Twenty years ago yesterday, Ninoy Aquino was shot dead at the tarmac of what was known then as the Manila International Airport. His death, even before he could set foot in his own country, was what we least expected then to happen to him.
But it happened. And as we watched in shock the TV footages of a man in white being loaded into a van on the tarmac, we wondered silently if at all, his death would mean the start of a bloody civil war to oust then President Ferdinand Marcos.
Of course, the rest is history. There was no civil war, but instead, we had a bloodless People Power revolution that eventually forced Marcos to abandon Malacanang. Ninoy’s death has proved to be the single most important event that pushed the whole Filipino nation to rise and demand for political change.
As a student then, we remember that 1983 was the 11th year of Martial Law. (Marcos announced the “lifting” of Martial Law in 1981 but nobody believed him.) It was also the 2nd year of his “New Republic” which was as oppressive as ever. At that time, warrantless arrests were still being done on leaders of student, peasant, professional and labor groups and there were countless cases of so-called “involuntary disappearances” all over the country.
In Pangasinan then, the initial reaction on Ninoy’s death was silent grief. We thought this was but natural, considering that a good number of Marcos’ cabinet members and known loyal political leaders were from this province.
But in a matter of days, Pangasinenses, led by anti-Marcos activists and political figures organized and mobilized a mammoth protest march around the city. Students, professional, labor groups – everybody was there. There were yellow shirts and yellow ribbons and there were even floats depicting the martyrdom of Ninoy.
We all know, of course, that it still took three years after the death of Ninoy before Marcos was finally toppled. Between 1983 and 1986, many freedom loving Pangasinenses still lost their lives in the continuing struggle. Some were even arrested and jailed.
For instance, there was heavy militarization in western Pangasinan at that time. Many farmer leaders were killed in supposed encounters and were later tagged as members of the New People’s Army.
In Dagupan City, seven persons were arrested and after one week of disappearance, the government announced their capture and they were tagged as “high ranking” members of the Communist Party of the Philippines. They were eventually known then as Pangasinan 7.
The seven were my friends. In fact, I still see three of them today. Tia Adeling, who was 54 years old during her arrest, is now into a small sari-sari store business in Barangay Pugaro. She would come to my office every now and then. The other one is JV, who is now employed at the city hall. Then, of course, I still see Mike, who is into agricultural supply business and bonsai growing.
There were also two other friends who were “desaparecidos.” Vic Labasbas was picked up shortly after he emerged out of the Jade Theatre building along AB Fernandez Ave. one afternoon. It was in one room of that building then where the office of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan was located. There was Larry Ines, a student leader of the Luzon Colleges, who was arrested inside a Pantranco bus, while he was on his way home to Bayambang.
Nobody heard of the two since then. Their families did not even see their remains.
We remember these friends as we remember Ninoy because they, too, were part of the whole struggle for freedom. Like Ninoy, they, too, gave their lives. And there are many more nameless and faceless individuals all over the country who fought fiercely against the enemies of freedom.
*****
As we write, we are hearing over the radio that four police chiefs have been relieved by Supt. Mario San Diego for their zero accomplishment in the campaign against illegal drugs. We are also hearing Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino heaping praises on San Diego’s move.
We are apprehensive about this development, especially if San Diego is adopting this as a policy. We agree that kicking the butts of the police to run after drug pushers and users would significantly deny big time drug traffickers of their market and thus, minimize, if not completely eliminate drug abuse in the province.
But what we are worried about is when the police will just collar anybody on the street and “plant” illegal drugs on the poor guy, just for them to have an accomplishment. This policy may also be used by policemen against their personal enemies or the political enemies of their political lords.
While we do not totally disagree to San Diego’s strategy, we suggest that safety valves should be put in place to protect the innocent and punish the real culprits. The strategy should be made to work effectively but not at the expense of innocent people.
There should be harsh punishment against those who will fabricate their accomplishments and those who victimized innocent people.
ENDNOTES: For the past week, Windows temporarily closed because of some pressing commitments. I would like to sincerely thank all those who called me to express their concern. There were simply circumstances beyond my control during the past few days that did not give me the luxury of time to write. Anyway, in the future, I would already know what to do, so that this column will always be here and will not leave our dear readers wondering what happened to us.
QUOTE: Becoming a star may not be in your destiny, but being the best that you can be is a goal you can set for yourselves. — Bryan Lindsay
