It has been 54 years since martial law was declared in the Philippines. The freedom that we possess is built on the lives of those who fought for it, for a dying democracy. We have yet to learn to dismantle our solidarity to the elite.

The impact martial law had on Philippine history is best taught through our verb tenses: past, present, and future.

In the past, it happened. The past has taught us about atrocities and the heightened tension between the people and Ferdinand Marcos Sr. himself. To speak up against him and his family meant a name on your grave, a right that was taken away in one's bloody regime. All of what martial law brought was severe human rights violations and economic decline. It pales in comparison to what Marcos Sr. aimed for: stability.

In the present tense, it happens. The present has given us the opportunity to gain freedom. Uproars from the crowd below overthrew a leader who cared only about his interests. The current political climate is now immersed in both the disciplines of education and media: two things of which it is corrupting. We are slowly consuming proliferating content, debating what’s fictitious and what isn’t. Cronies would argue one thing they uphold: the truth.

In the future tense, it can happen. The future tells us that freedom cannot be absolute. It is not inherent because freedom ends in corruption. The tension will slowly unfold into something grave, that the complexities of governance, authority, and civil rights have been altered all by one proclamation. Who knows if the ones we elect can go on another uproar, trampling on their men when they themselves are one: a citizen.

Why am I highlighting what we fail to bring to our motherland?

Only because we have yet to learn its true meaning. We cannot have stability without a collective conscience. We cannot have the truth if people can’t handle it. We cannot call ourselves citizens if we choose to remain ignorant and neutral. We have become too privileged to be comfortable rather than uncomfortable.

The past offers future generations the chance to claim their freedom in the names of many who suffered under the Marcoses. However, the past, present, and future can coexist if we never listen; we hear no evil, we see no evil, we speak no evil.

What is forcing you to be neutral about this?

We are the past of the future; we are present because of the past, fighting for the future. We must ensure that the rights and freedoms others have lost are not treated as things that can be easily taken away again. The ignorance of one individual will create a past tension that can unfold in the future; thus, ignorance is not, and never, the solution.

54 years, and still counting. Martial Law isn’t about remembering or living in the past, but knowing what it can also hold for the present, and unfolding it in our futures.

The Frontman