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A person’s passing can mark the end of a life, but it will never erase the choices that shaped that life. Juan Ponce Enrile lived a century, and his death at 101 years old calls for a recap to the roles he played in Philippine politics. After all, his life was a long-winding battle of power, corruption, massacre, and a conscience that was far from clean. Enrile carried enormous influence during the dictatorship of former President Marcos. As Defense Secretary in 1972, he helped build the architecture of Martial Law. The arrests, the torture, the silencing of critics, the fear that spread through households across the country—these came out of policies he helped enforce. And there are families out there who still bear the weight of all those years. In 1986, Enrile broke away from Marcos Sr. and sparked the People's Power Revolution, which is considered a turning point celebrated in history books. Yes, he stepped away from a dictator; but yes, he also helped fortify that same dictator’s rule during its harshest era. Years later, he returned to the political scene as Senate President, holding one of the highest offices in the country. That role gave him influence over legislation, appointments, and national discourse, further cementing his presence in the government long after Martial Law had ended. And this wouldn't be a recap worth telling if I don't mention one of the darkest chapters connected to his world: the Sag-od Massacre. On September 15, 1981, in Barrio Sag-od, Las Navas, Northern Samar, 45 villagers—men, women, and even children—were massacred by an armed group. The attackers were linked to the Special Forces of the Civilian Home Defense Force (CHDF) and the San Jose Timber Corporation’s security force—the same logging company owned by Enrile. This atrocity was closely tied into Enrile’s business interests as the San Jose Timber Corporation held huge logging concessions in Samar. According to some reports, the massacre was meant to drive people out of those lands. An Amnesty International report even added that after the killings, soldiers burned houses and terrorized survivors. The memory of those victims rarely enters the discussion whenever his name is mentioned. In fact, many younger Filipinos have never even heard of Sag-od. The families of the victims still search for answers, and the place still carries grief that never found justice. In his final years, Enrile faced graft and PDAF cases. The courts ultimately cleared him, and the legal system declared him innocent. But those rulings don’t erase the moral weight of the harm his decisions caused over decades. More than half of his life was spent in office, a decade of it helping enable the worst kinds of abuse in Filipino history, and some more using state power to protect business interests while ordinary people suffered. His legacy sits in the erasure of all the times he dodged accountability, and was instead highlighted for his longevity. I’m not arguing for the oversight of the complex details, rather, I'm arguing for honesty. Enrile did help trigger the fall of Marcos Sr., and that event shaped our democracy’s rebirth. Yet he also helped design the system that caused deep suffering, and some of that suffering took the form of massacres linked to the machinery around him. All these truths can exist at once. How you died does not redeem the way you lived, and a hundred years of life does not erase the choices you made within those years. Juan Ponce Enrile’s death only ends his story, but it's not an excuse to let another generation inherit a softened version of history. Speak the names of those that died. Build memorials for those who paid the dues of power that went unchecked. Give survivors the justice they were denied for decades. The price of turning a blind eye is steep, and our country has already paid too much for forgetting.