Makabayan congressmen on Tuesday, Sept. 21 said the unabated incidences of human rights violations, many resulting in deaths, under the Duterte administration has given Filipinos instant flashbacks of the years when the country was under martial law.

On the 49th commemoration of the declaration of martial law in 1972 by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, House Asst. Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro said Filipinos became united in demanding justice for victims of human rights, many of them killed.

A total of 49 years later Filipinos have started to united once more, this time in seeking justice for those killed and maimed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, said Castro.

"It has been 49 years since former President and dictator Marcos first declared martial law but policies of the Duterte administration are no different compared to the policies and priorities of the late dictator,” said Castro.

“ Basic human rights are being violated left and right, widespread corruption of pandemic funds are rampant, freedom of the press continues to be curtailed and legitimate demands of the people are being terrorized and activists tagged as terrorists," she stated.

The opposition lawmaker noted: “The administration's pandemic response has not improved since the first case of COVID was recorded. There is still a priority to militarist lockdowns while our healthcare system continues to be abandoned to favor corruption funds in expense of the country's budget for the pandemic response.” In a separate press statement, Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate urged the Lower House leadership to fast track the consideration of House Bill 7678 filed over a year ago by Makabayan solons.

HB 7678 proposes further recognition and reparation to the victims of human rights violations during Marcos' time. It is also a way to compensate those who were not given compensation under RA 10368.

Zarate lamented that at least 60,000 claims have been thumbed down by the Human Rights Victims Claims Boards. Of this number only 6,000were able to exercise their right to appeal and acted upon by the HRVCB before it became ‘functus officio.’

Authors of the measure said that the thousands of victims of human rights violations were not able to file their claims under RA 10368 due to various reasons.

Zarate stated: "It is high time that justice and compensation should be given to the victims of the Marcos dictatorship because they have suffered enough and should not be subjected to another injustice."