Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman

President, University of the Philippines

 

            Good morning.

 

            Dr. Murray Bartlett, the first president of the University of the Philippines, made it clear right at the outset that UP is a University for the Filipinos.[1] This was reiterated by his successor Judge Ignacio Villamor, who said that "UP must serve the interests of the Filipino people by contributing to the fullest measure to the preservation of their life, their rights, and their nationality."[2]

 

            National service has since been and will continue to be UP's mandate. I have no doubt that, both individually and collectively, every member of the UP community tries to do his or her part to live up to this ideal. But some of us did more. They did more than what was expected and gave more than what was asked. They pushed the boundaries, crossed the lines, risked their lives, even breathed their last, serving the nation and the Filipino people.

 

            They are our heroes and martyrs, the men and women who went the distance, in the name of the values they held dear: freedom, justice, equity, and peace—not just for UP but for the entire nation. They took up causes that were larger than themselves. That is what makes heroes special. Their actions and decisions inspire and amaze. And they make a difference in the lives of millions of others.

 

            Today, we remember them and pay homage to them for their extraordinary valor. Their names are carved on this monument. I think we can say that because of them, life is a little better for all of us.

 

            It is not given to all of us to be heroic in this way. What the rest of us can do is admire and be grateful to those who are.

 

            To the family and friends of these brave men and women whom we honor today, I say: please accept this modest tribute, from their University. Know that they are remembered and know that we recognize that their lives as lived, and the manner in which they died, are a testimony to the best of our aspirations.

 

            Please accept this, then, as proof of our great admiration and our deep gratitude.

                       

            Thank you and Mabuhay!

Dr. Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo

Vice President for Public Affairs. University of the Philippines System

             Thank you for inviting me to address you today, and please accept my deep regrets for my inability to be present. Dr. Lydia Arcellana has kindly agreed to represent me and read this brief message.

            These days, we often decry the lack of genuine role models for our young people.  In an age grown so cynical, we often hesitate to hold up anyone as worthy of emulation lest the person prove just as disappointing and corruptible as other so-called heroes. And yet it is when the days are darkest that we have greater need of a guiding light.

            The men and women we honor today are precisely that sort of brightness.

 

            Everyone who has had anything to do with UP has repeatedly heard the phrase "iskolar ng bayan" and the admonition to "serve the nation." And repetition sometimes results in a loss of emotional power.

 

            But here are a group of men and women who took it seriously—who accepted both the privilege and the responsibility. Here are a group of men and women who took it so seriously that they gave their lives for it. 

 

            This is not to suggest that martyrdom is the only way to be of service to the nation. They also serve who live their lives according to the principles they believe in, working as best they can in their chosen fields, working quietly and steadily.

 

            But it is a great encouragement to know that there ARE also those who went the extra mile.

 

Because our schedules are so crammed, there are some things—important things, sometimes even important people—who fall between the cracks. The reason for our being here today is one such example. And I wish to thank former UP Regent Roland Simbulan for having suggested this tribute to President Emerlinda R. Roman, and the Committee led by Dean Jorge Sibal of the School of Labor and Industrial Relations for having taken charge of its execution.

 

This modest tribute to the UP martyrs of the long, dark Martial Law period IS overdue. It is, nonetheless, heartfelf.

 

To the families and friends of our UP martyrs, this is the University's way of saying "thank you" and "you are not forgotten" and "you are most deeply admired."

 

Maraming salamat at mabuhay kayo.  Mabuhay ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas!

MESSAGE BY SEN. JOVITO SALONGA^* 

            Six years ago, we unveiled the Wall of Remembrance of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani. This Monument was erected in honor of our heroes and martyrs who, during the long, dark night of oppression, sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom, truth and justice. The sixty-five honorees, whose names appeared on the Wall of Remembrance—were recommended by a Screening Committee and later approved by the Bantayog Board of Trustees. 

           

         The idea of building this Memorial came from a Filipino doctor, practicing in the United States, who arrived shortly after the EDSA Revolution to visit his loved ones and friends. "Why not," Dr. Ruben Mallari of California asked me in early 1986, "why not build, a memorial in honor of those who offered their lives but failed to witness the dawn of freedom?" 

            I thought it was an excellent idea and, with the help of friends, we began organizing the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation in 1986. 

            All the members of the Board, past and present, served and continue to serve, without any compensation. 

            In fact, due to the intrinsic merit of the idea, they donated not only their time and effort but also their treasure to the Bantayog Memorial. 

            It is my special pleasure to mention the whole-hearted support of President Corazon Aquino and her Executive Secretary, Joker Arroyo, for this project. She issued several presidential proclamations in support of the Foundation and donated her one-month salary to the Bantayog Fund. However, this piece of land which she set aside for the Memorial was later found to belong to the Land Bank. We thought this would be a formidable obstacle, but the president bf the Land Bank, Mr. Deogracias Vistan, came to our rescue, President Vistan and his Board gave the Bantayog a long-term lease, almost for free. 

            Apart from the Monument and the Wall of Remembrance, we built an open Amphitheater for civic assemblies and meetings, an Inner wall made of black granite where the names of our martyrs and heroes were engraved, an ecumenical chapel, and a Library building, which would contain, among other things, books and other materials about the dictatorship and what our honorees, every one of them and many others, did during that dark period of our history as a nation. For the children of the impoverished families of our heroes, we established a Scholarship Fund so their good and diligent children could continue their studies. 

      Let me give you an idea of the artist behind the Monument, It was designed and produced by the country's foremost sculptor, Mr. Eduardo Castrillo, the pioneer and innovator of public art. This work of art depicts a fallen hero, being lifted up by a woman, representing the Motherland, who looks at the future with upraised hand, a symbol of our boundless, immeasurable hope and faith in the eventual triumph of right over wrong.  Entwining these two figures is the Philippine flag, the emblem of national unity. At the base of this monument, which you can now see, is an appropriate inscription taken from the poem, "My Last Farewell" of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, which was written on the eve of his execution. He was quite young—only 34 years of age when he was shot by a firing squad in Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896. The poem speaks of the hero's offering of his life so that the Motherland can use his blood in order to color the dawn and turn it into the glorious sunlight of freedom,

      Ang pagkasalin sa wikang Pilipino ay napakaganda at angkop na angkop sa bantayog na ito:
 

      "Mamamatay akong aking natatanaw

                        Sa likod ng dilim ang bukang liwayway;

                        Kung kailangan mo ang pulang pangkulay

                        Dugo ko'y gamitin sa kapanahunan

      Nang ang liwanag mo ay lalong kuminang." 

            To be sure, there are thousands of men and women who had been imprisoned during the Marcos years, but the question may be posed: "Why honor only these few?"  The answer is that even before their imprisonment and torture by those known for their brutality, they had voluntarily offered their lives, without counting the cost, so we might regain our freedom. Unfortunately_, all of them perished without seeing the dawn of liberty. We anticipate that more names would be added to the first sixty-five as the Screening Committee finds more evidence of selfless sacrifice and extraordinary heroism. An important proposal to extend the list to those, who made the same sacrifice but passed away after seeing the dawn of freedom was unanimously was approved. 

            A handful of the sixty-five (65) are known to the entire nation—such as our dear friends Ninoy Aquino and Cesar Climaco. Others are not as well-known, and a good many are completely unknown and obscure. Like Jose Rizal, many were young men and women of great promise; in fact a number, only in their twenties, were scheduled to finish their college studies with highest honors. Others were known for their exemplary leadership. Those who did not have the chance to enroll in college, due to poverty, distinguished themselves for their heroic service to their community, far beyond any honor they could have obtained from any institution of higher learning. All of these young people were cut down in the springtime of life by a dictatorship that not only violated their human rights but ruthlessly crushed their hopes and dreams for the future.  Perhaps, this was the greatest disservice of Marcos to the nation. No wonder, in their frustrations, some of the moderates embraced radical ideas and joined the extreme left.  All of these young men and women had no vested interests to protect and no axes to grind—their only crime was to answer the call of the Motherland. 

      All the martyrs we honored were Filipinos, except one—Father Tullio Favali, an Italian priest, who offered his life to the people of North Cotabato. What Jesus Christ said more than two thousand years ago applies to him and to all the others— 

"No greater love hath any man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."  

      Whatever their differences in terms of social status, gender and belief, they were one in unselfish devotion to our people. We would like to think that they are now united in this portion of God's good earth, which we consecrate to their memory today. 

      When these heroes and martyrs passed away, their close relatives and friends must have promised never to forget their sacrifices and, by way of honoring their memory, to carry on their valiant struggle. In a deeper sense, their separate promises are now gathered together here in this Monument and this Wall of Remembrance, even as all of us had forged a sacred covenant so that the light of freedom, truth, and justice may never be extinguished in this country, whose fertile soil has been drenched and enriched by the blood of our heroes and martyrs. 

      Beyond our ceremonies this morning, there is a deeper, richer meaning in today's event. A nation is measured by the quality of the men and women it honors. Ang isang bansa ay sinusukat ayon sa uri ng mga taong kanyang dinadakila. Were this Administration to honor a scoundrel, we could never lift up our heads out of a deep sense of shame. But because of these heroes and martyrs, we can stand with pride and walk together, with heads unbowed, knowing that we are honoring ourselves and our nation more than we are honoring them. There is nothing we can do to add to their heroism and martyrdom. But there is much we can do to restore the good name and reputation of the nation for which they gave their all. By this act of dedication, we are proclaiming our firm resolve to keep faith with our heroes and martyrs, and our deepest conviction that this land of the morning, the repository of our hopes and dreams, is worth living for and dying for.* * * 

 

Dekano Jorge V. Sibal

Tagapangulo, Komite para sa Pagkilala sa mga

Martir at Bayani mula sa U.P.

Ika-29 ng Nobyembre, 2008

 

Madalas ikwento ng aking ama noong siya ay estudyante ng medisina sa U.P. PGH noong Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig na marami silang mga kadete ng U.P. ROTC ang sumapi sa mga gerilyang USAFFE upang lumaban sa mga mananakop na Hapones. Nakasama siya sa Death March mula Bataan hanggang Capas, Tarlac. Sa kabutihang palad, bilang isang doktor, nabuhay siya at nakatulong pa sa paggamot ng maraming mga kasamahan sa naturang Death March.

 

Noong dekada 70 at panahon ng batas military, nakasama ako sa mga estudyanteng aktibista na lumaban sa diktadura. Hindi ko namamalayan na parang nauulit ang kasaysayan. Maraming mga kasamahang aktibista ang unti-unti ng tumutungo sa higit na mataas na anyo ng pakikibaka dahil sa maraming mga aktibista na ang kinukulong kung hindi man napapatay sa mga kilos protesta.

  

Pitumput't dalawang estudyante, guro at gradweyt ng U.P. ang pararangalan ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas na kasama sa listahan ng Bantayog ng mga Martir at Bayani sa Lungsod ng Quezon. Sang-ayon kay Presidente Emerlinda R. Roman ng U.P., ikinararangal ng Unibersidad na maging bahagi ang U.P. sa buhay ng mga martir at bayaning taga- U.P.

        

Sinabi sa mga awit na ang pagbuhos ng dugo para sa bayan ay kagitingang hindi malilimutan. Ang katawang inialay nila sa lupang mahal ay mayaman sa aral at kadakilaan.

         

Mabuhay kayo mga bayani ng bayan at mananatili kayo sa aming mga ala-ala. 

 

1) Leandro L. Alejandro; 2) Leo C. Alto; 3) Emmanuel I. Alvarez; 4) Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.; 5) Merardo T. Arce; 6) Aloysius U. Baes; 7) Floro Balce; 8) Lorena Barros; 9) Manuel C. Bautista; 10) William A. Begg; 11) Alexander Belone III; 12) Catalino "Lino" A. Brocka; 13) Jose R. Calderon, Jr.; 14) Jennifer Cariño; 15) Cristina F. Catalla; 16) Cesar C. Climaco; 17) Renato R. Constantino; 18) Ellecer Cortes; 19) Edward L. De la Fuente; 20) Remberto A. De la Paz; 21) Nimfa del Rosario; 22) Dennis Rolando R. Deveraturda; 23) Juan B. Escandor; 24) Gerardo T. Faustino; 25) Enrique Voltaire E. Garcia; 26) Antonio M. Hilario; 27) Rizalina R. Ilagan; 28)Edgar M. Jopson; 29) Emmanuel Lacaba; 30) Ma. Leticia P. Ladlad; 31) Hermon C. Lagman; 32) Lourdes Garduce Lagman; 33) Vergel E. Landrito; 34) Lorenzo C. Lansang; 35) Edmundo R. Legislador; 36) Jose B. Lingad; 37) Bayani P. Lontok; 38) Mariano M. Lopez; 39) Armando J. Malay; 40) Paula Carolina S. Malay; 41) Rodelo Manaog; 42) Pastor R. Mesina; 43) Cecilia Muñoz-Palma; 44) Sedfrey A. Ordoñez; 45) Gaston Z. Ortigas; 46) Magnifico L. Osorio; 47) Armando D. Palabay; 48) Romulo D. Palabay; 49) Benedicto M. Pasetes; 50) Jacinto D. Pena; 51) Nemesio E. Prudente; 52) Eduardo T. Quintero; 53) Ismael F. Quimpo; 54) Arnulfo A. Resus; 55) Jose B. L. Reyes; 56) Francisco Soc Rodrigo; 57) Magtangol S. Roque; 58) Jessica M. Sales; 59) Abraham P. Sarmiento, Jr.; 60) Antonio S. Tagamolila; 61) Crispin S. Tagamolila; 62) Lorenzo M. Tañada; 63) Carlos N. Tayag; 64) Noel C. Tierra; 65) Racquel E. Tiglao; 66) Alex G. Torres; 67) Jose Marie U. Velez; 68) Ma. Antonia Teresa V. Vytiaco; 69) Emmanuel D. R. Yap; 70) Haydee B. Yorac; 71) Rizal C. K. Yuyitung; at 72) Calixto O. Zaldivar.