A Catholic bishop on Wednesday called on protesters against the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani to relive the spirit of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution in their upcoming protest actions.
Nueva Ecija Bishop Roberto Mallari, chairman of the Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education of the national bishops’ conference, said the “Black Friday” protests on Nov. 25 should be a reminder of the lessons and values in the struggle for freedom during the Marcos dictatorship.
“Sana itong pangyayaring ito, maibalik sa ating mga kabataan, ibalik sa atin yung nangyari sa Edsa, yung kababaang loob, yung respeto sa isa’t isa, yung pagtutulungan na naranasan natin noon. Together as a people tumayo tayo laban sa dikturya sa Martial Law that is against the human rights,” Mallari said over church-run Radyo Veritas.
(We hope that this event will revive in our memories the spirit of the Edsa revolution—humity, respect, and cooperation that we Filipinos shared. We stood together as a people against a dictatorship and martial rule that trampled human rights.)
“Lahat po ng nakita natin noon kung paano naging matatag ang pagkakatayo ng sambayanang Pilipino para sa bayan at para sa kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan (Everything we witnessed and experience then was a testament of how we stood as one nation for the future generations),” he added.
Mallari also urged administrators of Catholic schools and universities to participate in the peaceful protests on Friday.
Marcos’ secrecy-shrouded burial at the heroes’ cemetery last week took the nation by surprise and sparked protests throughout the country. In Manila, protesters led by millennials converged at the Edsa shrine, site of the historic 1986 revolt. The interment, which was marked by full military honors for the deposed tyrant, came about 30 years after Marcos was ousted in the People Power.
The Nov. 25 protest action will coincide with President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrival from Peru.