• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) and the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) commemorated the 41st anniversary of the Escalante Massacre in Negros Occidental Sept. 20.
The Sept. 20, 1985 incident was when paramilitary personnel and the Philippine Constabulary opened fire on those attending a protest organized by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), killing 20 sugar workers, farmers, and student-leaders, and injuring nearly 100 others.
The NFSW said that military personnel were stationed near the Taas Kamao monument during the observance, and restricted individuals from placing candles at the exact site where victims fell.
“Even without an official declaration of martial law, the methods of the dictatorship continue to exist,” the sugar worker federation said.
Advocates emphasized the long-standing socioeconomic struggles of agricultural workers in Negros, pointing to incomplete agrarian reform, low daily wages ranging from P100 to P200, and ongoing issues in the sugar sector.
HRAN also pointed to a long trail of bloodshed involving organizers, activists, and ordinary citizens opposing what they described as a corrupt system, citing past incidents, such as the 2018 Siaton Massacre that claimed four lives, the Sagay 9 killings, the Negros 14 in 2019, the 2023 Fausto Massacre, and this year’s Toboso 19.
“Through MO 32, EO 70 which birthed the top red-tagger NTF-ELCAC, and the Anti-Terror Law, along with the Terrorism Financing Law, the government normalized killings in Negros Island with the intent to instill fear among the struggling people,” it said in a press release. “The government is currently saturating the public with state terror so that they will no longer stand up for their lives and livelihoods.”
The Sept. 20 observance will be followed by the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law today, Sept. 21, during which the group will hold a picket in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform office in Bacolod, and an afternoon assembly at the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the public plaza. | TMD
