ILOCANDIA RUMBLINGS

Tyrants can never be heroes as human rights violations can never be justified by any circumstances. Martial Law is a dark period in our history, remembered for the large-scale murder, torture, and incarceration of political dissenters. Forgetting the wrong and heinous deeds of men in history is tantamount to distortion of truth and absolving them of their crime against the people. A dictator’s internment in a national pantheon, where individuals, worthy of emulation are buried sets a deadly precedent. It may be within the realm of the law, as the majority of the Justices see it. But on its entirety, the court’s ruling disrespects and discounts the spirit of the 1986 People Power, the court rulings on the rights abuses and thievery, and lives lost in reclaiming the democratic space that we enjoy at present. Remember that the past holds lessons that are vital for a better future. For a nation to move on from the horrors of Martial Law, first there must be closure. This requires the p...

As the year comes to a close, the people of Ilocos take pride that they braved and overcame the odds and challenges thrown by US-Benigno C. Aquino regime, and the fledgling presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. The period is characterized by three significant campaigns – the demand for Aquino’s accountability as his regime ends, the battle against traditional politics during the election, and the consolidation of people’s demands to challenge the new administration under Rodrigo Duterte. The militant mass movement and the people of Ilocos persisted in their struggles for genuine economic and social transformation amidst the intensified implementation of Oplan Bayanihan. They launched wide-spread education and information campaign on burning social issues. They trooped the streets, engaged the public, and questioned the authorities to spread their desire and platform for genuine democracy social justice, progressive culture and industrialization. Makabayan chapters and allies in the regio...