Volume IV, Number 18. 30 September 2022.
The German Embassy to Manila recently offered an international perspective to the barrage of historical revisionism and social brainwashing currently plaguing the Philippines. In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr, the Germans recalled, “The heavy legacy of the Martial Law period in the Philippines and the records of thousands of victims, killings and enforced disappearances are a call to responsibly engage in and learn from this dark period for a brighter future.”
They quoted Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, “Those who do not know how to look back from whence they came will never reach their destination” and stressed, “Remembering and learning from the past is the first step in ensuring that such events will never happen again.”
It is just as well: the Filipino people and its revolutionary movement have never forgotten!
We distinctly remember how US imperialism propped up the Marcos fascist dictatorship until its overthrow by the Filipino people in 1986. We remember how it coddled the deposed dictator until his family’s return to the Philippines in 1991. We remember the staunch US support for the successive equally repressive, corrupt and anti-Filipino regimes of Corazon C. Aquino, Gen. Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria M. Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III and Rodrigo Duterte. We are thus keenly aware how US President Joe Biden welcomed Marcos, Jr. as their new neocolonial puppet.
No, the Filipino people have never forgotten and we will fight on!
The Communist Party of the Philippines was re-established in December 1968 and the New People’s Army was formed in March 1969, during the first presidential term of Marcos, Sr. Half a century on, the Philippine revolutionary movement has persevered, expanded across the archipelago and grown stronger despite the darkest periods of Martial Law. It remains the most powerful weapon of the Filipino people in remembering and learning from the past and in forging the path forward to a brighter future.
Germany reminded us correctly, Never Forget is the first step. Indeed, we are taking the next steps. In the midst of our constant battle against fascism and dictatorship, we are also building the new democratic order in the rural villages and towns. Collectives for land reform, rural production, environmental protection, health care, education, self-defense and public order are governing communities in 72 provinces of the total 81 provinces in the country.
The Filipino people will fight on for a brighter future: free from armed conflict, fascism, dictatorship and neocolonial servility. And we are looking forward to forging solidarity with other nations on the basis of cooperation, mutual sustainable development and international peace.