Reel Time: Ang kuwento ng mga Martial Law victim at desaparecidos

GMA Public Affairs

29 Nov 201611:02

Summary

TLDRThe transcript recounts a harrowing tale of torture and loss during martial law in the Philippines. A 23-year-old man was captured and subjected to brutal torture, including being hung upside down and beaten. He survived two years of captivity. The story also recounts the disappearance of his sister, Rizalina, a 23-year-old student, whose fate remains unknown despite the family's desperate search. The narrative includes a visit to a public cemetery, where unidentified victims of military encounters were buried, and the family's unsuccessful attempts to identify her remains. The speaker's father, seeking closure before his death, is deeply affected by the unresolved disappearance, leaving a lasting impact on the family.

Takeaways

😢 The narrator recounts a traumatic experience of being tortured, with details of physical abuse and humiliation.
🕯️ A family is searching for their missing sister, Rizalina, who was 23 years old when she disappeared.
📸 The sister's identification photo from her freshman year in college is used as a reference in the search.
🏚️ The family visits a cemetery in Quezon, suspecting it might be a burial site for victims of conflict.
🗣️ The narrator describes the dehumanizing treatment of bodies, suggesting a pattern of violence and disregard for human dignity.
👥 The family's search is met with resistance and lack of cooperation from authorities.
🔍 The family finds scattered belongings of their missing sister, raising suspicions about her fate.
🏢 The sister's dormitory room is found ransacked, with no clear leads on her whereabouts.
🚨 The narrator recounts a history of military encounters with young rebels, suggesting a broader context of conflict.
🏡 The family's search is ongoing, with no closure or resolution in sight for their missing loved one.

Q & A

What was the torture method described in the script?
-The torture method described involved the victim being hung upside down with their back and feet tied to opposite sides, followed by physical abuse that resulted in the skin of the back and feet almost peeling off after being whipped.
How old was the narrator when they were captured?
-The narrator was 23 years old when they were captured.
What was the significance of the tree mentioned in the script?
-The tree was significant as it was a landmark near the location where the narrator's brother was last seen and where the family was directed to look for his remains.
What happened to the narrator's brother, Rizalina?
-Rizalina, the narrator's brother, went missing. There were indications that she might have been killed and buried in Lucena, but the family could not confirm this until they were directed to a specific location by someone who claimed to have information about her fate.
How old was Rizalina when she disappeared?
-Rizalina was 23 years old when she disappeared.
What was the narrator's role at the cemetery?
-The narrator worked at the cemetery, where they were responsible for burying the bodies brought by soldiers during a time of conflict.
What was the condition of the bodies buried at the cemetery?
-The bodies were often brought in without any identification and were buried hastily, sometimes in a state of disarray, indicating a lack of respect for the deceased.
What was the significance of the dentures mentioned in the script?
-The dentures were significant because they were a unique feature that could help identify the body of the narrator's brother, who had a distinctive dental feature.
What was the cause of death listed on the death certificates found by the family?
-The cause of death listed on the death certificates was cardiac arrest due to multiple gunshot wounds.
What was the narrator's father's last wish regarding his son's case?
-The narrator's father wished to know what happened to his son before he passed away. He wanted closure on his son's disappearance and the truth about his fate.
What was the final outcome for the narrator's brother?
-The final outcome was that the brother's body was never found, and the family did not get the closure they sought. The brother's case remained unresolved.

Outlines

00:00

🕯️ Torture and Disappearance

The speaker recounts their own experience of torture and the subsequent disappearance of their sibling. They describe the physical abuse, including being hung upside down and beaten until their skin was almost torn off. The victim was 23 years old when they were captured and fortunately released after more than two years. The speaker's sister, Rizalina, is also mentioned as missing, and they believe she is buried in Lucena. The speaker also shares their search for answers in Quezon Public Cemetery and the difficulty in identifying the bodies due to the condition of the remains. They mention finding a young rebel's remains and the emotional turmoil of not being able to identify if it was their sibling.

05:01

🔍 The Search for Truth

The narrative continues with the family's relentless search for the truth about the missing sibling. They describe the challenges they faced in trying to identify the bodies of the victims, including the lack of intact teeth or other distinguishing features. The family's quest leads them to exhume bodies from the Quezon Public Cemetery, where they find death certificates stating the cause of death as cardiac arrest due to multiple gunshot wounds. The speaker reflects on the military's claims of encounters and the stories of the living who remember the events. They also mention the recovery of a body that resembled their sibling's last known clothing but were told it was not her due to the presence of a military commander's portrait, adding to the confusion and lack of closure.

10:03

💔 A Family's Unending Grief

The final paragraph focuses on the emotional impact of the disappearance on the family, particularly the father's vow to never forget his son before his death. The speaker expresses the pain of losing both their father and sibling, with the latter's fate remaining unknown. The father's death in 2001 after cremation brings a sense of finality to his search, but the speaker is left with the unresolved quest for their sibling. The lack of closure and the ongoing pain are palpable as the speaker describes the family's ongoing struggle to find peace and answers.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡torture

Torture refers to the act of inflicting severe physical or psychological pain on someone, often as a means of punishment or to extract information. In the video's context, it is used to describe the cruel treatment the narrator endured, including being hung by their feet and subjected to physical abuse. The mention of 'tinorture ako' and the subsequent description of the torture methods provides a vivid and disturbing account of human rights abuses.

💡detainee

A detainee is a person who is being held in custody, typically in relation to legal proceedings or as a prisoner of war. The script mentions the narrator being detained at 23 years old, highlighting the theme of state-sanctioned violence and arbitrary detention. The personal account of the detainee's experience adds a human dimension to the broader issue of state oppression.

💡disappearance

Disappearance, in the context of the script, refers to the act of forcibly making someone vanish, often implying abduction or kidnapping by state or non-state actors. The mention of the narrator's sister's disappearance at the age of 23 and the subsequent search for her whereabouts underscores the theme of forced disappearances as a form of state terror.

💡Quezon

Quezon is likely referring to Quezon City or Quezon Province in the Philippines. In the script, it is mentioned in relation to a public cemetery where some of the so-called 'Young Rebels' were supposedly buried after a confrontation. The mention of Quezon ties the narrative to a specific geographic location and historical events, adding authenticity to the story.

💡Young Rebels

The term 'Young Rebels' seems to refer to a group of young individuals who were involved in a confrontation with the military, as suggested by the script. The reference to their burial in Quezon Public Cemetery and the narrator's search for his sister among them implies a broader narrative of youth resistance and state violence.

💡exhumation

Exhumation is the act of digging up a body from a grave, often for the purpose of identification or reburial. The script describes the family's search for the narrator's sister through exhumation, highlighting the desperate measures families take to find their missing loved ones and the lack of closure they experience.

💡dentures

Dentures are removable substitutes for missing teeth. In the script, the narrator mentions his sister's distinctive dentures as a means of identification during the exhumation process. This detail adds a personal and poignant element to the search, emphasizing the family's determination to find their lost member.

💡death certificates

A death certificate is an official document that declares the details of the time, place, and cause of a person's death. The script mentions 'death certificates' in the context of the family's search for closure, illustrating the bureaucratic hurdles and the struggle for justice faced by families of the disappeared.

💡cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest refers to the sudden loss of heart function, leading to the cessation of blood circulation and loss of consciousness. The script mentions 'cardiac arrest due to multiple gunshot wounds' on the death certificates, which is a stark reminder of the violent circumstances under which many of the disappeared met their end.

💡closure

Closure, in this context, refers to the emotional resolution or sense of finality that comes from knowing the truth about a traumatic event. The script conveys the family's ongoing quest for closure regarding the disappearance and presumed death of the narrator's sister, reflecting the deep emotional impact of such events on families.

💡NPA

NPA stands for the New People's Army, a communist rebel group in the Philippines. The script mentions the NPA in relation to the supposed death of the narrator's sister in a confrontation, suggesting the complex dynamics of political violence and the impact on civilian lives.

Highlights

The narrator describes a harrowing experience of torture involving being hung upside down and beaten.

The individual was 23 years old when they were captured.

After more than two years, the person was fortunate to be released.

A sibling, Rizalina Ilagan, went missing at the age of 23.

Rizalina's ID photo from her freshman year at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños, is mentioned.

The family was informed that Rizalina might be in Lucena.

The family, along with others, went to Quezon Public Cemetery in search of answers.

The narrator recalls a tree near the cemetery that was significant to their search.

The family found a lightning-struck tree that was mentioned in a diary article about a military encounter.

The narrator was around 13 years old during the time of the incident.

The narrator worked in the cemetery where many unidentified bodies were brought by soldiers.

The bodies were buried without proper identification.

The family's search led them to exhume bodies to find dental records that could identify Rizalina.

The family found that the teeth of the exhumed bodies were broken, making identification difficult.

The family received death certificates stating the cause of death as cardiac arrest due to multiple gunshot wounds.

The narrator recounts a story of a military encounter in Mauban and the aftermath.

The bodies of the victims were said to have been taken away by the military.

The family was told that the bodies were buried in a mass grave.

The narrator describes the clothes found on a female body, which resembled the last clothes worn by their sister.

The family was given a body to identify, but they could not be certain it was Rizalina.

The narrator's father's plea to know what happened to his son before he dies.

The father passed away in 2001 without ever finding closure.

The family's search for closure continues without success.