Fifty years after the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, the Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice and Democracy coalition has scheduled a free showing of the film “Dekada ’70” on Sunday to spread awareness of the pivotal period in that nation’s history.
The event, to be held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Shidler College of Business, will include time for attendees to share their personal stories, an open forum, a panel discussion, a song performance and a guest speaker.
“We would like people to come away with a different understanding of how martial law was in the Philippines and to start questioning what they see on social media and the things that they hear,” said Divina Robillard, a member of Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice and Democracy.
Martial law was declared by Marcos on Sept. 21, 1972, and lasted 14 years. He shut down Congress and newspapers, ruling by decree while ordering the arrest of political opponents and activists.
Robillard was 19 at the time and a student at the University of the Philippines, which she described as a “hotbed of activism.”
“While I wasn’t an activist myself, there were people I knew who were martyred, who were tortured and who went through the whole gamut of detention and long-term imprisonment,” Robillard said. “The people who lived through martial law, or at least some of us, are aghast that another Marcos (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) has risen to power while we’re still alive.”
Marcos Jr. won the presidency by a landslide in May, and in a television interview this week, he said it’s wrong to describe his late father as a dictator and that his brutal martial law rule in the 1970s was not meant to prolong his grip on power — comments that were immediately rejected by human rights activists.
The elder Marcos was toppled in the massive “People Power” uprising in 1986 and died in exile in Hawaii three years later.
The award-winning film, “Dekada ’70,” that will be screened Sunday is a fictional story based on true events. It follows a family through years of martial law while depicting Filipinos’ struggles for peace and justice, according to a news release.
Panelists appearing after the 2 p.m. screening include Belinda Aquino, who wrote a book on the Marcos family’s corruption during martial law and worked on the Philippine Commission for Good Governance to recover the stolen wealth. Also participating will be Raymund Liongson, who was incarcerated in the Philippines during the period of martial law.
Guests will be invited to share their own stories during the first hour of the event. Robillard said supporters of the Marcos family and martial law are welcome as well.
“We expect that,” she said. “And what the forum is going to show is that there are people who are very wedded to the idea that martial law was a good thing, and that there are also those among us who say it’s not.”
Robillard especially hopes that younger generations will attend.
Between those who lived through martial law, those who learned about it secondhand and those who benefited from martial law by befriending the Marcos family, Robillard understands there are many rumors and falsehoods being circulated about that period of Philippine history.
While Robillard said she understands that people will make their own decisions about what to believe, she hopes people will leave Sunday’s event with a clearer understanding of what it was like to live through the experience.
The event will take place at 1 p.m. in Room BUSAD A101 at the UH business school and is expected to wrap up between 4 and 5 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
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The Associated Press contributed to this article. Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
