DECADES after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, the political and economic forces it represented remain entrenched, critics say, as calls for justice continue amid unpunished abuses and historical revisionism.
The return of the Marcos family to power, along with the lack of accountability for former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war-related killings and the pending impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, underscores what rights groups describe as systemic impunity.
“The continued evasion of justice proves that impunity is not an aberration, but a systemic failure,” said Josalee Deinla, secretary general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL).
Marking the anniversary of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolt, Deinla and other advocates say remembrance is an act of resistance against the rewriting of history and the suppression of dissent.
They argue that true justice requires dismantling structures that sustain impunity, including the militarization of governance, state-sponsored killings, political persecution, and the distortion of historical narratives.
“The betrayal of Edsa is not just in the return of the Marcoses or the continued rule of political dynasties. It is in every stolen life, every silenced voice, and every truth distorted to serve the powerful,” Deinla said.
Despite setbacks, activists assert that the spirit of resistance remains alive, emphasizing that the struggle for justice is not a relic of the past but an ongoing responsibility.
“Never forget. Never surrender. Never again,” Deinla said.
