21/09/2025
𝙄𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙣𝙞 𝙙𝙞𝙬𝙖 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙣, 𝙖𝙡𝙞 𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙜𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙙𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣
Today, we remember Martial Law not as a so-called golden age, but as a time when the poor grew poorer and the hungry grew hungrier. Back then, 𝟰 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟬 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆. By the end of the dictatorship, it had risen to 𝟲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟬. Real wages of farmers and workers dropped by almost 𝟯𝟬%, and entire communities were left to starve. The Negros famine alone left 𝟯𝟱𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱, a haunting reminder that corruption and greed can kill more silently than guns.
The Kapampangan people also endured a dark chapter during Martial Law, when inhumane acts of violence reached their communities. One of the most harrowing events was the 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲, a tragedy forever etched in the hearts of the people of Bacolor, Pampanga.
In a lecture-forum by Asst. Prof. Joel Regala, organized by Ágúman Sinúpan Singsing, Inc., the culture of violence under Martial Law in Pampanga was recalled through a chilling account:
“𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘶, 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘢𝘸𝘢. 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘊 (𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘺) 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘢𝘯. 𝘜𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦, 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘶𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮 𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘱𝘢, 𝘣𝘢𝘺𝘶 𝘳𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦. 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴-𝘶𝘱 𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘢, 𝘱𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘱𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘯!”
(𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥. 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵.)
The Cabalantian Massacre is not just a memory, it is a wound that continues to bleed, a 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱. As Kapampangan, let us not allow silence to bury the cries of the innocent.
And yet, the chain of poverty did not break when the dictatorship ended. Even today, 𝟭𝟳.𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿. People suffer while billions vanish into corruption, through overpriced projects, failed programs, and stolen futures. Just as Martial Law left us buried in $𝟮𝟴.𝟮𝟲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁, we are still paying the price of a system built to enrich the few and abandon the many.
But on this very day, the eyes of the nation are opening. As thousands fill Luneta and EDSA once more, we see a people rising, ready to say that poverty is not destiny. It is man-made. It is injustice. And it can, and must, be dismantled.
Martial Law chained us with fear, but poverty is the heaviest chain it left behind. Breaking that chain is not only remembrance, it is resistance. And until we do, the fight for justice will never be over.
𝐄́ 𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐚́𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧! 𝐄́ 𝐭𝐚́ 𝐬𝐮́𝐤𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐧!
(Never Again! Never Forget!)
Pub by: Lance Ashley
References:
Ateneo Martial Law Museum. (2021). Martial Law in data. Retrieved from https://learn.martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/martial-law-in-data
Claudio, L. (2013). Negros famine (1985). In Encyclopedia of Philippine History. Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
Reuters. (2024, August 15). Philippines poverty rate at 15.5% in 2023, statistics agency says. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-poverty-rate-155-2023-statistics-agency-says-2024-08-15
The Philippine Star. (2025, September 21). Filipinos mounting mass protests vs corruption on Martial Law anniversary. The Philippine Star. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/09/21/2474408
