Filipinos should be on their toes and guard against abuse of power with the imminent victory of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the country鈥檚 next president, according to victims of martial law atrocities during his father鈥檚 dictatorship.
Writer Dr. Jose 鈥淏utch鈥� Dalisay Jr., a professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines, reminded the youth of the importance of holding government officials liable for their actions.
He said the younger generation would play a vital role in the next several years as Marcos Jr. appeared to be on his way to succeeding President Duterte.
鈥榊our fight than ours鈥�
鈥淭his is more your fight than ours,鈥� Dalisay said in a recent online forum on the atrocities committed during the elder Marcos鈥� iron-fisted rule.
鈥淸Our generation] will be gone in a few years. You better rise to that challenge,鈥� he said.
Dalisay, who was jailed for seven months during martial law as a 19-year-old activist, remembered that only a few dared to challenge the dictatorial regime initially then.
鈥淪ome people say that streets got quieter as no protests were allowed,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he fact that many people were hunted, killed or imprisoned, never reached the front page of the broadsheets.鈥�
Former Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit lamented that nearly half a century after martial law was imposed in 1972, the 鈥渇orces of Marcos are still around.鈥�
Dayrit said he saw firsthand the poverty in the rural areas and the sufferings that poor families had to endure when he decided to work as a community doctor in Davao City and other parts of Mindanao during the martial law years.
鈥淟et me call on the next generation of health workers and health leaders to fight for and ensure health for all Filipinos,鈥� he said.
READ: Survivor can鈥檛 鈥榗omprehend鈥� experiencing martial law again