Freedom and power of choice

Tomorrow is September 21. Exactly 40 years ago, Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Proclamation 1081 declaring Martial Law in this country.

Tomorrow, let us vow to remember and to continue to let generations after us remember to never again allow any dictator to take away from any Filipino, from all of us, our freedom and power of choice.

For those of you who choose to remember and be part of those who have vowed to carry on the torch of memory, especially as a tribute, both to those who have sacrificed their lives to fight for our people’s freedom to be restored during the authoritarian regime and to those who have survived to remind us to remember never to relinquish our freedom, there are several options for this day.

Prayers of silent tribute and thanksgiving can be offered to all those who perished in martyrdom and to all those who survived to carry on the fire of memory to defend freedom at all costs.

Church bells can be loudly sounded as reminders of freedom. Discussion groups can be conducted, information campaigns can be launched, even a memory museum can be erected so all Filipinos will always remember never again to give up their freedom!

Everyone with any photo or document about the Martial Law years and events may wish to share and form a group that will compile all these important “memories” to remind every Filipino never again to allow a dictator to rule this country.

You may also wish to read books and articles and watch videos about those dark days of martial law in our country. The Quimpo family documented how this dark historical period affected their family in their well-reviewed book entitled “Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years.”

Akbayan is advocating for the compulsory teaching of Marcos atrocities through House Resolution 2601. Akbayan Representative Walden Bello reminds all, “We must constantly remind our people of our greatest tragedy so we can achieve our greatest victories.”

Another choice is to be present tomorrow, from 1p.m, at Plaza Independencia where a marker, suggested by Councilor Alvin Dizon, will be installed as “testament to the courage of Cebuano martyrs (those tortured, abused, killed and even those who disappeared) because they resisted Marcos and his dictatorship.”

However you can celebrate this historical date, let it be one of collective memory, collective remembrance about how freedom was snatched away from us, individually and as a people, and how the same Filipino people, eager to regain their freedom, realized the power of choice, of unity in toppling and ending the dictatorship with People’s Power. Let every September 21 be our reminder of freedom and the power of choice.

Another committed way to remember will be for every qualified Filipino to vote and exercise their right and freedom to choose every election time. 

For next year’s May elections, everyone is enjoined to remember to register as early as possible.

For those who have household members who are abroad, please remind them to remember to register. Overseas Filipinos, a powerful bloc of more than 8 million, deserve to have their own migrant representatives to serve them in Congress. According to migrant advocate Ellene Sana, the recent updates on Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) showed a total of 274,054 registrants, with mos registrants noted in the following top 10 posts: 1)  Dubai 2)  Hongkong 3) Los Angeles 4) Milan 5) San Francisco 6) Singapore 7) Kuwait 8)  Riyadh 9) Rome; and, 10)  Tel Aviv.

OAV Registration will end by October 31 so let us all remind our overseas Filipinos to go out and register so that the power of their votes will translate into worthy elected public servants who will fight for their cause, as well as for the rest of the Filipinos, especially the most vulnerable and needy. 

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