Kiss Goodbye to These 8 Rights if Martial Law is Reinstated
Feb 25, 2016 • Dan Jerusalem
4. Sanitizing Filipino History
According to Martin Sadongdong in an interview with Manila Bulletin, extensive discussions on Martial Law were taught during his teenage years in Lakandula High School. Furthermore, the same lessons would also be taught in college, mostly revolving on the reasons why the law was needed. I may be wrong, but isn’t history supposed to be written by the victors? If we democracy did indeed triumph that day on EDSA, then why do we have a generation of people who believe this?
If Martial Law were implemented today, you can count on the fact that what you or your children would be taught in schools would be the farthest from the truth.
3. No Right to Rally
If simply having an opinion warrants an arrest, what more if you took actions and fought for your beliefs? Just ask the families of those who dared to ask questions, those who disappeared, and those who fought.
2. Suspension of Writ of Habeas Corpus
Habeas corpus literally translates to “produce the body.” It’s a court order for a person, usually a warden or agency holding someone in custody, to deliver the imprisoned individual to court so that they can justify the person’s detention. With this right suspended, it doesn’t matter how well connected your parents are, how much money your family has, or even if you’re innocent. If you were caught, you wouldn’t even be able to argue your case. You would simply disappear into a “safe house” and be at the mercy of Martial Law cronies.
1. No Basic Human Rights
Initially well-received by the people, the Marcos regime soon became unpopular due to the rising cases of corruption and human rights abuses by the military rule. Abductions, torture and violence became almost commonplace as people tried their best to keep their heads down and stay out of trouble. Can you imagine fear as a way of life? Can you imagine living in a country where you’re nothing but an inconvenient statistic, where everything you’ve worked hard for could topple at any second?
It can’t be denied that Marcos had a lot of contributions to the country, some of which are intact to this day. But to deny the 70,000 victims (35,000 of torture, about 3,200 of extrajudicial killings) of his rule at the very least the ability to learn from the mistakes of the past is an insult to not just their memory but to the country and ideals that they gave up their lives for.
Is this really what we want when we say we could benefit from Martial Law?
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