BAYAN Negros joins the Filipino people in commemorating the 37th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution when they ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., a press release from Bayan Negros spokesperson Noli Rosales said.
The Marcoses’ return to power through Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr.’s fraudulent victory is already ushering a return to some of this country’s darkest days, particularly for Negros. Similar to Marcos Sr.’s martial law rule, is the militarization in farms.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines have made a war zone of Negros’ farming communities, with multiple reports of bombing, hamletting, and murders staged as fake encounters with armed rebels.
Last October, more than 15,000 civilians in Himamaylan were forced to evacuate and leave their homes while the AFP continued indiscriminately firing at their homes, shelling mortar cannons and howitzers, and stealing the masses’ livestock. Even minors and infants of alleged rebels were being terrorized by the military, the statement added.
Like his father, Marcos Jr. is set to continue the legacy of exploiting and selling off natural resources to appease his landlord cronies and foreign investors, all while letting the military use their overblown budget to harass, intimidate and even kill farmers.
“As our resources are being exploited or neglected and farmers mistreated, food supply and inflation are issues that will certainly worsen. As self-appointed Department of Agriculture head, Marcos Jr. sees importation as the answer to our food and inflation crises, failing to heed the calls of farmers for aid and genuine land reform”, the press release said.
Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship lasted 20 years partly due to the changes he and his lapdogs made to legislation, which is threatening to repeat itself now with Marcos Jr. and his own lapdogs eager for Charter Change (ChaCha).
Extending the presidency under Marcos Jr. and providing him with more power will not be for the benefit of the Filipino people when this will only ensure our sovereignty be sold off to warring imperial powers like the US and China.
The calls from the EDSA Revolution 37 years ago remain the same: hold the Marcoses accountable, return their ill-gotten wealth to the people, give justice to the victims of human rights violations, and fight for genuine liberation and democracy.
To commemorate the revolution’s anniversary, progressive groups led by BAYAN marched to the Fountain of Justice, where former Bayan Muna Congressman Neri Colmenares gave a speech. He recounted his experiences as a student imprisoned and tortured during the marital law years under Marcos Sr. He stated the struggle during EDSA is not over and we the people must continue it.
Meanwhile, the BUNYOG (Pagkakaisa) also held activities at the Fountain of Justice to mark the 37th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution.*
