Left to take care of their grandchildren, Lilith and Dolores shared their story as mothers of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims, calling for justice as their sons were deprived of due process.
Lilith, a mother of two children who were victims of EJK last 2015 and 2018, shared how her one of her sons was shot because he was mistaken for a wanted person.
“Pagkasunod adlaw, gikuha ‘to sa mga taga-NBI, gidala ‘to sa opisina, ana ko ‘Sir unsa diay atraso sa akong anak? Gipatay man to na nagtrabaho man to siya?’ Kalook-alike ra daw, naalaan ra daw. Mabuhi pa diay ingun ana nga istorya na look-alike man. Naa daw uruy ilang tirahan parehas daw niyag buhok, lawas, pero di gyud siya mao,” Lilith expressed her frustration.
Dolores, who lost three children and her husband because of EJK, expressed her grief for the unjust death of her family, leaving her alone and jobless.
“Nganong anaon man? Asa ang hustisya? Magpasaylo man gani ang Ginoo, kita nga tao pa kaha?
“Nganong akong anak na tulo, gikuha pa jud akong bana na haligi sa akong panimalay? Karon unsa man ko, bisag asa lang ko nagpuyo, nangarkila. Wa ko’y kabayad,” Dolores cried out.
Adding salt to the wound, Dolores showed her frustration against laundry service businesses, because their popularity left her jobless.
“Labandera biya ko. Nasuko ko sa laundry kay kusog biya ang laundry. Samantalang ako kuso-kuso lang, ang laundry automatic… Wa na ko’y trabaho. Luoy kaayo ko… nag-antos lang mi sa akong apo,” she exclaimed.
Duterte’s Martial Law
Emmanuel Moso, Kilusan organizer under People’s Campaign Against Tyranny (PCAT), said that the purpose of the event was to educate the younger generation on how today’s Martial Law has increased the numbers of killings in the country, and provided a ‘false sense of security’ especially to the Davaoeños.
“Declaration sa Marcos Martial Law, September 21, today pipila lang sa ato ang naka-experience, sa mga kabatan-onan wala, mas nindut man gyud tong direkta, mas maistorya kung unsa ang kasunatian. Dili lang man kana lang pud na martial law ang gusto natong hisgutan, kani pung present na declaration,” Moso said.
Various progressive groups such as PCAT and iDefend released their statements in flyers against Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao, condemning his war on drugs which increased the number of EJKs.
“His ‘tokhang’ was hist first ‘shock and awe’ campaign to scare critics and numb people, especially the poor, to passivity. The way it is being executed showed everyone that it was easy for the administration to dispose anyone by mere tagging as ‘drug addict,’ or ‘pusher’ and the ‘nanlaban’ as excuse for killing,” PCAT stated in their “Rage against Tyranny, Stand for Democracy” flyer.
Ever since Duterte declared Martial Law in Mindanao on May 23 last year following the Marawi siege, progressive groups have claimed that the number of EJKs during Duterte’s Martial Law was higher than that of Marcos’.
The Panagtagbo 2018: Mamognaong Panaghiusa ug Pakigbisog sa Panahon sa Martial Law provided an avenue for the families of EJK victims to share their story, held at 3/F Pastoral Building, Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, September 21.
Progressive groups PCAT, iDefend, Katilingbanong Pagtambayayong, and Konsensya Dabaw organized the said event, in line with the day’s 46th anniversary of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law in 1972.
Along with the open forum to reflect upon Martial Law experiences, the event included artistic presentations and candle lighting to remember the victims of Martial Law.