Detainees’ daughter sees shades of Marcos' Martial Law in killings under Duterte

Decades have passed since martial law was first declared, but 62-year old Shoni can still recall moving from house to house in an attempt to find a safe place to stay.

She said that they were constantly being chased because her mother was an activist.

Thirty other women were abducted along with Shoni's mother, only to be freed after three months of torture.

"Mental torture yung ginagawa nila noon...tututukan sila ng armalite," said Shoni, a member of the former political detainees' group SELDA.

Up to this day, fear of being caught and tortured is still instilled in Shoni. She said she had been scared to go to the mass protest in Luneta.

While she eventually convinced herself to attend, she directed her grandchildren to stay home out of fear of what could happen to them.

"Nakakatakot din, inisip din namin na baka may mangyari sa amin sa paglabas namin dito ngayon. Kaya lang...di lang para sa sarili namin. Naranasan na kasi namin eh," Shoni said.

She said that she was driven to speak up because staying silent would mean condoning the injustices happening today.

"Hindi pa nga martial law tignan mo na ang mga ginagawa," Shoni said, referring to the spate of killings in the country.

"Yung pananahimik mo ibig sabihin tinotolerate mo yung ginagawa nila," she added.

While she fears what may happen to her, she fears what may happen to the youth even more.

She called for the end of the killings and lamented the young lives lost to President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs.

"Itigil na ang patayan. Marami nang bata apketado eh. May nga pangarap sila, bigla mong pinatay. Ang kabataan sila ang pagasa ng bayan, bakit mo papatayin?" she said.

Another activist Jiggs, 54, said the rally at the Luneta on Thursday could be the start mark a new beginning for the country after seeing the turnout at the Luneta protest.

"Maganda itong panimula. Nagugnay ugnay ang ating sectors ng lipunan," Jiggs said.

Ngayon maraming nagbubukas ng kanilang kaisipan. Maganda yan para sa kanilang henerasyon. Ito yung magiging sandigan nila ipang ipagtagumpay nila ang tunay na demokrasya," he added.  —NB, GMA News