Never Again?
The most important election of the country since 1986 has been a victory for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. For him and his followers, a grand celebration in order to rectify and restore the Marcos name in national politics. For the rest, the worst disaster in current history.
The Marcoses already started to rehabilitate their reputation in Hawaii upon being exiled owing to the revolution of 1986. Many times their victims fought for justice and the Philippine government had always denied any form of it to them. In fact, one cannot find any justice in the Philippines, as corrupt politicians will always find ways to avoid the consequences of their actions. They have powers so that the law does not apply to them.
Relating to the election, the ignorance of the people has been obvious, choosing the son of a dictator instead of a candidate with a clean record. The teaching of the atrocities committed by the Marcos administration had not been effective. The youth in general learn the country’s history through Tik Tok or other social media platforms instead of reading books or listening to the testimonies of the victims. We have become a people that decides to forget the dark past.
Under Martial Law, the authorities suspended the civil rights of the public. Any form of dissent was crushed brutally. Not even the end of Martial Law in 1981 stopped the atrocities against activists. The family continued stealing taxes and impoverishing the country. It was only in 1986 did the people — not just the activists — rise up to oust the dictatorship at last. And now after 36 years, the succeeding generations who did not live in said period have become victims of propaganda and fake news, having been brainwashed to believe in the supposed achievements. The survivors continue saying “never again” so that the memories of the atrocities remain firm in the minds of the succeeding generations. What will happen now to these repeated cries in order to constantly remind the Filipinos of that horrible time? Are the Filipino people going to forget the terrible history of Martial Law?
It is terrible that the Philippines has to go through another probable dictatorship. The survivors however, will have to relive the horrible memories that happened to them. The people have voted for Bongbong Marcos without realizing the grave consequences of their decision.
Will the country survive?
