By Raïssa Robles
My heart is full.
But I know the battle has just begun for the hearts and minds of the Filipino people over the kind of future they want.
Do they want a dictatorship or a democracy? Do they want to hand over their civil liberties to one man who has promised them a glowing future or do they want to fix the current elite democracy and fight for one that is more just and inclusive.
When I was writing this book nearly all of last year, it was a very lonely occupation. But now that it is out of the bag, so to speak, I find myself surprised, amazed and grateful for the wonderful reception from my colleagues in media. I was only able to tell them at such a very short notice that I was soft launching this book on Marcos Martial Law: Never Again. But they came. And those who didn’t sent words of support.
Suddenly, in a matter of days, this little book which I wrote and Alan edited, went nationwide, global, and viral. The top news sites ABS-CBN, GMA news, TV5 all featured our book launch.
Today, Al Jazeera‘s Rob McBride included my book in his feature on the 30th Anniversary of Edsa –
Philippines marks 30th anniversary of toppling hardline government
The top front page story of today’s Philippine Daily Inquirer — ‘NEVER AGAIN’ : MARCOS VICTIM RECOUNTS TORTURE by Niña Calleja for the EDSA People Power Anniversary — centered on the soft launching of our book last Tuesday.
Karen Davila’s Headstart also introduced my book to her viewers this morning and interviewed me on the Marcos resurgence as well as the late Dictator’s role in having detainees tortured. I know that Isagani de Castro of the ABS-CBNNews.com site placed a story on my book launch and Jing Castañeda featured it, But I can’t seem to find the links.
Ah, here’s one of them.
Yesterday, Floyd Whaley of the New York Times also mentioned the book in his piece entitled 30 Years After Revolution, Some Filipinos Yearn for ‘Golden Age’ of Marcos. Floyd’s piece was picked up by the Bangkok Post. And also by Todayonline.com in Singapore.
In addition, Rappler‘s Katerina Francisco – sent by Maria Ressa – featured the launch in a piece entitled, Raissa Robles: ‘We never knew extent of repression under martial law’. This piece was also picked up by an Indonesian news site. Rappler also included this video:
The Latin American Herald Tribune also featured my book’s soft launching in a piece entitled, Crowds Attend Launch of Book about Martial Law under Philippines’ Marcos.
I would like to apologize to the members of cyber Plaza Miranda — who frequently congregate in this site — for being unable to tell them about the soft launching. The venue was quite small and not very accessible.
For those who came at very, very short notice, thank you. For those I wasn’t able to invite, my deep apologies. We are right now still in production but we are determined to have it out by next month.
I will tell you when and I hope you will all come to the launching.
Here is the official press release on the book:
He was lying. As he himself admitted later to US Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, his regime tortured Filipinos. In fact, during one torture session in 1982, a military agent told his victim, “you have no human rights here – only human wrong.”
In her book, Marcos Martial Law: Never Again, investigative journalist and award-winning political blogger Raissa Robles guides the reader through a brief history of the atrocities committed by Marcos’ New Society. Current estimates place the count of victims at 3,257 murdered, 40,000 tortured and over 60,000 (a conservative estimate) illegally detained. The victims did not receive the benefit of any legal procedure. They were simply rounded up without any warrants and locked up for as long as it suited the regime. They were labeled “subversives” or “dissidents.” In detention they were called “POVs” – public order violators. Often, no charges were ever filed against them. They were the victims of the military and police – the very institutions that were supposed to protect the people.
Using official records, Marcos’ own books, reports of local and foreign human rights and lawyers’ NGOs, eyewitness accounts and interviews with survivors and military officers, Robles situates the regime’s crimes – which included murders and numerous massacres – within a brief historical narrative that relates how and why Marcos declared Martial Law.
Among the things her book reveals:
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Cory Aquino was strip searched several times when she visited her imprisoned husband, Ninoy Aquino.
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None of the torturers identified by their victims has ever been punished, or publicly expressed remorse.
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Up to now, the government has not released the exact statistics on the prisoners held by the regime; or the number of soldiers who died protecting the dictatorship.
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Some perpetrators of a massacre of 45 men, women and children in Samar in 1981 were linked by survivors to security forces protecting a logging company owned by then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile.
Robles also gives new information on the mysterious disappearance of Primitivo Mijares, the journalist turned Marcos confidante who deserted the regime and turned whistleblower, and the murder of his teenage son Luis.
Martial Law’s atrocities gave rise to a new gruesome vocabulary of torment: “salvaging” (murder); “hamletting” (forcible relocation); “safehouse (a place for torturing victims). “Tactical interrogation” was the euphemism for torture, which included such techniques as “Meralco” (electrocution), “Nawasa” (waterboarding), “wet submarine” (thrusting the victim’s head into a full toilet bowl), and “dry submarine” (asphyxiation with a plastic bag).
Robles also reveals that while the fall of the dictatorship ended nearly all of the state-sponsored atrocity, it didn’t really stop: there are still disappearances, torture and murder going on, though not in the colossal scale seen in the Marcos regime.
Among the personalities Robles interviewed were President Benigno Aquino III, former President Fidel Ramos, Communist party chief Jose Maria Sison, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., former Senator Panfilo Lacson, General Ramon Montaño, Brigadier General Victor Batac, Brigadier General Resty Aguilar and Colonel Eduardo Matillano.
The book, which was edited by award-winning journalist Alan Robles, is published by Filipinos for a Better Philippines, Inc. Prize-winning book designer Felix Mago Miguel took care of the book cover, over-all design and layout.
It will be soft-launched at 1 PM this Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at the Amphitheater of the Ateneo Professional Schools Building in Rockwell, Makati City. The Collectors Edition will be available in March and can be pre-ordered by e-mailing –
Raissa Robles runs the blog raissarobles.com, a political website that exposed details of former Chief Justice Roberto Corona’s bank and property holdings. Due to her articles on Vice President Jejomar Binay’s properties, she was invited to testify in a Senate probe in 2014. The site won the 2015 Bloggys Award for Best Society and Politics Blog in the Philippines. She is also the senior Manila correspondent of South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong.
kalakala says
from 15.5.1 yvonne’s post on Nearly 500 incredible photographs on People Power 1983 to 1986 in Trinoma QC up to Monday evening last para stated that: Olivares might have baited the Poe camp with misinformation but the Poe camp appears to have responded in kind.
excerpt from the daily tribune dated 05 march 2016:
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe yesterday fired back at her detractors who have accused her of committing a felony — identity theft while living in the United States — by issuing a challenge to produce evidence showing that she indeed used another person’s Social Security Number (SSN).
Poe clearly hurled the challenge at the Tribune and its editor-in-chief, Ninez Cacho-Olivares, who had written and published the SSN stories in its banner.
Cacho-Olivares, for her part, said that she accepts the challenge of the senator, since Ms. Poe apparently has not even bothered to check the programs where the SSN verification site can be found and where her her name, Grace Poe-Llamanzares clearly matches that dead man’s SSN.
Cacho-Olivares had already written down the names of the programs wherein one can surf the net and find the information needed on Poe. But, apparently, Poe has either refused to do so, or has already done so, but refuses to acknowledge this fact.
However, if that is not sufficient evidence for her, Cacho-Olivares promises to bare more damaging evidence to prove her story and the evidence to prove her story and the cover up being done by Poe and her camp, in the Monday edition of The Tribune.
Cacho-Olivares has a her day off on Saturdays.
Ancient Mariner says
Roll on Monday.
uprightbike says
It’s all true. Mar is man of principle, not a flip-flopper and he will not give empty promises.
He is the most capable leader among the five candidates.
But first, he has to win and to win in a political game means playing playing politics.
May 9, 2016 is an election, not selection.
He must promise everything to MASA to get their votes and not act like preacher telling his good character.
The Masa will not buy that. Look at Binay as an example. Despite the glaring corruption, the masa still adore him.
Or Mar really does not aspire to win. He just want to satisfy the ego of a certain segment of society who look upon itself as the guardian of political righteousness in this country.
But how about the MASA who really want progress in this country? The masa is forced to side with Binay because they hear from him promises of hope.
So Mar Roxas, promise the Masa hope.
Do not speak above their heads, they will not hear you.
duquemarino says
May katotohanan kaya ito?
Poe’s US SSN stolen from dead person
Written by Ninez Cacho-Olivares on 02 March 2016 at Tribune.
GRACE HAS 2 SSNs; DECEPTION PATTERN BARED
Grace Poe Llamanzares has been listed as having two SSN – SSN 005-03-1988, first issued in 1934-1951 in ME and has been recorded as belonging to a deceased person and another SSN 538-25-2008 issued in 1992 and probably her real SSN. She was married to Teodoro Llamanzares in 1991.
The whole story is at wwwdottribunedotnetdotph
duquemarino says
In the Tribune article, Poe used the SSN 005-03-1988 three times: first for 2914 Post Office Box in Fairfax county, Merrifield, Virginia 22116-2914 on February 2, 1999; then at 129 Kingsley Rd SW, Viena, Virginia in Fairfax county on June 1, 1999 and at 12021 Sunset Hills Rd Reston, Virginia on September 1, 1999.
Last used at 42931 Shelbourne SQ, Chantilly, Virginia in Loudon county on May 1, 2006.
Kung totoo ito, paano sasagutin ni Poe?
Pedro says
All i know about this reporter is that she is not worth reading. Be careful of her she may be planting something here.
uprightbike says
There is now a strong possibility that Poe will be DQd due her residency problem.
Fine. Most legal experts here I am sure will congratulate each other for the upholding of the rule of law.
And most them I suppose are Roxas supporters.
And then real politik comes in.
Binay and Duterte will be the greatest benificiaries of Poe disqualification. Not Roxas.
But at least the rule of law was upheld. Sulk later after the election victory of Binay or Duterty.
netty says
That’s alright, if Roxas is embedded with any possibility of colluding with the confusion of who is the real candidate here, rather than standing up for himself then he really and truly doesn’t deserved the presidency.
Now, the more confusion being thrown to the voters is not helping Mar either because Pinoys don’t like lies/lying and they can see through too much bola / flattering.
RoRo 2 is the closest alternative if RoRo1 fails to bring the goods.
That’s life, too much politik, too much maneuvering. Masyadong maniobra and confusion to the minds of the people. Even the Supreme Court justices became too busy for issues that are not priority to the interest of the nation and people.
Sulk later!
leona says
‘Survey’ or ‘surveys’ REPORTS even by GEODETIC ENGINEERS can come out WRONG at most times!
Poll Surveys the MORE WRONG as the surveyors DO NOT USE any accurate gadgets to MEASURE the true choices ( or lines of delineations) on hand. So Do Not Believe Surveys on polls.
R’member, there are FIVE (5) contending candidates for P and another FIVE (5) for VP.
In a ‘land survey’ there is ONLY one lot to be surveyed. . . many times surveyors did WRONG on it that the house built by the buyer was 3 meters onto the road towards the rear based on the plotted survey.
How much more POLL SURVEYS on multiple candidates! It can be sooo stretched or it can be so contracted, depending on the ‘elasticity’ of the factors – bias, money, by/for whom it was being made, etc. Bla Bla Bla.
Negative comments on Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo on POLL SURVEYS are obviously for those who cannot believe that the latter TWO are the BEST among the other FOUR CANDIDATES.
Thousands and millions of even IGNORANT voters are for Mar and Leni! This race is not about only two contending candidates but FIVE candidates for each post.
No majority of the 55 million votes will be secured by any candidates if that number voted. In the last 72 hours voters will decide for the BEST TEAM – RORO na.
At the last 24 hours that decision will not change. On the date of the voting that decision will be DONE!
Keep FOCUS on this. Everyone always need to breath and have LIFE for it. Oxygen for mind and lungs is important.
Breathe RORO! Tayo na to May 9, 2017 DAY! Think to WIN.
leona says
‘2016’ . . . not ” ’17’. . . sorry on that.
netty says
Oh Leona, I thought you stretched the election date for the Princess of the Deads, you know who… already .. I am amazed she has the fetish for the deads, those she exhumed and those SSN DEAD # are a huge hint giveaways.
Just a tidbit: It is true that some of these stories happen when legal papers are not available upon entering abroad and for urgency purposes,like when one needs to be employed or deposit some money at the banks. Some people I know even used Health cards borrowed to accessed doctors and health care facilities for treatment and consultation. That was before when rigid barriers weren’t installed yet. Now, it’s very different. Cheers RoRo pa rin, please kabayan!
moonie says
ganon din ako, I dont believe in surveys conducted by private firms like pulse asia. they dont tell who their sponsors are whether si big spender danding cojuangco who is grace and chiz’s supporter; iglesia ni kristo, also supporter of grace and chiz, or kaya sina rico puno, et al. and maybe because binay did not spend as much as danding, binay only comes 2nd sa survey.
tapos sabi pa ng pulse asia na voters daw with biometrics are respondents. yeah right, voters like pulse asia’s own private staff and contractors, they too are voters and have biometrics, and among them, cooked up the survey. easy money. no sweat.
I dont care what pulse asia survey says, roro pa rin ako.
uprightbike says
I sense that Mar Roxas is finally coming to terms with his possible defeat at the polls.
In a speech in Pasay, he admitted that he cannot win with only 20 percent in survey numbers and urged his supporters to do more, exert more and believe more that he can win.
He said, otherwise, the Daang Matuwid will be a thing of the past after the elections.
An ominous admission.
uprightbike says
Next stop for eager beaver RoRo fans.
Don’t waste time attacking the legality of Poe’s candidacy.
Let us leave those legal mumbo jumbo to lawyers. Lawyers appearing at court.
Concentrate on campaigning for RoRo.