Duterte gives go signal for Martial Law remembrance activities

Martial law victims and their supporters gather at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani—a memorial center built to honor the victims of martial law—to share their experiences under the Marcos dictatorship and make their opposition known to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to bury him at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. INQUIRER FILE / ALEXIS CORPUZ

Go ahead.

President Rodrigo Duterte is encouraging activities to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the declaration of martial law but it should not cause public inconvenience.

“The President encourages various activities to commemorate the occasion as long as they are peaceful and no public inconvenience or destruction of properties may ensue,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement on Wednesday.

Despite being a regular working day, Andanar said the significance of the event was never forgotten.

“It will be governance as usual. This, however, does not mean the significance of the day is lost to the collective memory of the nation,” he said.

Various militant groups are set to stage a rally in Mendiola, Manila to call for justice to the victims of human rights violation during the Martial Law years.

Duterte has earlier order the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani despite opposition from human rights group.

A petition to stop a hero’s burial for Marcos is now pending before the Supreme Court.