M E M O R I E S: Life and Time of Pastor Rudy Bernal, his Glimpses on History & the People’s Struggle for Freedom
Chapter 49– Some Baptist Convention Youths & Pastors During Martial Law & their Fight for Justice, Human Rights and Liberation…
Philippine President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was elected President in 1965. He was re-elected in 1969. His rule after his re-elections has brought economic difficulties, human rights violations, growing deep poverty reaching to wide circles of our people in the country. There were reports of hard and continued injustices.
The political opposition, the Liberal Party, has also grown in influence and it’s leadership was said , the capacity to topple President Marcos on a peaceful elections. On the other hand, the revolutionary party headed by the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA have grown into a strong political and revolutionary forces from 1969 to 1986.
Many Pastors and Church leaders of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches who were poor, have felt the hard realities of poverty growing widespread during this time. However, some of the top leaders of the Baptist Convention has supported President Marcos’ martial rule. Some of them, were members of the group that supported Emie Marcos, President Marcos eldest daughter. Most CPBC leaders, were mum during martial law years. But were the ordinary and poor people, felt the hard life of this time and joined the people in the struggle against President Marcos’ dictatorship.
What remained of the little political stability before the proclamation of martial law has began to collapsed. The people worried on the growing instability in the country. Resistance against President Marcos and his military rule gained strength. The forces of the underground have become strong, challenging President Marcos’s rule in Manila, Luzon and some other parts of the country.
Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., the most prominent opposition to Marcos leadership, together with Sen. Gerry Roxas, Sen. Jovito Salonga, former President Diosdado Macapagal, together with other LP could have defeated President Marcos in an election in November 1972, if he did not declare martial law in September 21, 1972.
In about 12 years after President Marcos declared martial law, the Communist Party of the Philippines became a strong political and revolutionary force that challenge the rule of President Marcos. By that time, reports said, the New People’s Army (NPA), which was organized in March 1969, were now operating in some 75% of the provinces and villages nationwide, fighting the military in different parts of the country.
As the government intensified its fight against the NPA, there were increasing reports of ambushes, raids and military encounters between the government forces and the NPA. There were reports of killings of military informants by the NPA. There were also continued military raids of suspected homes, seminars and workshops, and offices of organizations, both churches and secular organizations. NPA that were captured were tortured, some their hands tied with small wires, that were too tight, the wires reached the bones on the hands of the victims.
I saw, for instance, the wounds of Edward Oliver de la Fuente’s hand, the small wires tied tightly on his wrest that reached the bones. These were some of the kind of tortures the military did to some NPA they captured. I saw this when I visited Edward's wake in their home in Jaro, Iloilo City. I only grit my teeth, feeling the pain and silent desperations.
Some of these Convention Baptists members, most of then young people who were victims of injustices, joined the NPA. They said, they fought for freedom, justice and liberation.
In Iloilo City, Virgil Ortigas, a student at Central Philippine University, joined the Kabataang Makabayan, and was killed by the military in Antique. His parents, Rev. Restituto Ortigas, a former General Secretary of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches and Mrs. Felisberta Ortigas, a woman Baptist minister and Treasurer of the Iloilo Kasapulanan of Baptist Churches, accepted the death of the their son as contribution to the struggle for freedom, justice and the struggle for liberation.
His elder brother, Fluelyn Ortigas, a very fluent, brilliant and young leader was elected President of the first President Kabataang Makabayan of Iloilo. He was a Baptist youth leader during his time. They were the first Baptist youth leaders in Panay who responded to the call and participated in the struggle for revolutionary change in Western Visayas. In February 11, 2017, I heard him spoke to some of his friends, the !st Quarter Storms in its 11th Reunion, in Iloilo City and his words that were soft and powerful, continue to stir the hearts.
John Herbert de la Fuente was killed by the military in April 11, 1983, Jaro, Iloilo City. He was a prominent Baptist youth leader who helped re-organized and revitalized the Convention Baptist Youth of the Philippines (CBYFP), national Baptist youth organizations, and helped strengthen provincial and regional youth organizations in the country.
Nicolas Bunda Jr., a young man and member of Capiz Evangelical Church was arrested and detained at Camp Delgado Stockade in Iloilo City for several years.
Rev. Nestor Bunda, a Baptist Convention pastor, was arrested by military elements in a restaurant near Jaro Plaza, brought by the military who arrested him to some secluded places. His companion during his arrest, Rev. Ronie Luces, saw his arrest and how he was forced to ride a jeep. Rev. Luces notified many Baptist pastors and church and ecumenical leaders, in Iloilo City and organized friends to find him.
They organized a group that visited the different police stations and police headquarters in Jaro Police Station and the Police Headquarters in the city, inquiring from the desks officers, the whereabouts of Rev. Nestor Bunda. He was not found in the different police stations, creating fears among his friends and associates that he was hidden, and feared he was being tortured. The group, searching for him, included Mrs. Sandy Mosher, an American Missionary assigned as Correspondent for CPBC.
She joined the group searching for Pastor Bunda almost the whole night, visiting and calling the Police Station every few minutes asking for Pastor Bunda’s whereabout. In late part of the night, with many friends searching for him in different, isolated places, he was found, in the rice fields on the western side of Iloilo Airport. He was left there by the military that arrested him, after a jeep with group searching for him, stopped near that area, with their headlights on full blasts.
Pastor Hortada, from Capiz and former student of CPU College of Theology, went underground, joined the New Peoples Army in Capiz. He became a top leader of the revolutionary movement. I cannot remember if he was captured or surrendered. But he left a legacy of his revolutionary efforts in Capiz, that were remembered by the people today.
Charles Herbert de la Fuente also a prominent Baptist youth leader, who worked for several years in a bank in Iloilo. He was also a former President of the Baptist Youth Fellowship of the Philippines. But he left his job in the bank that offered good salary and high income. He joined the New Peoples Army. He felt, it was cause, God or the people called him to undertake. He was captured in an encounter with the military, tortured and killed somewhere in Aklan
A Baptist young woman, from Bagong Barrio Baptist Church, in Bag-ong Barrio, Tapas also joined the revolutionary movement. , was killed by the military, in what was said an encounter. I heard, the hard economic situations and tyranny of the military, made him joined the NPA, rised to NPA leadership as Finance Officer in Capiz revolutionary movement. She fought in the hills of Central Panay.
She was killed during an encounter with the military. Her body was recovered and brought to municipal building of Tapaz, by a friend, Mr. Romeo Giloryao, a public school teacher. He went to get her body in the mountains of Tapas and brought it to the Municipal Hall. Then, it was transferred to their home, with the permission of the Mayor of Tapaz, Capiz. There, she was given a necrological service at Bag-ong Barrio Evangelical Church, before she was buried.
Mario Bunda, Baptist young man who have a deep commitment to the cause of labor and the workers, decided to go underground, as a way to protect himself, after he has tagged as a rebel and put under surveillance by the military
In Negros Occidental, Pastor Rodio Demetillo, working as pastor, evangelist and health worker, was kidnapped by armed men, believed were military and CAFGU officers. He was never seen alived again. His remains was found more than 10 years later. I was told his remains showed, he was tied to a tree, left to die with thirst, hunger, pain and hardship, tied with his hands on his back and tied on a tree. After his remains was recovered, many Baptist Pastors and church leaders and members came to join his remains to Bacolod City.
There, Pastor Demetillo was given proper church burial by his family and friends. Rev. Olof Lindstrom, a Baptist minister from the Baptist Union of Sweden, helped his family, specially her two children, both girls, some kind of supports for their high school and college education, Ruby and Ruthie, who were able to get good jobs.
Pastor Samuel Antonio and his wife, Leonila Antonio, both joined the NPA in the Upper South Negros, both fought the martial rule regime. Pastor Sam Antonio was a pastor and educator, and later a fighter and Commander of the NPA. His wife Leonila Antonio who joined him, fought thei cause, not with guns, but with ideas. She became a translator to Ilongo of the Communist Party’s educational materials from English and Tagalog to Ilongo or Hiligaynon. This translation works, were needed for the Communist Party’s education of members in the Mass Movement.
Many Convention Baptist young people from different parts of Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Antique and Negros Occidental have been involved with NPA and other activist movements and participated in the struggle for freedom and dreams for economic, social and political change..
People’s suffering were never seen before, as in the time of martial law when hamletteting were happening in different provinces and municipalities. This happened in many towns in Western Visayas – in Caridad in San Remigeo, Antique; in Sipalay, Negros Occidental where thousands of people from the mountain villages went down, when the war between the military and the New People’s Army intensified with civilians running for safety. This dangers and fears were doubled, when mortar fires were fired on villages where rebel forces were said to be working.
Many people all over the country stood up and rallied against the Marcos dictatorship. The military has become deadly and brutal, thinking, perhaps that under a tyrannical rule, the people will be frieghtened, kept silent be quiet and bow their heads down. But the people stood up. The resistance against Marcos and his martial regime has become stronger.
During that 14 years time, from 1972 to 1986, some 400 Filipinos in Panay alone, have died or missing, struggling and resisting Marcos martial regime under his deadly military elements in Panay and Negros. But the people continued in resistance, until, President Marcos was thrown out from power and sent in excile by his American President friend to live and die in a foreign la
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