Mass for justice, protest march to CHR for Diokno reveal
In lieu of the National Day of Protest, different organizations united at the University of the Philippines (UP) chapel on Thursday afternoon to demonstrate against the Duterte administration and the threats of another martial law declaration.
Photo by Amabelle San Pedro/THE FOURTH
A mass for justice was held at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice as a kick-starter for the Manlaban para sa Karapatan protest against martial law and the extrajudicial killings (EJK) in the country.
(left to right) Sen. Paolo ''Bam'' Aquino IV, VP Leni Robredo, Sen. Francis ''Kiko'' Pangilinan, Former President Benigno ''Noynoy'' Aquino III, and Sen. Franklin Drilon attends ''Mass for Justice'' in the UP Chapel while wearing a small black tape with a written phrase that reads ''#NeverAgain. Photo by Amabelle San Pedro/THE FOURTH
Wearing the color of neutrality, prominent members of the Liberal Party (LP) arrived in white at the UP chapel at 2 p.m. and joined the celebration of the mass.
Former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, along with Vice President Leni Robredo, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, and other senators of the party attended the mass in honor of the unveiling of Jose “Ka Pepe” Diokno’s statue in front of the office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
After the mass, there was a short candle lighting ceremony led by the members of LP in front of the infamous picture of a weeping woman cradling his dead partner, who was considered to be one of the first victims of EJKs, taken by Raffy Lerma of the Inquirer.
In a speech, Robredo reminded the people that the culture of violence has begun to spread which gave rise to the number of EJK victims which led to countless violations of human rights in our country.
She also encouraged the Filipinos against the possible loss of democracy through martial law and said, “Iba-iba man ang pananaw natin sa ating politika, iba-iba man ang ating pinanggalingan, andito po tayong lahat, nagkakaisa dahil sa pagmamahal sa ating bayan.”
(We may have different views about politics, we may have come from different places, we are all here, united because of our love for the country.)
Martsa ng Mamamayan
Different organizations marched from the UP Chapel to the CHR headquarters to unveil Ka Pepe’s statue at 4 p.m. along with protesters who gathered at Bantayog ng mga Bayani to create a “Salubungan” at the headquarters for the concert rally.
According to Shama Bulangis of the Youth Resist, the march was done to support the CHR after the president criticized the job of the commission, as well as Rep. Rodante Marcoleta’s earlier motion for the commission’s annual budget to be P1,000 next year.
“Importante na ipakita ang pag supporta sa CHR as well as pagpapakita na may mga tao naman talaga na ayaw doon sa ginawa ng kongreso at ayaw doon sa ginagawang paglapastangan sa karapatang pantao natin,” Bulangis said.
(It is important for people to show support to CHR and to express that there are really some who are against with what the Congress did and they do not conform with the negligence of our rights.)
The approximately 2000 people who joined the march to CHR hailed from different organizations such as the Coalition Against Marcos Burial (CAMB), AKBAYAN, Youth Resist, and Tindig Pilipinas.
AKBAYAN Secretary General Kit Melgar also expressed her sentiments against Duterte’s war on drugs in the protest and wants him accountable for the ‘’excessive’’ killings as well as the decline of human rights in our country which was similar to Marcos’ Martial Law.
“Ayaw namin ng dictatorship ni Marcos noon, and ayaw namin ng dictatorship ni Digong ngayon,” she said.
(We do not want Marcos’ dictatorship before as well as Duterte’s dictatorship now.),
The Defiant Diokno
(left to right) CHR Chair Jose ''Chito'' Gascon, Former President Benigno ''Noynoy'' Aquino III, Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and VP Leni Robredo unveils the ''Ka Pepe'' monument infront of the CHR Headquarters along Commonwealth Avenue.Photo by Amabelle San Pedro/THE FOURTH
“We are here today, even if it is the anniversary of the declaration of martial law, [because] we are actually celebrating the struggle of the people—the victorious struggle of the people for freedom, democracy and human rights, exemplified by Ka Pepe Diokno,” Gascon said.
The unveiling of the monument was led by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, CHR Chair Jose “Chito” Gascon, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, former President Aquino, Vice President Robredo, and the family of former Senator Diokno.
Jose “Ka Pepe” Diokno was known for being the first chair of the Presidential Committee on Human Rights in 1986 after EDSA 1, which was the predecessor of today’s Human Rights Commission.
The 9-foot bronze statue was created by award-winning Filipino sculptor Julie Lluch, with Veronica Dado, and was fully funded by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and NHCP, which shelled out P2.5-million.
According to Gascon, the monument was the first whole bodied bronze statue of Ka Pepe anywhere in the country and is also the first statue that has been placed along Commonwealth Avenue.
He also called it the “The Defiant Diokno” after seeing Ka Pepe’s statue raising his clenched fist.
A park would also be created around the vicinity of the monument as a “place to retreat” and would be called as the “Diokno Freedom Park” for all Filipinos.
Chito Gascon gives a small speech about Former Sen. ''Ka Pepe'' Diokno after the unveiling ceremony of Diokno's monument. Photo by Amabelle San Pedro/THE FOURTH
“You will have a place where you will have the freedom to speak, the freedom to organize, the freedom to fight for what is right and just, to prevent any vestiges of tyranny from ever returning in our country,” Gascon reiterated.
Chief Justice Sereno honored Ka Pepe by delivering a speech that appeared as if Sereno herself was talking to Jose Diokno about his works of giving back the freedom to the youth.
The speech titled “Ka Pepe: Nasaan ang hustisya kung malalim ang gabi at matindi ang pangamba” tackled how the Filipinos are starting to lose their sense of propriety for human rights and how Diokno’s works must be memorialized to strengthen passion for our nation.
Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno calls the attention of the youth to protect the human rights of every Filipino by affiliating their selves to the constitution of the country. Photo by Amabelle San Pedro/THE FOURTH
“The constitution remains the judiciary’s North Star, guiding us, as we, through our decisions, in our own way, help steer the course of our nation’s history. May this light not be dimmed, may Ka Pepe have a reason to smile,” Sereno said to end her speech.
After Sereno’s speech, the crowd sang “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa” to commemorate Diokno’s favorite song to conclude the event.
