Lorenzo Tañada remembered

From martial law veterans to millennials, people of different generations gathered at Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City on Sunday to pay tribute to Lorenzo Tañada, the “grand old man of Philippine politics” and one of the key figures in toppling the Marcos dictatorship, 26 years after his death.

“He outlived the dictatorship and the dictator,” said his son, Wigberto, a former senator and congressman, who with other family members and friends led in paying homage to his father.

“In many ways, in his life, he exemplified that what is impossible could be made possible through determination, strong conviction and love for the country,” he said.

‘Worrying events’

In a short speech introducing his father during Mass, the younger Tañada, now 83, spoke of the “worrying events” currently unfolding under the Duterte administration.

“Where are we going? Are we going to return to dictatorial rule?” he said, citing the imposition of martial law in Mindanao, the rising number of human rights violations and extrajudicial killings under the war on drugs, and the curtailment of dissent and opposition voices.

The elder Tañada, the longest-serving senator in Philippine history, was known as a fierce nationalist. He was a vocal critic of the presence of US military bases in the country.

His grandson and namesake, former Quezon Rep. Lorenzo III, said the youth could learn from the life his grandfather had lived.

“What we face now is no different than what my grandfather had faced, so his fight remains relevant to this day,” he said.