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.
Chapter
Some Experiments with My Health and Life
Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 25 of 48)
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