Events: ML at 40

Rights groups mark 2nd leg of commemoration of 40th anniversary of Martial Law. Various human rights groups held over the weekend the second leg of their six-month campaign to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the declaration of martial law this year.

Held Saturday at the Sunken Garden of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, the event was part of the broader campaign dubbed “rememberML@40,” which seeks to “inspire” people to make human rights a “way of life,” and to prevent future declarations of martial rule. Involved in the activity were The Philippine Association of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Task Force Detainees (TFD) and Claimants 1081. Other groups that took part were SANLAKAS, Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights), Youth for Rights (Y4R), Metro Manila Vendors Alliance (MMVA), Medical Action Group (MAG), Tbak, and the Bukluran ng Manggawang Pilipino (BMP). The Facebook-based campaign plans to hold a series of activities every 21st of the month, The groups kicked off their campaign with a fun run in March. Rights group starts 'Run' for martial law's 40th anniversary. As a lead-up activity to the 40th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on September 21, an alliance of human rights groups spearheaded a monthly run dubbed "Run to Remember" the horrors of the dictatorial rule.

The Philippine Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) started the monthly run Wednesday as build-up activity that will culminate in September. PAHRA to commemorate Martial Law at U.P. Diliman's Sunken Garden - DILIMAN DIARY. Human Rights groups launch FB campaign to inform and inspire the youth to remember Martial Law. Human Rights groups launch FB campaign to inform and inspire the youth to remember Martial Law Human Rights groups launched an awareness education campaign online about Martial Law six months before its 40th Anniversary.

Tagged as #rememberML@40, the group pledged to inform and inspire the youth about the dark days of tyranny and urged lawmakers to pass the compensation for martial law victims’ bill before the 40th Anniversary of the Marcos declaration of military rule in the country on September 21 through social networking site Facebook. To remind the public about this part of our history and educate the new generation, human rights groups led by Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Claimants 1081 together with the Commission on Human Rights, PCGG and peoples organizations joined efforts and target to reach 40,000 informed and inspired individuals online by September 21.

“The bill has been filed and re-filed since the 10th Congress. [From the web] Join Us in Remembering Martial Law. Join Us in Remembering Martial Law by Gigo Alampay April 1, 2012 My name is Gigo Alampay and I am the executive director of CANVAS (www.canvas.ph), a nonprofit that promotes Philippine art and culture, and that also explores the use of art to encourage discussion on selected social development issues.

I recently realized that this September 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the Declaration of Martial Law, and I thought of this idea for a group art exhibit that I hope can generate some long overdue discussion on what those times were really all about. As a teacher (part-time) in UP, as well as a father to three children, I am sometimes bothered that the memory of martial law is not being passed to the next generation. Or worse, that some of the young actually are beginning to believe an alternative version of history that says that that we might have been better off with Marcos, and that what we may need now is a return to some form of “benevolent dictatorship.”

How can you help? –Gigo. An Outing “to remember” by victims and survivors of Martial Law -PAHRA. An Outing “to remember” by victims and survivors of Martial LawUniversity of the Philippines, Diliman.

Quezon City Victims and survivors of Martial Law human rights violations gathered today at the Sunken Garden of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, for an outing “to remember” the dark years of Martial Law 40 years ago as well as the swell of people’s courage to resist and struggle for basic freedoms, human rights and democracy.