By CESAR JOLITO III
Local group Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) joined the commemoration of the EDSA People Power Anniversary yesterday, vowing to continue the struggle for genuine democracy and social justice, warning that injustice and inequality persist decades after the historic event.
HRAN paid tribute to those who resisted the dictatorship before and after the declaration of martial law, honoring activists who sacrificed their lives and those who endured detention, torture and degrading treatment so that Filipinos could enjoy freedoms today.
In a statement, the advocate group said that while the 1986 revolt removed a dictator from power, the social conditions that fueled the uprising remain unresolved.
They stressed that the struggle did not end with the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, citing continuing human rights violations in the countryside, including alleged bombings of peasant communities and killings of individuals accused of supporting the New People’s Army without due process.
Meanwhile, HRAN criticized the Philippine National Police, alleging that regulations such as Republic Act 880, or the “no permit, no rally” policy, are being used to violate the constitutional right to protest.
It further claimed that police have filed cases against individuals who joined protest actions denouncing corruption.
HRAN condemned restrictions imposed on the use of EDSA for anniversary activities, as well as limits on placards and protest calls, warning that such actions signal a return to martial law-like conditions.
The group urged the public to unite and press on with the struggle for genuine social change.
The human rights statement echoed broader calls from labor, church and sectoral groups marking the 40th EDSA anniversary across Bacolod City and other parts of Negros Occidental.
Earlier in the day, a unity march led by church and civic organizations linked the legacy of people power to present-day demands for good governance and accountability.
Solidarity
Labor group General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) likewise reaffirmed its solidarity with the Filipino people.
GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho said the spirit of EDSA lives on in the continuing struggles of workers, peasants and marginalized communities against corruption, inequality and attacks on labor rights.
Church leaders, citing guidance from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, called for nationwide commemorations recognizing the Church’s role during the 1986 uprising and urging citizens to translate the lessons of people power into sustained civic engagement./CJ, WDJ