APS STATEMENT: International solidarity key to stopping martial law injustices from being repeated under the new Marcos regime
As we commemorate 51 years since the declaration of martial law by the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., we are dismayed to see that many of the injustices committed under his regime are once again repeated under the present administration of his son and namesake, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
This month, two young climate activists were abducted by state forces and were wrongfully accused of being combatants with the New People’s Army (NPA). Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro went missing on 2 September in Orion, Bataan; eyewitnesses testified that the two were forced into a vehicle by unidentified armed men. Weeks later, Tamano and Castro would be presented at a press conference by the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). According to the Task Force, the two youth activists had surrendered to the military in Bulacan province as members of the NPA.
However, in a separate press briefing the two climate activists denied the allegations by the NTF-ELCAC and instead stated that they were abducted by the military and were “threatened”. Tamano and Castro both denied being members of the NPA and instead bared that they were held under military custody, against their own volition. This is a serious breach of due process and effectively makes the military complicit in kidnapping. The act of accusing both youth activists as NPA combatants was also extremely dishonest, and exposes a well-known fact that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the NTF-ELCAC, and the Philippine government itself dishonestly red-tags activists to harass them, accusing them of being belligerent rebels to justify their arrest, abduction, or at times, even their killing.
It was a tactic widely seen during the martial law era under Marcos Sr., when student activists would go missing – most never to be found alive again – under the backdrop of a phoney crackdown on rebellion. While this scare tactic was also seen during the previous administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, it is equally alarming that it is already happening during incumbent President Bongbong Marcos’ first year in power.
The massacre of peasants was also a common theme during the first Marcos regime, the most infamous incident being the 1985 Escalante Massacre – when peasants, church activists, and student groups held a peaceful protest calling for land reform. Instead of being listened to, the protesters were fired upon by members of paramilitary forces – leaving 20 killed, and a further 30 protesters injured. Under the present Marcos administration, peasants are once again in the cross-hairs of the government.
Last June, the Fausto family – a peasant family in Negros Occidental – were brutally murdered in their sleep by members of the AFP’s 91st Infantry Battalion (IB). The Fausto family had been red-tagged previously, or accused as being members of the New People’s Army (NPA). There had been no evidence to back this up, but it was the justification the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) used to explain the massacre.
A worsening economy was also a hallmark of the martial law years, and in recent times Filipinos are definitely feeling the pinch in their pockets with high inflation. The number of unemployed or underemployed Filipinos continues to be high, and the only solution the Marcos government sees is to treat these Filipinos as commodities to fuel their labour export programme.
As the costs of food, fuel, and household utilities skyrocket, President Marcos instead made it a point this week to take a leisure trip to Singapore to watch the F1 racing. Meanwhile, his caretaker – Vice President Sara Duterte – is instead focused on securing her unscrupulous confidential funds rather than governing to ease the cost of living for Filipinos. Such actions show the priority of the Marcos-Duterte government, which is reminiscent of the profligacy and extravagant lifestyles that Marcos Sr. and his then First Lady Imelda Marcos lived while millions of Filipinos wallowed in poverty.
The Aotearoa-Philippines Solidarity (APS) strongly condemns the abduction and blatant red-tagging of Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, as well as the heinous massacre of the Fausto family, and all other human rights abuses under the administration of President Marcos Jr. Activism is not terrorism, and it should not be dealt with militarily or be conflated with the armed struggle. We also call on the Marcos government to urgently address the failing economy, especially with regards to inflation, rather than be distracted by F1 racing events or dodgy confidential fund requests.
We call on our solidarity allies worldwide and all peace-loving individuals in the world to stand with us as we call on the Marcos regime to “STOP THE ATTACKS!”, “ACTIVISM IS NOT TERRORISM!”. As we commemorate the 51st anniversary of martial law declaration, it is imperative that we ensure the bloody injustices that occurred during the time of Marcos Sr. are not repeated again under Marcos Jr. As allies for peace, may we unite in calling: “NEVER AGAIN TO MARTIAL LAW!”
