Commemorating young heroes

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for running a week-long series regarding young martyrs during the Marcos dictatorship (1972-1986).

The “Never Too Young” series debuted on August 31, 2015, on the front page of the Inquirer featuring the story of Rovena Franco, the youngest on the list of Bantayog Foundation who died in the Escalante Massacre in Escalante City, Negros Occidental. The debut of the series coincided with the celebration of National Heroes Day. (“Never too young to be heroes,” Aug. 31, 2015)

With the Inquirer Research group at the helm, the series traced the “sacrifices of young heroes who fought a dictator and laid down their lives so future generations can be free.”

The stories chronicled in “Never Too Young” recounted the life of some of the 14 martyrs aged 14-30 who were involved in the resistance against the dictatorship. The narratives were not the same, however. While they defied the horrors of martial law, they differed in the manner through which they became immortalized in the monument to the heroes. Some went underground, some were detained and some were “forcibly disappeared.”

The series ended on Friday with the stories on the lives of Remberto “Bobby” dela Paz, Artemio “Jun” Celestial Jr., and Eman Lacaba, all gifted individuals killed by the regime. (“Best and brightest dead before 30,” Sept. 4, 2015)

Although timed for National Heroes Day, the series was also a commemoration of the sacrifices of the many young men and women who gave their lives to the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship, which many young people today mistakenly assume to have been a period of peace and prosperity. It provided information on how the Marcos regime destroyed so many lives, among them those of some of the best and brightest sons and daughters of the Filipino people.

Other reports in the series:

• “Liliosa Hilao: First Martial Law detainee killed,” Sept. 1, 2015
• “Delia Cortez, Nik Lansang, Dennis Deveraturda died at 19,” Sept. 2, 2015
• “And many disappeared in the prime of youth,” Sept. 3, 2015