Youth activists rally against hero’s burial for Marcos
Youth activists and university-based student groups organized a noise barrage along Katipunan Avenue today in commemoration of the 44th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.
The protest, led by Akbayan Youth, was a response to Imee Marcos’ call to the Filipino people to forgive his father President Ferdinand Marcos and to push through with the late dictator’s burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
JC Tejano of Akbayan youth said that forgiving Marcos without the crimes of Martial Law being retributed is “an invitation to repeat the sins of the past.”
“How can we forgive the Marcoses who not only continues to live off of the money of the people but also whitewash their roles during Martial Law,” Tejano said during the protest.
The PCGG estimates that the Marcoses amassed a total of USD 5-10 Billion and have yet to return USD 1.4-6.4 billion to the Filipinos.
The youth groups also called on their fellow youth to use this opportunity to know more about Martial Law.
“It is our generation’s responsibility to honor their memory by echoing their voices and standings by the truth, especially when the truth is being silenced by those in power,” Tejano concluded.
Among the groups that joined the protest were Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle University-based student organizations together with the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, Duyan ng Magiting Coalition, Akbayan Partylist, Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, and Pandayan-PASCRES.###
