“NEVER AGAIN, NEVER FORGET!”
A resounding chant echoes the streets of Cebu once again. Fists are raised, placards are carried–all to oppose attempts at the erasure of history.
This time, the roads remember the feet that once walked on them almost four decades ago.
Cebu remembers the horrors of dictatorship, but the Cebuanos also remember its resistance. And as the 39th People Power Revolution Anniversary is commemorated, these sites of resistance are cemented into memory.
Warm Bodies Fill the Streets of Cebu
The streets of Cebu have always been busy–even back in the 1970s when the doors were locked past curfew and the roads were blocked by state forces.
Fuente Osmeña
Fact of the day: The meeting area of modern rallies is usually held at Fuente Osmeña.
History shows that this is not a recent thing–organizations and alliances back in the day also gathered at this site to protest against state fascism.
Plaza Independencia
Did you know that now-usual date spot used to be a rallying point?
During the height of Martial Law, 3,000 warm bodies filled the plaza to protest for justice. In fact, Cebuano students linked arms with other sectors to further solidify their call.
Jones Avenue
The student population did not stand alone during the era of dictatorship–Jones Avenue bares witness to the solidarity of Cebuanos.
Before the U.S. Consulate in Cebu was transferred elsewhere, the avenue was filled with mobbers who stood in opposition to foreign control.
Juan Luna Street
One of the famous streets in Cebu also holds the greatest historical significance. Once again, the Cebuano students showed deep engagement with issues outside education as they marched against poverty.
Learning Outside the Classroom Walls
Education is not only a matter of lesson plans and exams, the Cebuano students learned back during Martial Law.
Aside from simply learning, schools became a major center for dissent against societal issues.
High Schools
In a particular high school in Cebu, students held a demonstration regarding constitutional conventions, indicating the early organizing of local student activism.
Universities
While early organizing efforts began in secondary-level schools, college students showed consistent forces in mobilization. The University-Belt in Cebu was aroused with agitation against human rights violations and other forms of brutality. This horror ended with injuries and deaths–but the martyrs of Cebu live on.
Most university administrations were hostile against dissent, even leading to a blacklist against activists, but resistance fueled the students.
The med students also coordinated with the labor sector in advocating for their rights.
It was not just the student leaders and students who stood up–student publications, too, exposed the violence that the regime was trying to hide in mainstream media.
Even then, the student population recognized that their role in resistance held greater power than the forcible suppression put upon them.
The Historical Sites of United Struggle
With the increasing repression of human rights, other sectors have shown united opposition against dictatorship.
Cebuano organizers militantly forwarded their demands with strikes. Workers resisted the issues within their workplace–from wages and benefits to their labor rights.
Meanwhile, the drivers and small operators organized city-wide protests together with the students. These strikes were political acts intended to raise the political consciousness of the Filipino people, illustrating the interconnectedness of student, labor, and social movements.
Decades later, the People Power Revolution is slowly being erased and forgotten. Cebu, however, stands as a testament to the nationwide struggle in remembering and resisting.
Today marks the day of victory in toppling a dictator. Tomorrow is another day of struggling for democracy.
