This is a short clip of the 2016 annual re-enactment of the Escalante Massacre that happened on September 20, 1985 in Escalante, Negros Occidental. This commemoration is done by Escalante’s theater and grassroots organizations.
Cultural Center of the Philippines, “31st Anniversary Re-Enactment of Escalante Massacre,” YouTube video, 6:01, October 17, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jRRg3SPIw4
Originally a set of 12 videos published with different artistic styles under the Commission on Human Rights, the “HABILIN” short video series focuses on the stories of 9 persons who lived under the martial law regime: Margarita Gomez, Sr. Mariani Dimaranan, Coronacion Chiva, Lazaro Silva, Marciano Anastacio Jr., Elma Tangente, Lumbaya Gayudan, Nestor Principe, at Armando Palabay. Each account narrates how they acted in their own ways to resist the regime and fight for freedom, democracy and justice. These acts culminate in the People Power Revolution – one which is reflected upon over a call to pass-on the legacies of these stories to the next generation of Filipinos.
Compilation: “Habilin (English Subs).” (Youtube Video). Published by WiseOwl PH. 77 Feb 2022.
On May 2016, the group “Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law” (CARMMA) published a short video on social media days before voting commenced. Various students and young voters are shown meeting face-to-face with victims of detention and torture under the government of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of then Vice Presidential Candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Noting that the full education of the regime has been lacking in schools, the video ends with a call for a petition to the Department of Education to bolster textbook content on the period.
Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA). 2016. “These young voters are in for a surprise.” Facebook, May 3, 2016.
“Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law” (CARMMA) published a 3 and a half minute video for facebook which begins by showing the television broadcast for Proclamation 1081 taking place at 7pm, September 23. It proceeds to show brief excerpts of various survivors of the regime detailing their experiences during the period. The survivors give parting advice to the audience – and the video ends with a petition call towards the Department of Education to integrate the teaching of the Martial Law Period more concisely in textbooks.
Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA). 2016. “Martial Law: declared on Sept. 23, 1972 – not Sept. 21.” Facebook, September 23, 2016.
Based in the Philippines, Katrina Tuvera has authored a collection of short fiction, Testament and Other Stories (Anvil, 2002), and a novel set in the Philippines during the martial law years, The Jupiter Effect (Anvil, 2006), which both received the National Book Award by the Manila Critics Circle. This novel is the story of Kiko and Gaby, two martial-law babies who underwent political initiation during the Marcos years. The novel poses questions about the Filipinos’ complicity in the Marcos dictatorship and portrays many compromises that are still present in the current Philippine politics.
Tuvera, Katrina. The Jupiter Effect. Mandaluyong City: Anvil Publishing, 2006.
Jun Cruz Reyes is a Filipino literary writer and Professor of Literature at the University of the Philippines. Writing mainly in Filipino, he is also an award-winning author of novels, short stories, essays, translations and biographies as well as a multimedia artist.
Winner of the Palanca grand prize in 1982, the novel “Tutubi, Tutubi, ‘Wag Kang Magpahuli Sa Mamang Salbahe” is an attempt of the author to narrate the first days of Martial law at “a time when one cannot directly say what’s in his or her mind.” This comes from his experiment to use satire in order to say what cannot be said without fear or in a way that will brings out humor in difficult situations.
Reyes, Jun Cruz. Tutubi, Tutubi, ‘Wag Kang Magpahuli Sa Mamang Salbahe. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1987.
This hour-long documentary tells the life story of student leader turned Communist Party of the Philippines cadre Edgar Jopson. Jopson dedicated his life, intellect, and commitment to the struggle against Marcos until his untimely death in the hands of the military in 1982.
Alternative Horizons, “Edjop,” Cinemata video, 56:52, May 3, 2022
Gina Apostol is a writer, author, novelist, educator, activist. She won two Philippine National Book Awards: for her very first book Bibliolepsy and then the The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata.
Her novel Gun Dealers’ Daughter (2013) revisits the Philippines during the period of Martial Law. Winner of the PEN/Open Book Award, the book tells the story of the young, bookish Soledad Soliman who falls in with her radical friends from a university in Manila, defying her wealthy parents and their society crowd. Drawn in by two romantic young rebels, Sol initiates a conspiracy that quickly spirals out of control. Years later, far from her homeland, Sol reconstructs her fractured memories, writing a confession she hopes will be her salvation. Illuminating the dramatic history of the Marcos-era Philippines, this story of youthful passion is a tour de force.
Apostol, Gina. Gun Dealers’ Daughter. New York: W. W. Norton & Company (reprint edition), 2013.
Living and Dying: In Memory of 11 Ateneo de Manila Martial Law Activists is a book that narrates the lived experiences of 11 young Ateneans namely, Ferdie Arceo, Bill Begg, Jun Celestial, Sonny Hizon, Edjop Jopson, Eman Lacaba, Dante Perez, Ditto Sarmiento, Lazzie Silva, Nick Solana, and Manny Yap, in the context of the Martial Law years. The book serves as a memorial for these young activists, emphasizing their deeds and sacrifices in the struggle against the dictatorship.
Montiel, Cristina Jayme. Living and Dying: In Memory of 11 Ateneo de Manila Martial Law Activists. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2007.
