Activists stage protest on eve of martial law anniversary

She was in her 30s when the Philippines fell under martial law nearly four decades ago, but activist Trining Herrera-Repuno, now 70, still found herself rallying for justice Tuesday for martial law victims like her. On the eve of the 39th anniversary of the imposition of martial law, Repuno – along with members of the human rights group Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) – staged a rally in front of the Senate building in Pasay City for the enactment of a law that will indemnify martial law victims in the Philippines. In an interview with GMA News Online, Repuno said their group wants the Senate to review its version of the Substitute Bill that is supposedly in danger of disregarding a Hawaii court’s “historical landmark judgment" on a class action suit filed by martial law victims. Repuno said it was SELDA that filed a class action suit in 1986 against the late President Ferdinand Marcos before the US Federal District Court System. The court then ruled, in 1991, that Marcos was guilty of “crimes against humanity." The Philippine government, however, has not passed an enabling law that will indemnify the martial law victims, according to Repuno. "Tedious process" The government could easily indemnify the victims based on the Hawaii court’s ruling, Repuno pointed out. It insists, however, on requiring the victims to undergo the Philippines’ own scrutiny before they could claim their benefits, she added. “Dapat hindi na dumaan sa proseso dito," Repuno said. In a statement, SELDA described this process as “so tedious and extremely difficult for the victims of martial rule." “It seems like reliving again those long years of unjust detention and torture and the unbearable suffering wrought about by the worst forms of persecution against the victims," it said. “Yet, despite the victims now being very old, sickly, and dying, the struggle for justice has no rest. The fight is still on, be it in the halls of Congress or in the streets or elsewhere," the group added. Substitute Bill SELDA said that with the Senate Substitute Bill, the government should recognize and take into consideration the Hawaii court’s decision against Marcos, as well as a related Swiss Federal Supreme Court decision in 1997. The group noted that the Hawaii court already subjected the martial law victims to its own processing, with jurors and experts evaluating their claims based on a “well-developed" US system. “Thus, it is but just that the Senate primarily recognizes this judgment and acknowledges the established right of those already proven as victims in the US court and make immediately available compensation for them," SELDA said. In the US in January, a federal judge of the US District Court of Hawaii approved the distribution of $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by thousands of human rights victims under the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos. The 7,526 claimants who benefited from the Hawaii court’s ruling started claiming their $1,000- or P43,000-compensation in March. - KBK, GMA News