21/09/2025
๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐: If history keeps spinning on the same wheel, can a nation ever move forward?
In 1972, the Philippines fell into the hands of Marcos Sr.โs dictatorship. Fifty-three years later, the Filipinos are still under a certain tyrannyโone that has been latching onto our people for centuries. It is one that cannot be defeated merely by a march, but whose change can be sparked by one.
On September 21, 1972, as documented by Proclamation No. 1081, the Philippines was declared under a state of martial law under the then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Within that nine-year military rule, over 50,000 were unreasonably arrested and detained, while 11,103 were tortured and murdered. People who were considered political opponents against Marcosโ rule suddenly disappeared without a trace. These are not mere numbersโthey are people with names, families, and stories to tell, all silenced by a reign of terror. And now, with his son sitting in office as our countryโs president, a pressing question rises to the surface: do we ever learn from our past?
Short answer: we donโt. The irony is striking when we find the progeny of the man we ousted in the same exact seat we cried for him to be removed from decades ago. But are the Filipinos to be blamed, when the system has always been set up for doom? Politicians like Marcos Sr. who hide ill intentions under their coat of wool have been traipsing around our nation undeterredโthey have been dancing around the suffering of the Filipino people while they bask in luxuries funded by their constituentsโ pockets, and itโs about time we pluck them out of their grandiose cars.
It is not news that our country has always been poorly handled by deceitful leaders, and it still is to this day. In 2023, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Philippines ranked 116th out of 180 countries in terms of being corrupt. This implies that our country is dangerously close to the summit of being part of the top one-third of the most corrupt countries globallyโa cause for concern, and a reason why our country has been progressing as slowly as the Department of Public Works and Highwaysโ (DPWH) ghost projects.
Efforts have been consistently made to call out the corrupt practices of politicians along the decades. Public outcry has persistently taken a stand against corruption, from Joseph Estradaโs plundering to Rodrigo Duterteโs extrajudicial killings; the Filipino people have never been so keen on staying silent when it matters most. But when there is no progress seen despite demands, we are urged to ask whether or not all the calls for transparency and accountability are actually heard. But it is proven with time that when the peopleโs cries are met with silence, they only yell louder.
If politicians have mastered any craft, itโs deceptionโand perhaps the greatest illusion theyโve ever sold us is the promise of national development. Amidst cries for progress and solutions, Filipinos are met with band-aid, quick fix answers. Politicians handing out ayuda in times of difficulty instead of creating a sustainable program to alleviate hunger despite having the capacity to do so is an example of a corrupt solution that leaves people dependent rather than sustained. Problems like these that are experienced by our nation must be responded to with proactive solutionsโand more often than not, it begins with us in the form of pushing for good governance. Until we learn to do so, we cannot truly say that we have learned the lessons from our past.
It is imperative that we call for not only the politicians to be held accountable, but also ourselvesโthe Filipino people. It may start smallโfrom simply reading the news and being aware, to voting wisely during elections, to protesting for a tangible change. We have the right to demand our leaders for a governance that we deserve; one that is not muddled by false promises, zombie projects, and deceit.
The power remains to be held by the people. In todayโs Trillion Peso March, let us take a step forward and shout for our people. Let us protest against corrupt leaders who continue to steal from our nation in broad daylightโbecause when we allow them to trample on us, it is not only our money that will be robbed from us, but also our future.
May we always remember Marcos Sr.โs dictatorship as a battle against silence and a fight against injustice, corruption, and abuse of power. This loop of corruption will endlessly continue as long as crooked politicians run our country, and we have the power to break it.
