a commonality, that is they all see the late Marcos in him.
For those Marcos loyalists, they see Duterte as the incarnate of Marcos - said to be with “strong political will power,” who will going to make the Philippine nation great through government projects and services which was claimed to be the feat of the Marcos era. And of course - the so-called “discipline,” regardless of the methods to be used, whether it is within the bounds of the law and human rights, are irrelevant.
And to those who are against Duterte, they see him as a Marcos incarnate too, for the reason that the interpretation of his brand of leadership was akin to dictatorship - especially that now he had just made an Executive Order on State of Emergency in line with the State of Lawless Violence following the Davao bombing. These are the fears of those against him that his political adversaries and activists who were cautious for that to happen.
Even though there were many instances Duterte said that he will not resort to another Martial Law, as his mother was a vocal critic to the Marcoses, but critics remain vigilant as they say that he tend to twist words and changes mind.
Martial Law was a reminder of the past that we should be more mindful of our history. Sterilizing its dark accounts is like re-telling that the earth was only thousands of years old and that humans lived with dinosaurs a long time ago, before the Great Flood happened.
(nefluczon@gmail.com)
