Militant group fears martial law documents 'sanitized, censored'

A militant fisherfolk group has expressed doubts over the authenticity of the martial law documents declassified and released by the Philippine military to the Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday. In a statement issued Thursday, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) suspected that the documents, which contain military reports spanning almost a decade since the imposition of Martial Law in 1972, could have already been "sanitized" by the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines prior to its release. "How objective are these declassified military documents? Do these documents on Martial Law really reflect the truth?" said Pamalakaya chairperson Fernando Hicap. "There is a strong indication that these AFP papers on Marcos' strongman rule are highly sanitized and went on thorough rigid censorship by the national security syndicate in the Armed Forces before the AFP turned over these documents to [the] CHR," he added. Hicap, however, did not specify what these "indications" were. He claimed the military leadership most likely went over the documents "a hundred times" first before deciding to make them public, to ensure nothing "damaging or fatal" will come out against the AFP. Col. Domingo Tutaan of the AFP human rights office has yet to respond to GMA News Online regarding his comment on Pamalakaya's accusation. GMA News Online was also trying to reach the office of the Armed Forces spokesman as of posting time. Symbolic While the documents were symbolically handed over to the CHR on Wednesday in simple ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo, the reports will remain at the Intelligence Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) until the CHR finds its own storage room for them, Pamalakaya claimed. CHR chairperson Loretta Ann "Etta" Rosales, who accepted the declassified documents on the rights body's behalf, in a speech Wednesday emphasized the importance of making public the once highly confidential military records. "It relates to the fundamental freedoms of every citizen, every society, every country, the right to know, which is a component of the fundamental right of freedom of expression, the right to know, the right to access to the truth so that we can be emancipated, and so that we can be free," she said. CHR executive director Jacqueline Mejia, meanwhile, said the symbolic turnover of the martial law documents showed the Department of National Defense's commitment to institutionalize the culture of human rights and pave the way for a "paradigm shift." People Power Some of the reports included in the two-foot high bundle of symbolic military folders were labeled "Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Reports," "Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Leaflets," and various "News Clippings." The slain Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., father of incumbent President Benigno Aquino III, was a staunch critic of Marcos. He was killed on Aug. 21, 1983 upon arrival at the then Manila International Airport after three years of self-exile in the United States. His assassination sparked a series of mass protests, mostly led by his widow Corazon C. Aquino. Calls were also made to boycott products and services of companies associated with the Marcos regime. Two and a half years later, the mass protests went on and forced Marcos to call for snap elections on Feb. 7, 1986 to justify the legitimacy of his 20-year rule. With rampant cheating marring the elections, some of Marcos’ closest supporters — including then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile — started supporting the Corazon C. Aquino-led opposition leading to the historic EDSA People Power Revolution that sent the Marcoses and their closest allies fleeing to Hawaii on Feb. 25, 1986. Mrs. Aquino was then installed as president. — RSJ, GMA News