By Ana Rufa Padua and Regina Elaine Vendivil

As the Philippines remembers Martial Law, different organizations and universities across the country offer various free webinars and film-viewings to revisit the dark era of the Marcos regime.

Film-Screenings

In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND), in partnership with LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights), will be having an iDEFEND Film Showing and Talkback on September 23, from 4 to 6 PM via Facebook Live.

This film screening event entitled, “KwaranSine 2.0 Batas Militar sa Lente ng Bagong Henerasyon” will feature short films made by students from the Far Eastern University Department of Communication portraying the gross violation of human rights during the Martial Law era and their parallelism with the events and issues that transpire under the administration today. 

Additionally, Active Vista has launched their International Human Rights Festival 2021 with the theme, ”Kwento Natin ‘To: Reclaiming our Stories as a Nation” which will be celebrated from September 21 to October 10.

The festival spotlights a lineup of programs varying from film screenings, forums, and events that discuss Martial Law and delve into the stories of human rights struggles many are still experiencing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Active Vista offers their audience a chance to witness the screening of various programs through their online forum sign-ups, with Frontline films including ML, a film by Benedict Mique, The Kingmaker by Lauren Greenfield, Respeto by Treb Monteras II, Pisay by Auraeus Solito, Aswang by Alyx Ayn Arumpac, and Tao Po by Mae P. Paner.

Webinars

Apart from film screenings, the University of the Philippines (UP) will be holding their Days of Remembrance through a five-day webinar with the theme, “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Batayang Katotohanan at Aral ng Batas Militar.” 

Each session will go in-depth on topics related to specific issues that fall prey to misinformation such as the corruption and cronyism of the Marcos administration, the supposed “peaceful society”, and Marcos’ alleged heroism. Further details and sign-ups are found here.

The University of Makati’s Political Science Organization will also be holding a webinar entitled,  BATAS MILITAR: “Learning the Lessons of the Past and Its Relevance Today,” on September 24 (Friday) at 1:30 pm.

Guest speakers Vice President Leni Robredo, Dr. Maria Serena Diokno, Prof. John Ray Ramos, and Prof. Francisco Guiang will be joining to talk about what transpired during Marcos’ regime and how the country has progressed since then.

You may sign-up for the webinar here or you may opt to watch through the livestream on their Facebook page.

Let us listen to the stories of our countrymen who were victims of the Marcoses’ atrocities and learn to never let this dark history repeat ever again. #NoToHistoricalRevisionism #NeverForget #NeverAgain

References:

Llaneta, C. A. C. (2021, September 15). UP Days of Remembrance to shine a light on the myths and misinformation on Martial Law and the Marcos regime. University of the Philippines. Retrieved from https://up.edu.ph/up-days-of-remembrance-to-shine-a-light-on-the-myths-and-misinformation-on-martial-law-and-the-marcos-regime/?fbclid=IwAR12_T074BjrBcQbSHr2NhCERnGtaZAj2JWtBNuspIFIK7imJbeygFAkE5M 

Political Science Organization. (2021, September 15). Heads up, Herons and Lady Herons! Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialUMakPso/posts/3088418258106087

Rappler.com. (2021b, September 17). LIST: 49th Martial Law anniversary protests, activities. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/moveph/list-martial-law-anniversary-protests-activities-philippines-september-2021 

Photo Source: GOV.PH