Never forget! never again!

Philippine history will remember Nov. 8, 2016 as a day of infamy when nine Supreme Court justices betrayed the sacrifices of thousands of people who suffered and even died to end the terrible years of the Marcos regime. Three very highly respected institutions have publicly expressed their indignation. I have decided that my readers would be best served by reading their actual powerful statements.

Statement by De La Salle Philippines on the Marcos burial

There can be no moving on without an accounting of the past, no forgiveness without remorse and apology. There can be no justice without accountability. There can be no justice with impunity.

We are thus deeply despondent over the Supreme Court’s (SC) failure to take a stand on what is just by affirming Ferdinand Marcos’ planned burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani ( LMB). The Court, on the petition against the President’s order for the burial of Marcos remains in the LMB, has sadly chosen to err on the side of technicality rather than that of history.

Marcos is not a hero. He was an oppressive ruler and a dictator. The empowering experience and triumph of all freedom loving Filipinos over authoritarianism through People Power 1 in February 1986 is a clear rejection of the Marcos regime. He remains answerable for many counts of atrocities and human rights violations as well as ill-gotten wealth.

The SC decision, an ominous development, reflects the weakness of our democracy to exact accountability from leaders who abused and are abusing their power. Unfortunately, after, the EDSA People Power 1, the task of deepening and consolidating our democracy by strengthening our institutions, including the courts, has not been assiduously pursued. The same weakness has now been taken advantage of by the Marcos family.

This challenges our schools all the more, to help clarify for and with younger generations and those who engage us, the lessons borne out of a scrupulous study of history, citizenship, accountability and good governance.

We therefore call on all our Lasallian teachers and partners to strengthen all their educational and community engagement efforts and program towards a deepening of our people’s appreciation for democracy and human rights. Let us join with like-minded groups to create more robust advocacy on these issues.

Let us oppose every effort to distort our nation’s story. We shall endeavour to re-tell our story so that we remain true to the values we have fought for and for which many have given up their lives. The oppressiveness of Marcos Martial Law must not be forgotten.

NEVER FORGET! NEVER AGAIN!

Br. Jose Mari L. Jimenez FSC, President, De La Salle Philippines ( DLSP)

Statement by Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Marcos burial

We are saddened by the decision of the Supreme Court to allow the burial of former President Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. We see this as another step to build the culture of impunity in the country. Marcos is no hero. He should not be presented as one. During Martial Law, he had made many people suffer by arbitrary torture and death. He has deprived many poor people of their basic needs while his family and cronies were enriched. We do not forget this! We will not allow this to be forgotten by the future generations in order that the same strong-hand oppression may happen again.

Those who do wrong should be made accountable. First they should admit the wrong they have done. Up to now this is not being recognized by the Marcos family and his cronies. Then the victims of human rights abuses have not been properly compensated for. This is a matter of justice.

Burying Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani will not bring peace and unity to the country. Peace can only come if there is justice. Justice demands recognition of the harm done to the people and restitution to the victims. We as a Church work for peace and unity that is based on truth and justice for all especially for the poor and the victims.

We are very sad. The burial is an insult to the EDSA spirit. It mocks our fight to restore democracy. We are puzzled and hurt and in great grief. It calls on us for greater courage to make the full truth of the dictatorship known.

Yes, we do not forget and we will not forget! +SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS

Statement by Ateneo de Manila University: Office of the President

On 8 November 2016, the Supreme court of the Republic of the Philippines decided to allow the burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the historic and symbolic Libingan ng mga Bayani. With no hesitation, the Ateneo de Manila University expresses its indignation over this decision, calling this an act of convenient equivocation and injustice on the part of the Supreme Court.

In its decision, the Supreme Court argued by saying: “While he was not all good, he was not pure evil either. Certainly, just a human being who erred like us.” Such an argument amounts to a monumental denial of the suffering and murder of thousands of our people and the billions of public funds stolen during those tragic years of Martial Law. Ferdinand Marcos did not just err like us. Decisions that were made during his regime were marked by atrocity and impunity. People were imprisoned, tortured and killed just for harbouring different beliefs and convictions. Those years were deliberately disruptive of democracy and freedom. Martial law wasn’t just a stumble in the dark. It was a careful orchestration of violence and power conducted in the name of order and an artificial peace.

The Supreme Court hides behind the letter of the law, taking the myopic view that the issue is one of mere legality and politics. The Court has chosen to pass the issue back to the executive. In so doing, it misses the opportunity and its own power to affirm the enshrined principles embedded in our Constitution, which they have affirmed as rising from the ashes of the Marcos administration.

I call upon our community to continue to protest and express our indignation, to discern what true closure might mean concretely in this case, to create openings for our voice to be heard authentically to protect the democratic space and engage in meaningful dialogue with our fellow Filipinos. It is easy to think of the other as enemy but we will not yield to the sinister forces that want to divide us as a people. The only way to get to the true path of peace, justice and reconciliation is to engage in the process of listening to each other.

Even as we embark on these, I would like to remind everyone that not all wars are won in one battlefield. We will fight for the truth in our classrooms, in the work that we do in the communities we serve, in the many places in government, business and civil society wherever we find our alumni engaged in building our nation and our people, so that we will never forget what cannot and should not be forgotten.

Jose Ramon T. Villarin SJ, President

The struggle for democracy and human dignity never ends. Let us never forget!

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