The Angelite faced its darkest downfall with the rise of Martial Law in 1972 under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. When the regime suspended all campus publications, all write-ups from The Angelite were burned and buried. Along those times, the militant struggle in the first quarter storm echoed its way into Central Luzon and inside the university.
Countless lives were taken in the name of liberation; those of the youth, peasants, activists, human rights advocates, and ordinary Filipinos. Many of which were student journalists, we recall Liliosa Hilao, a student journalist and the first victim to die in detention during martial rule. Her body showed signs of torture: her arms had injection marks, her lips had cigarette burns, and her body riddled with bruises. Many were abducted, tortured, illegally imprisoned as justice is yet to be served. As monitored by the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), there are at least 9,000 human rights violations from 1969 to 1986.
Campus publications were at the forefront of Marcos’ fascist dictatorship and this stays true 48 years later under the Duterte Regime. The culture of impunity and normalized killings are very much evident in their rule, leaving no room for dissent and criticisms.
The two administrations showed they are in par in being lapdogs of imperialist nations and traitors to their own nation. Much like in the Martial Law era, the Anti-Terrorism Law is being weaponized to suppress the people’s movement and for state forces to further oppress the masses in service of the ruling class.
Marcos is NOT a hero, so is the ailing Duterte in Malacañang. The Angelite, the official student publication of Holy Angel University, will stay strong with its conviction in amplifying the resistance of the Filipino people against tyranny and fascism. The broad toiling masses composed of workers, peasants, and intellectuals wield the power to topple any dictator from Marcos to Erap and now Duterte, and the Angelite will serve its mandate in delivering the truth and amplifying the ever-growing resistance of the people.
#NeverAgain
#MarcosNotAHero
#DuterteMarcosWalangPinagIba
