The proclamation of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the 17th president of the Philippines “is a culmination of decades’ worth of historical distortion and is a huge mockery of those who sacrificed their lives to resist the Marcos dictatorship,” Bayan- Negros said Thursday, June 30.
Members of the militant group held a March rally from the Rizal Park to the Fountain of Justice in Bacolod City to air their indignation Thursday afternoon.
Under the rule of Marcos Jr.’s father, “Negros Island was witness to the darkest days of martial rule. In the 80s, we experienced famine and widespread malnutrition, the crashing of the sugar industry, and various human rights abuses. Back then, the people of Negros resisted and fought the tyranny of the late dictator,” the Bayan Negros statement said.
Now with the Marcoses back again, they vow to fight even harder, it said.
Bayan Negros also alleged that former president Rodrigo Duterte is trying to evade accountability for many crimes through his successor, Sara Duterte.
“Under his term, there have been 105 cases of extrajudicial killings in the province, most of which are activists and peasants. Until now, the murders of Toto Patigas, Ben Ramos, Zara Alvarez, and many more have yet to attain full justice,” it said.
“We have removed a dictator from power before. We will do it twice over,” it added.*