By Ysabelle Andre Gorospe
The DLSU-D Library held an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines, titled “Isang Pagbabalik-Tanaw sa Panahon ng Batas Militar sa Pilipinas” in celebration of the 32nd Library and Information Services Month.
According to Ethel Mendoza-Torres, director of the Aklatang Emilio Aguinaldo – Information Resource Center (AEA-IRC), the exhibit aimed to “raise awareness among our partners about unpublished historical records and what really happened under Martial Law 50 years ago that can be verified through the factual records stored in the library.”
The exhibit contained various photographs of the events that transpired and the setting in which these events commenced, preserved documents of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), newspaper clippings of the Marcoses and their whereabouts, and various information detailing the incidents depicted in the photographs and newspaper clippings.
The documents exhibited were actual scanned copies that tackled the gory details of the violation of human rights under the Martial law era, such as massacre, hamletting, physical assaults, harassment, and even torture, giving us a glimpse of just how dreadful the living conditions were back then.
“NEVER AGAIN!”, “REJECT MARCOS – DUTERTE!”, “Hindi po, dahil madugo at madilim ito (No, because it was brutal and dark)”, were just some of the many answers and opinions posted on the message board asking “Sa inyong palagay, nakabuti ba o hindi ang pagpapatupad ng batas militar sa bansa?”
(Translation: In your opinion, was the declaration of martial law beneficial or detrimental to the country?)
The exhibit began on November 24 and may be visited until January 21, 2023, on the ground floor of the AEA-IRC First Building.
All DLSU-D students, staff, and University partners can visit the exhibit. Those not currently enrolled and employed in the University may email [email protected] for the visiting process.
