Survivors recount horrors ahead of martial law's 51st anniversary

CNN Philippines

Martial law victims criticize the Education department's plan to change the term 'diktadurang Marcos' in textbooks. Many decades and another Marcos administration later, the survivors still remember the abuses they've been through.  Senior correspondent Gerg Cahiles has this story.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 September 18, 1978 or exactly 45 years ago, five men in civilian clothes arrested social worker

00:07 Flora Santos at her house in Santa Ana, Manila. She was brought to Camp Krame where she was detained

00:13 for three days.

00:14 Santos says she'll never forget the help of nuns headed by Sister Christine Tan,

00:27 an activist and a known critic of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

00:31 Satoru Ocampo, who was tortured and jailed for nine years under the former president's regime,

00:51 says he's not surprised by the attempts to disassociate the Marcos family

00:56 from the horrors of martial law. The government recognizes the over 11,000 people who were

01:02 tortured and abused and over 2,000 who were killed and forcibly disappeared under former

01:07 President Marcos' term until he was ousted through people power in 1986. Reason why the

01:13 Department of Education's order to change the term "Diktaturan Marcos" to just "Diktatura" in

01:19 grade six textbooks is a big deal for the martial law victims.

01:23 "Even before they were halal, their denial that their father did nothing wrong,

01:29 that's where their power lies. The SD, you can say it's audacity,

01:35 will allow them to continue what their father did. That's an insult to those mothers who know

01:44 what their father's ******* did." DepEd earlier said there's no pressure from higher-ups

01:52 to make such change. DepEd is under the leadership of Vice President Sara Duterte,

01:57 who is a close ally of the Marcos' family.

02:00 "Our secretary is not looking at the framework of curriculum and teaching strand. He's looking at

02:16 what the framework is here, but there are other details that he's not looking at."

02:22 Meanwhile, a series of protests will be held on September 21 to commemorate the 51st anniversary

02:32 of the declaration of martial law. Participating groups say this is part of remembering what they

02:38 call a brutal and corrupt government under the late President Marcos, and the fight against

02:43 what seems to be perennial societal problems like poverty, injustice, and social inequality.

02:50 George Cahiles, CNN Philippines.

Category

Transcript

Recommended