On December 6, 1975, at about 6 pm in the cool early evening, more than 5,000 brave students, nuns, priests, and laborers staged an anti-martial law rally in front of the almost conjoined twin churches in Bustillos, Sampaloc, Manila. I took part in this rally, being a member of the big University of the Philippines delegation.
The rally consisted of fiery speeches by leaders from the different "sectors" in attendance. I remember most the incendiary tirade by Elsie Estares, a leftist labor leader from the Novaliches garments factory called Gelmart. I also remember the impassioned speech by UP Student Conference chairman and former Philippine Collegian editor Diwa Guinigundo.
On the eve of the rally, I attended a last-minute meeting of the leaders of the sectors that would attend the rally. Attending were leaders of labor, urban poor, church-people, and students. I was representing the University of the Philippines student body.
The meeting was held at about 7 pm, at St. Joseph's College on E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City. Presiding over the meeting was someone who introduced himself as a member of the Church Labor Center (CLC), a leftist labor center. The man looked very familiar. As I looked at him and sized him up, it dawned on me that he was none other than Edgar Jopson, a moderate student leader of the pre-martial law years.
I also met a student leader from Maryknoll College, Dada Saulo. We became friends right there and then.
The rally was protesting Presidential Decree 823, which banned the holding of workers' strikes. This rally broke the more than 3-year old myth that people can't stage demonstrations under Ferdinand Marcos' martial law. It signaled to the world that the shock of martial law had disappeared. You can defy Marcos and get away with it. The seeds of the EDSA Revolution were planted on this day.
The rally was followed by an unprecedented march to Malacanang Palace, placards and streamers all. However, due to roadblocks set up by the police, the rally did not make it anywhere near the palace. It did cover a lot of ground though, and got its message of freedom to thousands of by-standers.
The rally consisted of fiery speeches by leaders from the different "sectors" in attendance. I remember most the incendiary tirade by Elsie Estares, a leftist labor leader from the Novaliches garments factory called Gelmart. I also remember the impassioned speech by UP Student Conference chairman and former Philippine Collegian editor Diwa Guinigundo.
On the eve of the rally, I attended a last-minute meeting of the leaders of the sectors that would attend the rally. Attending were leaders of labor, urban poor, church-people, and students. I was representing the University of the Philippines student body.
The meeting was held at about 7 pm, at St. Joseph's College on E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City. Presiding over the meeting was someone who introduced himself as a member of the Church Labor Center (CLC), a leftist labor center. The man looked very familiar. As I looked at him and sized him up, it dawned on me that he was none other than Edgar Jopson, a moderate student leader of the pre-martial law years.
I also met a student leader from Maryknoll College, Dada Saulo. We became friends right there and then.
The rally was protesting Presidential Decree 823, which banned the holding of workers' strikes. This rally broke the more than 3-year old myth that people can't stage demonstrations under Ferdinand Marcos' martial law. It signaled to the world that the shock of martial law had disappeared. You can defy Marcos and get away with it. The seeds of the EDSA Revolution were planted on this day.
The rally was followed by an unprecedented march to Malacanang Palace, placards and streamers all. However, due to roadblocks set up by the police, the rally did not make it anywhere near the palace. It did cover a lot of ground though, and got its message of freedom to thousands of by-standers.
About six weeks before, on October 24, 1975 in Tondo, Manila, the celebrated La Tondena strike which precipitated this rally took place. The strike lasted for only three days, but the repercussions were deep. This political expression in the old La Tondena Incorporada liquour factory was unique in Philipppine history in that for the first time, many priests, nuns, and seminarians were participating. In the pre-martial law days, political demonstrations in the Philippines involved mostly students.
These church people were mostly members of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP). AMRSP was at that time led by Fr. Lope Castillo MSC, Fr. Toti Olaguer SJ, and the indefatigable Sr. Christine Tan, RGS. AMRSP had set up the Church Labor Center, which was assisting the La Tondena strike. If it weren't for the political cover provided by the AMRSP, the Marcos military would have arrested the La Tondena labor leaders, who were affiliated with the leftist federation Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino.
Simultaneously with the Bustillos rally, President Gerald R. Ford of the US, on a state visit, was meeting with President Ferdinand E. Marcos in Malacanang. As Ford and Marcos exchanged pleasantries, the rally snaked its way through the narrow streets that formed the interstices of the Sampaloc and Quiapo districts.
When we were met by a roadblock of riot police, we smartly found other routes that were clear. The detours made the rally miss its original destination, but we felt that just being able to march some distance was already a huge accomplishment. The organizers correctly figured out that the METROCOM forces and barangay tanods would be under orders from Marcos not to disperse the rallyists, so he could project an image of normalcy to Ford and his entourage.
When we were met by a roadblock of riot police, we smartly found other routes that were clear. The detours made the rally miss its original destination, but we felt that just being able to march some distance was already a huge accomplishment. The organizers correctly figured out that the METROCOM forces and barangay tanods would be under orders from Marcos not to disperse the rallyists, so he could project an image of normalcy to Ford and his entourage.
This is the main reason why the shouting rallyists were able to walk largely unopposed for a few precious kilometers, until orders were given to self-disperse near Plaza Miranda, in Quiapo, about two hours later. After I left the main group, I walked from Quiapo to C.M. Recto Avenue, thinking of what I had just done. I then took a jeepney to Divisoria. There, I took the bus home to Bulacan, Bulacan.
dada saulo and her group introduced me to the plight of the urban poor in 1975... that became my first step to activism. she went to MIT after maryknoll. i wonder where she is now. and that bunch of cool maryknollers who joined lightning rallies on espana and mendiola some in high heels and in their green and white uniforms. that was surreal.
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ReplyDeleteYes Joy I'm also interested to know where she is or how she's doing. I recall that after the meeting, at E. Rodriguez Ave., we agreed to share a taxi but the ride was cut short when the cab collided head-on with a jeepney near Gilmore Ave. Fortunately we were both unhurt and decided to part ways. The last time I saw her was in 1976, at a student gathering at Sisters Formation Institute (SFI) at N. Domingo, San Juan.
ReplyDeletethe first rally during ML was held 23 Nov. 1975 when a contingent of mostly workers, after attending mass at Sta. Cruz Church, marched to Plaza Miranda where they chanted slogans against ML and for higher wages, lower prices and the right to strike.. About a couple of thousand people participated in the mass action. A month earlier La Tondena workers went on strike Oct. 24 and 25. The second rally was held Dec. 6, 1975, mainly workers and urban poor from Tondo. The labor leader who spoke was Ka Elsie Estares, who was a worker from La Tondena in Velasquez St. Tondo not Gelmart.
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