MANILA, Philippines — The chairwoman of a group of martial law political prisoners urged President Aquino to work for the passage of a law to guarantee the indemnification of thousands of victims of martial law. “It’s about time that the victims under the Marcos dictatorship be accorded a component of justice by recognizing the sacrifice they have made in fighting for the people’s rights and freedoms. President Benigno Aquino III should make good his word of ensuring that the long overdue measure in Congress seeking indemnification for the victims of martial law be immediately passed,” said Marie Hilao Enriquez of the Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA.)
Enriquez was the daughter of one of the original named plaintiffs in the historic class suit against the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who imposed martial law in September 1972.
She said that it has been more than two decades ago since the Marcos victims, led by SELDA, filed the class action suit against Marcos for crimes against humanity.
In September 1992, the US Federal District Court of Hawaii decided in favor of the 9,539 Filipino victims and ordered the Marcoses to pay the victims almost $2 billion in damages.
Five years later, the Swiss Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the $540-million Marcos ill-gotten Swiss deposits to an escrow account of the Philippine National Bank (PNB), in favor of the Philippine government, and from which the awardees in the class suit could secure indemnification.
“SELDA fully supports the renewed drive led by Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, himself a martial law victim, Rep. Teodoro Casino and the progressive legislators’ bloc who refiled two bills, House Bills 954 and 1693, for the immediate passage of measures for the recognition and compensation of victims of human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship. The four administrations after Marcos have not rendered justice and were unable to decisively pass legislation to compensate the victims,” Enriquez said.
She said that the bill was already declared priority legislation under the Arroyo administration but it was frozen even as the measure was already on its third reading in the 14th Congress.
Enriquez also reiterated that the Hawaii class suit list of victims who remain as parties to the Human Rights Litigation Against the Estate of Ferdinand E. Marcos (MDL 840) in the United States Federal Court System in Hawaii, must be recognized and given priority in the House bill for compensation.
Marvyn Benaning, Manila Bulletin
