Yesterday, September 21, 2017, marked the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. 30,000 people went to Luneta to remember those who were victims of the Marcos regime and to protest everything that is wrong with the current administration: the EJKs, abuse of power, attempts to revise Philippine history through propaganda and fake news, and the looming threat of another nationwide martial law.
In case you were not able to join the historic event, here is a quick rundown of everything that happened:
1. Thousands of millennials marched
NEVER AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN TO MARTIAL LAW!!!!!!! #FightTyranny #LunetaRally pic.twitter.com/Wb1xjdfpPC
— millennial of manila (@MillennialOfMNL) September 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/incywincyyy/status/910697829487722496
It was undeniable to anyone in Luneta yesterday that a big portion of the protesters were millennials. Although Marcos apologists and similar folk tend to dismiss the younger generation’s protest against the dictatorship because they weren’t born yet during those years, millennials definitely proved that age is no hindrance to knowing and fighting for the truth. In fact, the rally became a trending topic thanks to the many individuals who posted about it.
2. Witty signs, shirts, and chants everywhere
https://twitter.com/charoterz/status/911145583192051713
https://twitter.com/ajbalangkit/status/910902957855485954
A lot of people made their own witty signs and placards for the rally and wore statement shirts that expressed their dissent. “Duterte Gigil Mo Ko,” read one sign. “Wag Kami, Mocha!” read another. One rallyist was wearing an “Anti Tito Sotto Club” shirt (Where can we get one?) as he held a sign that expressed his frustration: “The Same F*ckin Sh!t 30 Years Ago.”
Some of the chants were even humorous and made use of current lingo. There was “Duterte, Duterte/ Wag Kame, Wag Kame!” and “Marcos, Du-dirty/ Diktador, Puppy!” as well as “Rodrigo, Rodrigo/ Gigil Mo Si Acoe!”
3. Performances from talented, passionate artists
https://twitter.com/Empoypoy/status/910868101863948288
https://twitter.com/shakeDman/status/910895352873496579
.@imBLKD AND @calixphil SPILLING THE TRUTH TEA FOR EVERYONE AT LUNETA #FightTyranny #LunetaRally pic.twitter.com/WE9646ueQI
— millennial of manila (@MillennialOfMNL) September 21, 2017
While the pro-Duterte rally watched a sexy girl group from 14 years ago gyrate and get repeatedly kissed by random men in front of a Church, the #LunetaRally was attended by truly talented artists who performed relevant and beautiful pieces. Bituin Escalante heartfully sang “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” as pictures of countless victims of EJKs were shown on the screen. The band “Buklod” led by Noel Cabangon performed the timeless hit “Tatsulok”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc7tlRLNur0
Juan Miguel Severo delivered two moving poems about raging against those who wish to subdue the nation, and declared that “Hindi kailangang maging atin ang dugo para maging atin ang hinagpis” to express why we need to protests against EJKs even though we are not directly affected by the killings.
Before the night ended, a group of legendary theater actors led the protesters in singing a Filipino version of the Les Miserables anthem, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”. It was truly a night filled with cultural performances that would make any Filipino proud of our homegrown talents.
4. Heavy rain did nothing to dampen the protesters’ spirits
Wala kasing rain insurance.
Ay, by the way, 10:00 kami natapos sa Luneta, kahit malakas ang ulan. 🙂 https://t.co/WQgB4Q40gT
— millennial of manila (@MillennialOfMNL) September 22, 2017
Heavy rain was already in the forecast even before the protest began, so the people who attended weren’t surprised at all. When it began raining, people simply opened their umbrellas and stayed where they were, listening to the program.
5. Beautiful protest art expressed Filipinos’ rage
https://twitter.com/pathcarcer/status/910714822450225154
Some people noticed that a combination of the Rody’s Cube looks like a certain singer:
https://www.facebook.com/riquesada/posts/10209689180576786
LOOK!!!!!
Kita kits sa Sept 21! pic.twitter.com/vdn5I2vOtM
— Vencer Crisostomo (@venzie) September 19, 2017
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” so goes a famous saying. The protest art at the #LunetaRally lived up to this statement, with many artists dedicating time and resources to creating beautiful pieces. One such poster depicted Duterte as Jesus with the Sacred Heart, but with a gun in his hand. And one of the truly eye-catching pieces was the large effigy that depicted Duterte as the Night King from Game of Thrones.
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Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of InqPOP! and INQUIRER.net.
