CORDILLERA PEOPLES ALLIANCE
CORDILLERA HUMAN RIGHTS ALLIANCE

September 21, 2009

RESIST OPLAN BANTAY LAYA AND THE ARROYO DICTATORSHIP!
LIVE BY THE LESSONS OF THE PEOPLE’S DEFIANCE OF MARTIAL LAW!

Today, we recall Martial Law, 37 years after its declaration.
We recall it as the events under the Arroyo regime parallel the darkest years under the Marcos Dictatorship. 
Operation Plan Bantay Laya – the national State policy behind the extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s declaration of Martial Law.  Currently, the whole of Northern Luzon, like the rest of the country is heavily militarized.  The heavy military deployment especially in the interior communities in the Cordillera have resulted to human rights violations ranging from threats to extrajudicial killings of farmer-hunters whom the soldiers suspect to be members of the New People’s Army, and bombings of communities that are identified by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as allegedly revolutionary base.  Progressive people’s organizations critical of the Arroyo regime and its anti-people policies like the Cordillera Peoples Alliance continue to be tagged as sectoral fronts of revolutionary organizations Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the New People’s Army (NPA).  The labeling legitimizes the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of members and leaders of these organizations.  This is despite the strong recommendations from the United Nations for the government to cease from labeling legal progressive people’s organizations as enemies of the State.
This national State policy has been further detailed by the Arroyo regime with a specific National Internal Security Plan-Application on Indigenous Peoples (NISP-IP).  The military operations are now bent on not just counter-insurgency operations but also are focused on indigenous peoples territories to secure the implementation of commercial and extractive industries like large-scale mining and logging and energy projects like dams.
We recall Martial Law declaration today as we call for the resumption of the formal peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the CPP-NDFP-NPA.  The armed conflict in the country has to be addressed not through fascistic military might.  
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has not addressed the roots of the armed conflict in the past years of her rule.  She has not responded to the calls for the respect of human rights and social justice.  Policies and laws under her regime have not provided genuine reforms that address the causes of civil unrest.   She has used the iron fist in building her “Strong Republic” as Marcos made his “Bagong Lipunan”.  
These make us recall the human rights violations by the Marcos regime that wanted to ensure an agenda that robbed the people of their dignity and respect - an agenda that served the interests of the very few rich and its foreign masters.
We recall Martial Law because we need to remember very important lessons it taught us.  We recall Martial Law because we need to remember the men and women who paid the cost for these lessons to be told.  When people who spoke the truth were silenced, when those crusading for social justice and human rights were being jailed, tortured, abducted, enforcedly disappeared, and summarily executed, the Filipino people said, “Tama na, Sobra na, Palitan na!”  Martial Law taught us clearly that the people’s right to resist against an oppressive government is just.  The vigilance and militant resistance that culminated to the 1986 Edsa People Power taught us too that the dictatorship can be brought down.  
Today, as we continue to call for justice for victims under Martial Law alongside our call for justice for the victims under the Arroyo Regime, it is very important to remember, protect and live by these lessons.
Never again to Martial Law!#
For reference:  
Jude Baggo
Secretary General
Cordillera Human Rights Alliance
Cp number:  09189621005

Beverly longid
Chairperson
Cordillera Peoples Alliance
Cp number:  09209191820