Carla Abellana recently shared on Instagram a story about her grandfather.
On Instagram, she wrote: "Sam is my cousin. And yes, our Grandfather was detained because the Marcoses wanted our 25-hectare property in Sta. Ana all to themselves."
She accompanied her post with Samantha Chan sharing how during Martial Law, her grandfather was "detained against his will."
"He didn't do anything wrong or illegal. He just had a good business and some land that the Marcos administration wanted to take over," she wrote.
"...And he was one of the 'lucky' ones, he got out alive. He did not disappear."
"Tama naman na we can't change or keep living in the past, but we do have the opportunity to shape a bright future. Tama din that we should respect other people's opinions, but also, we can't deny the facts."
Samantha also reposted a video of veteran actress and former senatorial candidate Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo endorsing Vice President Leni Robredo's candidacy.
There she revealed her realizations about Martial Law.
“Ngayong 2022, ang presidente ko ay si Leni Robredo. Boots Anson-Roa-Rodrigo po. Dating naniwala sa pangako ng disiplina at pagkakaisa, pero nakita at naranasan ang katotohanan,” Boots said.
The actress, who ran for senator under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) ticket of the late Fernando Poe Jr. debunked claims that the Philippines had its “golden years” during the Martial Law years under Marcos.
“Sabi ng lola mo, maganda ang panahon noon? Yung more than 20 years ng diktadurya? Naranasan ko lahat ‘yan,” she said.
Initially, Boots said she believed that discipline under a Martial Law rule would lead to a better Philippines.
“Pero nakita ko, with my own eyes ang pagbagsak ng ekonomiya. ‘Yung gutom at kawalan ng trabaho. Naranasan ko magkaroon ng mga kaibigan na bigla na lang nawala,” the actress continued.
“Mga simpleng tao, ‘yung iba natagpuang patay, karamihan hindi na nakita,” she added.
Boots hopes the current generation of Filipinos would never experience the horrors of Martial Law.
“Diyos ko, mga apo. Sana hindi niyo maranasan. Sana hindi na natin maranasan muli. Nobody recovers from that pain. Take it from me, mga apo. Hindi natin golden years yon,” Boots added.