𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁

Perhaps freedom was just another careless little thing to bat eyes at—it was stolen so easily, after all. That seems to be the trend in Philippine politics: being left to drown in the filth left by those called “public servants.”
In the past decades of ruling, 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝘀 𝗦𝗿. proved on this exact day, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭, that democracy in the Philippines is only by name and not by nature. He, who created a lasting impact on all the Filipino people, instilled within their minds that the people of the country are mere pawns in the game of politics—many of them faced the government’s cold indifference until the last of their cries and shouts for mercy had grown weak and silent.
𝟱𝟰 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, the light in Philippine society was replaced with true darkness, determined by the point of a finger from a man who insisted on playing messiah. Marcos signed 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗼. 𝟭𝟬𝟴𝟭 to place the entire country under 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝘄. In that moment, that single document caused the deaths of an estimated 3,240 Filipino citizens, the illegal arrest of 70,000, and the torture of 34,000.
Truly, a scene straight from a horror movie—like blood slipping carelessly from a wound; freedom had spilled in piles, miles from where it truly belonged. Yet, martial law endured for
𝟵 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. It was a devastating scene, but it became the tragic reality of every single Filipino for 3,038 days.
Funny enough, the betrayal against the people’s right to freedom and the secrecy did not make it to the afterlife alongside the former president to rot and rest in peace—the screams of the silenced echoed through their graves, seeking true retribution. How can we be truly at peace when the red-handed is safe from punishment? The hope seems bleak.
It wasn’t until 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗼. 𝟮𝟬𝟰𝟱 that put an end to his authoritarian rule. However, the mere fact that it happened in the first place is exactly what is wrong with the system. Absolute power should not be possessed by anyone, yet it was taken so easily, allowed by a crumbling system of pitiful institutions called the “government.”
54 years may have passed, yet time will never forget the years when public service became a glorified term for misrule. People often plead to just let it go. "Forgive and forget," as they say. Yet, forgetting is impossible if the wounds are still bleeding.
𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 “𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦” 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.
| 🖊️ Jahzara Villanueva, Madileine Fortez
| 💻 Bea Deiparine
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