Chapter 25
Some Baptist
Youths & Pastors Fought
for Justice, Human Rights &
Liberation
President
Ferdinand Marcos declaration of Martial Law
in September 1972, one strong
effort he did to silenced the different
oppositions to his rule, was met with
resistance by the growing number of Filipinos who hate one-man-rule.
There
were reports of continued injustices and human rights violations. The political opposition, has been
silenced. Senator Ninoy Aquino was in
jail. Most, expect for a few have been silenced. On the other side, the revolutionary party headed by the Communist Party of the Philippines and the
New People’s Army have grown into a
strong political and revolutionary force.
Many
pastors, church leaders and
members of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches,
many of whom were poor, felt the
hard realities of poverty and
inequality, growing widespread.
Some top leaders of the Baptist Convention supported
President Marcos’ martial rule. But
some Baptist Convention members
and leaders joined the people’s resistance
against
President Marcos’ dictatorship.
One
Convention Baptist leaders who opposed
President Marcos was Dr.
Jorge Veterbo, a well-known physician at
Emmanuel Hospita. Another Baptist
leader, who helped the opposition
against Marcos, but secretly, was Johnny de la Fuente, former President of the Convention of
Philippine Baptist Churches and President of the Asian Baptist Federation.
What remained
of the little political stability
before the proclamation of
martial law has began to
collapse. 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 became strong. They were challenging President Marcos’s rule in Manila, Luzon and many other parts of the country, including Panay and
Negros Occidental.
In
1971-1972, Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr., was
the most prominent opposition against
Marcos leadership. Together with Sen. Gerry Roxas, Sen. Jovito Salonga, Sen.
Sergio Osmena, Jr., former President
Diosdado Macapagal and Senator Lorenzo Tanada.
These
leaders of the political opposition,
together with other LP
leaders in the provinces, could have defeated President Marcos if the elections was held in
1973. I think, President Marcos knew these. He really planned hard
to remain in power. The only way he could do thise was to declare
martial law. And did,
on September 21, 1972.
In
12 years after President Marcos declared martial law, the Communist Party of the Philippines became a strong political and revolutionary
force. Reports from the
grapevines said, the New People’s Army
(NPA), that was organized only in
March 1969, were now operating
in some 75 per cent of the
villages nationwide. They were
fighting the military in different parts of the country. I heard, in
1974, the Kabataang Makabayan (KM) has already
more than 12,000 militant members working and organizing people in villages in Panay Island alone.
During
this time, there were continued ambuscades and military encounters between the
forces of the government and the NPA. There were killings of
military informants by the NPA.
There were continued raids of
suspected homes, seminars and
offices of organizations, churches
and secular organizations, dabbed by the military as communist
fronts. 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 on Edward Oliver de la
Fuente’s hand. The wound, showed the
smallest wires tied tightly
on both his arms. The wires reached
the bones. These were some kind
of tortures the military did to some NPA they captured. I saw these when I visited his wake in their home in Jaro, Iloilo
City. I
only grit my teeth. I felt the pains of tortured victims and my silent
desperations. I believe captured fighters, both army or rebels, must not be tortured. They
were fighters, who were fighiting for causes, whose rights, were protected by the Geneva Convention.
There
were also reports in soldiers killed
and their bodies were partially burned by the NPA. These were the pains of war.
Some Convention
Baptist members, most of them
young people decided to join the
activist movements. They were doing
education works. Some taught poor farmers with livelihood programs. Some
were in labor education and organizing. Some were doing researches on the situations of the poor, the sacadas
and poor fishermen.
Some joined the New People’s Army. Those who
were victims of injustices. Many Baptist
Convention members in Panay and Negros Occidental also participated in different levels of the
people’s struggles. But I do not knew many of them. But God knew, the involvements of Convention Baptist in the struggle for freedom, justice
and liberation.
In Iloilo City, Virgil Ortigas, a student
at Central Philippine University, joined the Kabataang Makabayan. He was
elected chairman of the Education Committee
of KM in its first election. Virgil, was
part of the 6 people doing research on Sacada situations. He was killed by the
military in Antique, together with his 5 friends. His parents, Rev. Restituto Ortigas, was
former General Secretary of the Baptist
Convention.
His mother, Mrs.Felisberta Ortigas,
was a Baptist Minister and Treasurer of
the Iloilo Kasapulanan of Baptist Churches.
Painfully, they accepted the death of their son, Virgil as contribution
to the people’s struggle for equality, freedom and justice.
His elder brother, Fluelyn Ortigas, was a member of Kabataang Makabayan. He was a brilliant young man. He was a great speaker and debater. He was a Baptist youth leader. They were the first Baptist youth leaders in
Iloilo who responded to the call
and participated in the struggle for
revolutionary change in Western Visayas. They were under the banner of Kabataang
Makabayan. He fought during martial law. He was arrested and detained.
In February
11, 2017, during a meeting, I
heard Fluelyn Ortigas, spoke to some of his friends, the members of the “1st
Quarter Storms’s 11th Reunion –Western Visayas”. As ever, his words were soft and
powerful. Hel stirred the hearts and minds of
the First Quarter Storms Veterans of
Western Visayas. He spoke softly
with powerful challenge. “To continue
fighting until victory is won”.
John
Herbert de la Fuente, another Baptist youth
leader was killed by the
military in April 11, 1983, in Jaro,
Iloilo City. He was young. He left his young wife and two small children. He was a prominent Baptist youth leader who helped re-organized and revitalized the Convention
Baptist Youth Fellowship of the Philippines (CBYFP), a national Baptist youth organization. He helped strengthen
the regional and provincial Baptist
youth organizations in Western
Visayas.
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. He was a labor organizer.
Rev. Nestor Bunda,
a Baptist Convention pastor, was
arrested by military elements in a restaurant near Jaro Plaza and brought
to some secluded places. His companion during his arrest, Rev. Ronie
Luces, saw how Pastor Bunda was
forced to ride a jeep at gunpoint. The destination was unknown. Rev. Luces,
that night notified many
Baptist pastors, church and
ecumenical leaders in Iloilo City.
They organized friends to
search and try to find him.
They organized
groups that visited the Police
headaquarters and different police
stations in Iloilo City inquiring from the desks officers, the whereabouts of Rev. Nestor
Bunda. He was not found in the different police stations, creating fears that he was hidden, and possibly tortured.
Another group, continued their search on
different places, the vacant areas and rice fields. The areas around the Iloilo
Airport. The group searching for him, included Mrs. Sandra
Mosher, an American Missionary assigned as
Correspondent of the Board of Internatiioal Minstries of the American
Baptist Churches, USA.
She joined the group searching for Pastor Bunda
almost the whole night, visiting the
Police Stations. Then, at the end of the airport, with wide vacant area, the
group saw several men near the rice field. They stopped. They directed the
car’s headlights to the vacant area near the rice field. They men fled. There, they found Rev. Nestor
Bunda, abandoned by his captors.
Pastor Hortada,
from Capiz and former student of
CPU College of Theology, went
underground. He 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, worked
several years in a bank in Iloilo City.
He was a former President of the
Baptist Youth Fellowship of the Philippines. But he left his job in the bank
that offered high income. He joined the New Peoples Army. He felt, it was
a cause, God or the people called him to undertake. He was captured in what the
military called an encounter. He was heavily tortured and killed somewhere in Aklan.
During that
time, another Baptist young man from Romblon, Col. Orville Gabuna was Commander
of the Philippine Army in Aklan. I have
not met Colenel Gabuna. But I knew one of his brothers and his parents in Romblon. I was
close to Johnny and Lucy de la
Fuente. But the war devided their children. It was painful for a pastor
to see this experiences. But this were
situations in a war. I learned,
after Colonel Orville Gabuna,
heard that Charles Herbert was
captured, he tried to saved him by sending an
immesary. But when they arrived, John Herbert
was already dead.
A
Convention Baptist young woman, from Bag-ong Barrio Baptist Church, in Bag-ong
Barrio, Tapas also joined the NPA. I heard,
the hard economic situations and
tyranny of the military, made her
join the NPA. She rose to
leadership in NPA. She was a
Finance Officer. She fought in the hills of Central Panay for years.
She was
killed during an encounter with the military. Her body was
recovered and brought to
municipal building of Tapaz, by the
husband of her sister. Mr.
Romeo Giloryao, a public school teacher who
walked -up the mountains to find
her body. Mr. Giloryao, with his
friends, carried back her bloodied body to Tapaz Municipal Hall.
Then, it
was transferred to their home, with the
permission of the Mayor. She was given a Christian Necrological Service at Bag-ong Barrio Baptist Church. She was buried with Baptist leaders and members singing gospel hymns on her burial. The Pastor prayed. He asked the Lord, to take home her daughter.
Mario
Bunda, Baptist young man who have a deep commitment to the cause of labor and
the workers, decided to go underground.
It was his way to protect himself,
after he was 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 alive
again.
His remains was found some 8
years later. I was told his remains
showed, that he was tied to
a tree. He was left to die with thirst, hunger and
pain. His hands were tied on his back.
After his remains was recovered,
Baptist Pastors, church leaders and
members came to join his bones carried to Bacolod
City.
There,
Pastor Rodio 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 young children,
both girls, Ruthie and Ruby. He
gave them some financial supports for their high school and college education. Ruby and Ruthie, were able to finish their education and
got good jobs. Ruthie, a nurse worked first in Germany. Ruby worked in Bacolod City. She’s married to a Baptist Pastor.
Pastor Samuel
Antonio and his wife, Leonila Antonio,
both joined the NPA in the Upper South Negros. They both fought the martial rule regime of President
Marcos. Pastor Sam Antonio was a pastor and educator, and
later a fighter and Commander of the
NPA.
His wife Leonila Antonio, joined him. She was
an NPA, who fought the people’s cause
for equality and freedom. She fought, not with guns, but
with pens and ideas. She became a translator to Ilongo of the
Communist Party’s educational materials from English and Tagalog. This translations, were needed for the Party’s education of members
in the mass movement.
She
returned to the fold of the law, and became an active member of the Convention Baptist
Churches, working in the hinterland villages of Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.
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. They participated in the struggle for
equality, freedom and justice. They dreamed simple dreams. A simple, but better economic, social and political life.
People’s suffering
were never seen before, as in the time of martial law when hamletteting were
happening in different villages in the
municipalities. These hamlettings
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. These dangers and fears were doubled,
when mortar fires were fired
on villages where rebel forces were said to be
present.
Many people all
over the country stood up and rallied
against the Marcos dictatorship. The
military has become deadly and brutal, thinking, perhaps under a tyrannical rule, the people will be pressured, silenced and bow their heads down.
But the people stood up. The resistance against President Marcos and his martial regime has become
stronger. And many Convention Baptist
young men continued participating in
different forms of struggles.
During that 14
years, from 1972 to 1990, some 400 Filipinos in Panay, died or missing, struggling and resisting
Marcos martial regime under his deadly
military rule in Panay. The people continued in resistance,
until, President Marcos was thrown out
from power and sent as excile by his former
American friend, President
Ronald Reagan, to
die in a foreign land.
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