25/02/2026
𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐲𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐦𝐮 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐮 𝐤𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢, 𝐩𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐬, 𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐢𝐤𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚.
Forty years ago, millions of Filipinos gathered along EDSA and showed that united people can end a dictatorship. On this anniversary, UP Mi-abeyabe remembers the victims of Martial Law under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr..
From 1972 to 1981, thousands of Filipinos were arrested without warrants, tortured, forcibly disappeared, and killed. More than 70,000 were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured, and over 3,200 were killed. Many were students, farmers, workers, journalists, church people, and community leaders. Many families, including those from Pampanga and other provinces, continue to live with the pain and trauma caused by these abuses.
The EDSA People Power Revolution did not happen without reason. It was the people’s response to years of fear, corruption, and violence. It showed that power comes from the people, not from weapons, lies, or abuse of authority.
Today, attempts to change or distort the history of Martial Law continue. Some try to call it a “golden age” and ignore the suffering of thousands of victims. UP Mi-abeyabe stands firmly against historical revisionism and any effort to erase the truth. Remembering the past is not about politics, it is about justice and respect for those who suffered.
Four decades later, the call remains clear: justice for the victims, full accountability for human rights violations, and continued defense of democracy. Financial compensation alone is not enough if there is no full recognition of wrongdoing. Democracy will remain weak if history is forgotten.
𝗞𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼, 𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗣 𝗠𝗶-𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘂 𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗮 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘂 𝗸𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝘂, 𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗻𝗮𝘂𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀, 𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗺𝗶-𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝘂. 𝗜𝗻𝗴 “𝗔𝗹𝗶 𝗻𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗮𝘆𝘂” 𝗱𝗮𝗽𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶 𝘆𝗮𝗺𝘂 𝗸𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻, 𝗻𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗸𝘂𝗹 𝗻𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗻.
𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲’𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻! ✊
Reference:
Amnesty International. (2018, September 21). Philippines: Restore respect for human rights on the 46th anniversary of martial law (ASA 35/9139/2018). https://www.amnesty.org
Curaming, R., & Claudio, L. (2013). (Re)Assessing the EDSA ‘People Power’ (1986) as a critical conjuncture. In N. Ganesan (Ed.), Conjunctures and continuities in Southeast Asian politics (pp. 25–52). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Gonzaga, F. (2009). People power as immanent collectivity: Re-imagining the miracle of the 1986 EDSA Revolution as divine justice. Kritika Kultura, 12, 109–127. https://www.ateneo.edu/kritikakultura
