ask Ramos and Enrile about Martial Law ‘abuses’?

Why not ask Ramos and Enrile about Martial Law ‘abuses’? February 28, 2016 11:17 pm RIGOBERTO D. TIGLAO by RIGOBERTO D. TIGLAO After all, for almost the entire period of martial law, Juan Ponce Enrile (now a senator), served officially as Martial Law administrator and Defense Secretary in charge of all the armed forces’ services during that time. Fidel V. Ramos, who later became President of the Philippines, was director of both the Philippine Constabulary (PC) and Philippine Integrated Police (PIP) during the Martial Law days. The two of them commanded the soldiers and police, who allegedly committed horrible human rights abuses during that regime. But then we elected Ramos as President, and Enrile for five senate terms, didn’t we? And now President Aquino says we shouldn’t elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for vice-president? I’ve never heard of death squads directly under Marcos. If Enrile and Ramos weren’t in control of army and police killers and torturers, and even of the feared anti-Communist Gen. Rolando Abadilla, then why didn’t they resign early? But would you really believe these two strong-willed men didn’t control the organizations under them? If there were human rights abuses that President BS Aquino 3rd is now blaming Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for, they were undertaken by the armed forces under Enrile and by the PC under Ramos. In fact, I’ve never heard allegations of human rights violations by operatives of the National Intelligence Services Agency, the unit which the alleged Marcos factotum Gen. Fabian Ver headed. Take my case. The arrest orders against me and my late wife, Raquel, were issued by Ramos, who was, would you believe, PC Chief from 1970 to 1986. It was the PC’s top anti-subversive unit, the 5th Constabulary Security Unit (which also captured Communist chief Jose Sison and most of the Party’s leaders) that arrested us, with one of their tall burly soldiers beating me up. We were incarcerated for nearly two years, early 1973 to Christmas 1974, in Camp Aguinaldo and Fort Bonifacio special prisons that were under the supervision of Martial Law administrator Enrile, so I should blame him for the scars of the boils I got on my body because of the malnutrition and unhygienic conditions in those prisons. In the end it was Enrile who officially ordered our release, “in the spirit of reconciliation and Christmas,” to quote the release order. Marcos, with his two top officials then commanding the military and the police: Defense Secretary Enrile and Constabulary chief Ramos. Marcos, with his two top officials then commanding the military and the police: Defense Secretary Enrile and Constabulary chief Ramos. If human rights violations during Martial Law were as horrible as Aquino claims, then why did her mother Cory appoint Ramos first as her AFP Chief of Staff and then Defense Secretary? Not only that, she suddenly turned around and fielded Ramos for the 1992 presidential race, and threw government resources behind him, abandoning the veteran anti-Marcos opposition leader Speaker Ramon Mitra, one of the first people along with her husband who were arrested by soldiers of the PC chief, hours after Martial Law was declared. If the human rights violations during Martial Law were so horrible, Cory either set aside all moral decency and closed her eyes to these, or she was such an opportunist that she decided to use Ramos to defend her from the seven coup attempts against her, and then relied on him to watch her back when she stepped own from power. Even if Ramos defected – really in the last “five minutes” of the dictatorship – and became an EDSA I hero, she could have just asked him to retire quietly as his way of apologizing for the alleged human rights abuses by his officers and soldiers. But he gave the former Marcos PC chief an entirely new and glorious career, as one of our best Presidents ever. And if the human rights violations during Martial Law were so horrible, why did President Aquino, who had loyal supporters among the senators, allow Enrile to become Senate president, the second most powerful man in the country? Honest with history We need to be honest with our history, and not let it be hijacked by the Yellow Cult, especially by Aquino, who is using it for his political agenda – in the present case, to put down Marcos Jr. who is running as a vice presidential candidate, so the Palace VP bet Leni Robredo, a necro-politician like him, would win. There were indisputably human rights violations during Martial Law, even the most despicable ones. Many of my close friends were killed by the military or the constabulary in their mid-twenties. However, I would blame Communist chief Jose Ma. Sison for many of those deaths because he deployed those men who were barely out of their teens to foment unrest and revolt in the countryside, telling them that the masses had been roused to revolution because of Martial Law. They were very poorly armed, and were killed not even by the military but by police and militias who thought they were bandits. There would always be such human rights violations whenever people in arms are given absolute authority, without the rule of law to check them. There are sadists in any military organization: even the US armed forces, with all their huge legalistic apparatus and democratic values, couldn’t stop Drone operators from killing civilians in Iraq, and Guantanamo guards – even the females, would you believe? – from torturing their prisoners. But there are also many soldiers, including the PC operatives who arrested us, in fact, who have been so scared to go into the battlefield, or undertake an arrest operation, that they needed to first get drunk or take drugs – to make them forget their human values. There has never been any real, objective analysis of human rights violations during Martial Law, and all we’ve really heard is the propaganda of the Yellow Cult that resorts to demonizing the Marcos regime to cover up for its own corruption and inefficiency. The important question to answer should be obvious, and Ramos and Enrile should tell us what they think happened: Was there a policy of the Marcos regime to systematically kill the opposition and torture them? Or were the human rights abuses exceptional cases, aberrations, similar to cases of police brutality? There are historians, for instance, who have concluded that Indonesia’s 31-year old strongman rule under Gen. Suharto implemented a plan to totally exterminate the Indonesian Communists, which got out of hand and resulted in the killing of 500,000 Indonesians, mostly Chinese. The South Korean strongman, Gen. Park Chung Hee directly supervised the dreaded Korean Central Intelligence Agency, which was responsible for the abduction, torture and killing of opposition activists. I’m sure Enrile and Ramos can tell us if there was such a policy or not. If indeed, there was such a policy, I don’t think these two would have allowed themselves to be its executioners. What complicates an objective assessment of human rights violations during Martial Law is this, and most Filipinos aren’t aware of it: There were two internal bloody wars raging during the entire Martial Law period. The first was the Republic against the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which, with Libyan and Malaysian backing, was rallying the Muslims to fight for an independent state. The second was the war declared by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the protracted people’s war as the rebel group called it, plagiarizing Mao Ze Dong – when it was established in 1969, before Martial Law. Even the CPP flag emphasized it: The hammer-and-sickle communist logo, with an AK-47 across it. It wasn’t an empty threat of war. China was set to deliver 10,000 M-14 rifles to the NPA, which they especially manufactured solely for that purpose. The CPP bungled the first two deliveries so much that Mao Ze Dong aborted the plan. Communist chief Jose Sison, as early as 1971, was boasting that Isabela was becoming his Yenan. The horrors of war Out of the alleged killings, tortures and disappearances the Yellow Cult claims, how many of those were due to the horrors of war, when combatants lose their humanity because of their fear of death in an explosive mix, with feelings of absolute hatred against the perceived enemy? Most of those killed and offered as proof of Martial Law’s human rights violations, and shamelessly used in Aquino’s carnival of horrors he calls the “People Power Experiential Museum,” were the first generation of cadres of the Communist Party who tried to sow revolution, unsuccessfully, all over the country. This is simply because those who took up arms against Martial Law in its early years were either with the Communist Party or the MNLF. The Liberal Party and the Kumbaya-singing peaceniks like the Social Democrats, as well as the religious group-backed organizations such as Kasapi and Lakasdiwa, had turned tail and disappeared, terrified when Martial Law was imposed. Even the able sons of Marcos’ archenemies – like Benigno S. Aquino 3rd and Manuel Roxas 2nd – chose to live quiet lives abroad. After finishing college in 1981, Aquino joined his father for an American-dream kind of life in Massachusetts. Roxas studied at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton, he says), and was looking to a Wall Street career, apparently oblivious of his country. He returned home only in 1993 when Mommy ordered him back when his elder brother died, since he was the only remaining son to continue his family’s political clout. (Too young to be involved? Most of the Communist cadres killed in the first years of Martial Law were in their teens and 20s.) Only when the dictatorship started weakening in the 1980s did the non-Communist opposition – very few, however – took up arms against the Marcos regime. Take the case of a former comrade who has been a poster boy for human rights violations during Martial Law. His tale goes: he was just a student activist and a writer in a student-newspaper when the 5th CSU operatives arrested and tortured him. That’s true, and I sympathize with him, but the tale is only half the truth. That guy was a top Communist cadre, in charge of what was then called the “Explosives Movement” directly operating under the Politburo. That was the group in charge of manufacturing what are now called IEDs – improvised explosive devices. Again, take my case. I can claim to be a human rights victim, that I was jailed for two years because I was student activist at the Ateneo and a labor organizer in factories in Marikina. That’s true, but not the whole truth. I was a firebrand Communist, believing in my heart that only through the dictatorship of the proletariat could humanity end man’s exploitation of man. I headed the party’s organization in the metropolis when we were arrested. We were also organizing the first armed urban guerillas called romantically the Armed City Partisans. While we were pathetic, really kids playing soldier with untested World War II vintage carbines and pistols, those units would later evolve in the 1980s as deadly assassination squads, called the Alex Boncayao Brigade. I don’t like to be called a “human rights victim,” as that makes me look like a wimp and it is inauthentic. We were revolutionaries of that era, but we lost. If we had won, we would have put Ramos, Enrile and all the Marcoses – as well as the landlords like the Cojuangcos and Aquinos – in prison, or most likely in front of firing squads. And if there were a proletarian heaven, my departed comrades peeking down at us would be so angry at being used by Aquino in his anti-Marcos propaganda and portrayed as pussies, “Martial Law victims.” They would prefer to be called Revolutionary Martyrs. tiglao.manilatimes@gmail.com 25 Responses to Why not ask Ramos and Enrile about Martial Law ‘abuses’? Kotimoy says: February 29, 2016 at 9:40 am Whether we like it or not they’ve got BLOOD IN THEIR FRIGGIN HANDS Reply ren fuentes says: February 29, 2016 at 8:38 am mr tiglao, this is a very good piece. kasamahan mo pala si edjop. i would like to ask you if you know where this benito boy sisi was during the edsa revolt?? i do not know where he was to say those things about edsa revolt. i know his mother was hiding in cebu monastery fearful of her like. lumabas lang sa lunga, kung baga, nung maliwanag na bumaligtad na ang mga kano at pinapaalis na si makoy sr sa malacanan. Reply Emma says: February 29, 2016 at 8:29 am Let the history be known to many! Thank you for this article. Reply Rowena says: February 29, 2016 at 8:22 am My only question why wait until now to pen this story. Why just now? Where are our intelligent resourceful historians to test and confirm everything that was said? I already list my faith and trust to our government and media. Each one are manipulating the mind of our people. Reply Bart T. Quero says: February 29, 2016 at 8:21 am ..this revelation directly from the person who was imprisoned and a real “victim” of martial rule really enlightened my mind what was really happened during those tumultuous years of Marcos regime…I realized that you can’t twisted the truth and fooled the people all the times because someone like Mr. Tiglao will come out to tell us the truth..Bravo! Reply jud says: February 29, 2016 at 8:17 am Why not ask them? After all these years, these two guys Enrile & Ramos are top living legends of Martial Law w/c FM declared. Why blame Marcos Jr.? Instead, we should vote BBM because of his patriotism, efficiency, etc. as a leader. May God bless Bongbong Marcos! Reply willy buen says: February 29, 2016 at 7:52 am Until now communism still exist and pestering our country in the rural and urban front. JM Sison still command arm struggle not by peaceful means. Martial law saved this country from being a communist state! Reply freddie says: February 29, 2016 at 7:23 am Thank you brod for this explosive information. I can share this for the benefit of those (esp.) still in the blind of communism and still recruiting. We are in the same age during those times of KM. Emmie dj, clarence a., etc Reply robert evora says: February 29, 2016 at 7:09 am I salute you, Sir Tiglao!!! I believe… Reply Senior says: February 29, 2016 at 7:07 am I’m very thankful to the author for being frank and truthful. His narration regarding martial law was very clear and I believed in him. I was student at that time. Even we were not rich but life at that time was peaceful because people was afraid to violate any laws . There was discipline and not much thieves at that time. Now as if every time you go out of your house you should alway be careful of your belongings. Before food became abundant after few years of martial rules . Many big factories and business was flourishing in our country. It was because after the death of Noynoy were everyday civil unrest for years that undermined the business viability that many closed down and transfer abroad . We practical give our country advantage to Thailand , Malaysia and Singapore . Because after those big foreign corporation closed down most of them transfer to these country. Look where these country economy are now and where does people power bring us today. It’s very sad to see many people suffer because of these political maneuvering. Unless we United this country we cannot bring back the old glory we once have as a country. Reply DAKILA says: February 29, 2016 at 6:49 am Your right Mr. Tiglao. If there are really abuses like tortures, killings and disappearances which were illegally done, then investigate the still alive former civilian and military officers who implemented the Martial Law e.g. Enrile, Ramos, Almonte and including Gazmin who is a lieutenant that time. Why focus on Bongbong who at that time is still in his teens and does not have any say to the affairs of the government. Reply zak Pasiking says: February 29, 2016 at 6:25 am Well said sir. Now the truth came out..! So yellow cults, stop blaming Marcos, period. Reply Kurokuro lang says: February 29, 2016 at 6:14 am Ramos and enrile are the epitome of what we call a heartless traitor. These two could have been hanged to death, yet, They were elected as president and as a senator respectively, so easily, hiding the truth to the people and using the marcoses as their punching bags and excuse as if they were not the living witnesses and the excecutioners of that bloody martial law they are talking about. They know what really happened but they cant speak now because it will all come back to them. Why not, it made them heroes anyway and they dont wanna rewrite the history. Reply jim says: February 29, 2016 at 3:27 am Pnoy Aquino never make an objective assessment of everything. Everytime he opens his mouth, he subjects everything under his filthy and “incomplete mind”. Now his daang matuwid is barely mentioned as the election campaign winds down because it is only a “fad” to twist the minds of people and a weapon to jail his opponents. I did not hear of legitimate abuse of human during the Martial law years, maybe I am wrong and I apologize for that. But my question is: if anyone revolts against the authority, does the authority have the option to subvert it. Martial law was declared according to the constitution that makes it legitimate. Still martial law is not nice. But I have been a law abiding citizen and did not suffer of any abuse during those years and instead my business prospered because there was peace among the citizens, my children grew up happy. The people were generally and mutually respectful of each other during the martial law years. Comparing those years nowadays, I missed them. I did not run afoul with the government because I followed the law and without being abused and trampled of my rights. But I was not and am not a supporter of martial law. Judgment on the martial law era depends on who is talking. Is the present day Philippines much better than the martial law years, if so, in what aspect? If the present condition is free from graft, corruption, and abuse from authorities, that will make me reverse my comments. When this president puts his enemies to jail indefinitely, he is exactly doing the same for what was done to his late father. The difference is his enemies are not traitors of the state, his father was because he betrayed his own country to the Malaysians that led to our losing Sabah. Reply Dhanie says: February 29, 2016 at 2:44 am Wow….amazing history learned from this article…wonderful!!! Reply Dan Louis says: February 29, 2016 at 2:26 am This article, Hit the Nail directly on the head, i myself has been asking the very same question for over two years. Very well written and Presented, I have nothing more to add to it. God bless. Reply JRaffyO says: February 29, 2016 at 2:23 am Why don’t we look beyond Martial Law or the regime of Marcos way back to as far as possible such as the regime of Magsaysay or more and trace anything about all of these players, I mean all of them, and find out their tract records as public servants and government officials? Let us look all their contributions to our country and its people. Let us also look on the history of their families and relatives and find out who are really helping or abusing the country and its people. It will be interesting to find out who are really the heroes and/or villains of our country. For sure, there’s more to it than meets the eye? What we really know or need to know might have been destroyed or twisted by the demons who are good in demonizing and/or the enemies of state who are out to destroy our country and the Filipino people for their own vested interests. Dapat nating malaman kung sino talaga ang nakikinabang sa ating bansa at mamamayang Filipinos at kung sino ang nagsasakripisiyo para sa kapakanan, kapalaran at kinabukasan ng ating bansa at mamamayang Filipinos. Dapat nating malaman kung sino talaga ang dapat nating paniwalaan at mapapagkatiwalaan dahil nawawala na ang tiwala natin sa bawat isa. Are we trusting the wrong people and destroying the right ones? Sino ba talaga sa ating mga Filipinos ang tunay na kaibigan at kaaway ng ating bansa? That’s what we need to know for us to move on in the right direction. We need to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help us God. The secret of freedom lies in educating people. Whereas the secret of tyranny is keeping them ignorant. – Maximiliene Robespierre Reply Mario Arocha says: February 29, 2016 at 1:55 am I couldn’t agree more. It’s the demonizing of Marcos that the yellowtards want to paint and not the reality of the struggle of the so-called “victims” of Martial Law. Reply leipzig says: February 29, 2016 at 1:25 am siguro nga mas maganda kung naging komunista ang Pilipinas para lahat tayo ay pantay-pantay, mahirap o mayaman. kasama nating nagbubungkal ng lupa ang mga anak ng rich and famous families katulad ng mga Araneta, Cojuangco, Aquino, Roxas, Elizalde, Sy, Ayala, etc. pati iyong mga magaganda nilang mga anak ay nagbubungkal ng lupa sa kasagsagan ng tindi init ng araw. Reply beth says: February 29, 2016 at 8:15 am sa akin palagay kahit na naging komunista tayo ngayon marami pa rin mga corrupt, kung sino ang nasa kapangyarihan sila din makikinabang ng marami hindi rin pantay pantay dahil marami pa rin ang gusto na sila lang ang maginhawa . kumikita na hindi napoapagod leipzig says: February 29, 2016 at 1:06 am “….. If we had won, we would have put Ramos, Enrile and all the Marcoses – as well as the landlords like the Cojuangcos and Aquinos – in prison, or most likely in front of firing squads.” Now, after reading this, shouldn’t we be thankful that Marcos saved the Philippines from communists, CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, NPA commander Dante Buscayno and communist sympathizer like Ninoy Aquino? Maybe it would be better if we had fallen under Communism so that the landlords like the Roxas, Cojuangcos, Aquinos, Zobels, Ayalas, Concepcions, Sorianos, Aranetas, Elizaldes, et al would be imprisoned by CPP-NPAs and do hard labor, or die by firing squads. Dapat pala silang magpasalamat kay Marcos at hindi naging komunista ang Pilipinas. But in the inverted world of Philippine politics and media, the patriotic Marcos became a villain, and a villain became a hero and got an airport named after him. Reply ren fuentes says: February 29, 2016 at 8:10 am yung pinaghirapang hanapin at arestuhin na si joma sison ay pinakawalan lang ni cory. ngayon nanduon sa nehterlands at pakape kape lang at nagbibigay ng utos sa mga cadre ng npa para itumba ang ating bansa. Roland says: February 29, 2016 at 12:38 am Thanks for this very interesting and enlightening column Mr. Tiglao. Reply Danawanon says: February 29, 2016 at 12:05 am Thank you, Rigoberto. for the very factual article. Reply rodrigonase says: February 28, 2016 at 11:39 pm I call this straight from the horse’s mouth and let’s see if the yellow propagandists can claim otherwise. Reply Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment We will be glad to publish your opinion and relevant information you would like to share with our readers in our comment section. We do not however publish ad hominem criticisms, vulgar language, and off-topic comments. 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