‘What we feel now is what we felt during Martial Law,’ victim warns Filipinos
Martial Law victim Hilda Narciso tells her experiences during Ferdinand Marcos's dictatorship. Photo by Ciara Samantha Annatu.
Human rights violations are possibly committed if another nationwide martial law will be declared.
This was the warning of Martial Law victim, Hilda Narciso, to Filipinos regarding the government’s plan on declaring a nationwide martial law.
“[M]atindi ang [human rights violations noon] kaya talagang nag-aayaw kami ng martial law. Never again with martial law because they can change the system. Binabago at sinisira nila ang sistema na tinayo at pinaghirapan ng mga tao,” Narciso said in a personal interview with The Spiral Journal.
Narciso, a 72-year-old former teacher and church worker, was among the female detainees repeatedly raped during the dictatorship of late President Ferdinand Marcos.
Narciso said the Philippines’s “social environment” today has similarity with the country’s environment during the Marcos’s administration.
“1970s nararamdaman na ‘yan doon sa Mindanao. Pero kung tutuusin sa ngayon, ang situation natin, kung nararamdaman mo ang takot at galit, ganoon din ang nararamdaman namin noon—hindi pa nagma-Martial Law,” Narciso said.
“Get a first-hand information from [martial law victims] of what Martial Law is all about and you’ll have a bird’s eye information about what Martial Law [is]. Wala pang martial law, nararamdaman ko na ang nararamdaman namin during the time of Martial Law—ganitong ganito,” she added.
A story of atrocity
On March 24, 1983, Narciso visited a German pastor in Davao City and spent the night at his home together with some members of the Christians for National Liberation group. That same evening, a group of military men raided the house and arrested the pastor including Narciso herself.
“[D]i ko akalain na I was in the wrong place and the wrong time and I was caught in that situation na pati 'yung mga owner ng bahay, naaresto. Nagbarge-in lang yung mga militaries,” Narciso said.
They were taken after the owners of the house where suspected of conspiracy to commit rebellion. She was brought to a separate car where the military men blindfolded, handcuffed, and interrogated her. Narciso was told that she would be taken to the headquarters assuming she would be “safe
“[I]t was a huge house and then we were very close to the airport, every now and then merong akyat na eroplano, yanig 'yung area, baba na naman yung eroplano, yumayanig na naman, etc.—maingay, maingay talaga. So it’s very close to the airport and so I said this is not the headquarters. I presumed we were in the safehouse – yes we were,” Narciso said.
Narciso was brought into a room where she underwent the first series of sexual abuse from the military.
“[P]agkadating sa loob ng room, a voice says 'Sige labas na kayo i-lock ang door.' He, whoever he is successfully raped me and then after the rape I was brought out of the room and I was made to lie on the floor at pinutakteka na parang hayop,” she said.
Out of gushed emotions, Narciso hurled: “Don’t you have sisters, mothers, girlfriends, wives? If this happens to them, how would you feel?” Military men answered Narciso with: “'Well ok lang, ‘wag lang ipakita sa amin.'”
Narciso was detained for six months and recalled how she and her friends were inhumanely treated. They were fed with rotten fish that had worms and slept on humid cells with rats and mosquitoes rattled around them.
“[M]abuti pa ang basahan, kung lilinisin mo, malilinis at mapapaputi mo pa. Pero ang tao, hindi. So feeling very down ka, humiliated, degraded ang pagkatao mo,” Narciso said.
Message to Filipinos
Narciso said Martial law victims, including her, would never stop telling Filipinos about their experiences and warning the country for the possible human rights violations if another nationwide martial law would be declared.
“[H]indi kami magtatagal sa buhay namin sa mundo. But we wanted [ourselves] to be the bridge toward the next generation, we’re going to do something, continue on loving [our] country and loving [our] fellowmen because what are we here for?” Narciso said.
“Ganoon kaloko [ang Martial Law], kaya kung patay ako, ‘di ko masasabi ‘yung kwento na ‘yun. Pero maraming mga dumaan sa torture na hindi na nakapagsalita ng katotohanan, kagaya nung nangyayari ngayon, ‘yung katotohanan hindi mo na makuha sa kanila [kasi] patay na sila eh,” she added.
The Commission on Human Rights is a significant institution especially in checking the government’s committed and potential human rights violations, Narciso emphasized.
“Kailangan natin ang check and balance dahil hindi nacheck and balance during the time of Martial Law. Dahil walang check and balance, they [could] kill [us], they [could] bring [us] anywhere, they [could] do a lot whatever they want to do with the people. Walang respeto na sa tao,” Narcisso said.
Narciso said the wrong notion about the “peaceful environment” during Martial Law must be corrected by Filipinos.
“People [were] ready to be killed at that time sa EDSA power kasi bobombahan na sana sila noon. Ngayon ang nangyari, EDSA power. Sasabihin natin tahimik? Naramdaman namin ‘yan. ‘Yang nararamdaman [natin] ngayon, naradaman namin ‘yan noon—mas masahol p[a],” Narciso said.
Narciso urged Filipinos today, especially the young generations to be “critically-minded people” and have a full understanding of martial law is to know its possible detrimental effects.
“You have to have questioning minds. Huwag tango nang tango lang. Maraming trolls diyan, maraming fake news, maraming information na hindi dapat natin bigyan ng diin kaagad nang wala kang assurance kung totoo nga ba ito. Kailangan marunong mag suri, analytical ka rin [dapat],” Narciso said.
“To become analytical is a way to get the truth. How do you look at the truth? Hindi nakabasa ka lang ng isang truth na sinasabi mo. Baka trolls ‘yan. Hindi natin makikita ang katotohanan sa ganoon lang kaya mag-analyze ka, magresearch ka, magtanong ka, kausapin mo 'yung mga victims habang buhay pa sila,” she added. with reports from Ciara Samantha Annatu.