NO.1 VOL.1 / DECEMBER 2016
http://dx.doi.org/10.222.99/arpap/2016.001
Martial Law in Polomolok 1972 – 1986:
A Study of its Effects to
Local Government and Policies
MARLON B. LOPEZ, CECILIA B. TANGIAN
Received: 3 October 2016
Accepted: 26 October 2016
Published: 22 December 2016
Corresponding author:
MARLON B. LOPEZ
[email protected]
Mindanao State University –
Iligan Institute of Technology
CECILIA B. TANGIAN
[email protected]
Mindanao State University –
Iligan Institute of Technology
ABSTRACT
The martial law imposed by late Philippine President Ferdinand
Marcos affected the national government of the country and needless to say it also affected even the local governments of municipalities through its laws and implementation. This study aims to analyze how martial law affected the local government of Polomolok,
South Cotabato as an emerging municipality in Southern Philippines (Dole Philippines was established in Polomolok on December
1963 thus driving Polomolok’s economy to new heights) and how
the martial law inflicted human rights violations through the Ilaga
(led by the Manero brothers) which were considered as part of the
government’s Integrated Civilian Home Defense Forces (ICHDF)
as it was established to counter rural insurgencies perpetrated by
either the Communists in Northern Luzon and in Southern
Mindanao the Muslim secessionists, the Black shirts. This study
will primarily be based on oral interviews with key respondents
and other respondents that may corroborate or give additional
information for the fulfillment and development of this study, also
archival research will be applied. Furthermore, this study will aim
to unveil the local history of Polomolok during martial law and be
part of the national story of the Philippines during those years due
to the rareness of literatures and histories written in light of martial law in provincial and/or rural areas in the Philippine South.
Keywords: Ilaga, local government, human rights
INTRODUCTION
Philippine history will never forget September 21, 1972
as the start of one of its darkest times. This was the day
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of the declaration of martial law by the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.
Martial law was aimed to “save” the Republic from the rebels (Communists in the
North and Muslim secessionists in the South), “purge” the government, and society
of its corrupt practices and also the people who were behind such activities, subjecting the entire Filipino population to national discipline and genuine agrarian reform
(Marcos, 1981).
Through these efforts and visions, the martial law administration implemented
several programs and projects to realize its aims and to consolidate the cooperation
of every Filipino in the archipelago. Public infrastructures were built to answer the
need for industrialization of the country (Marcos, 1981), programs for self-sufficiency and social discipline were instigated to bolster national morale and cooperation and the intensification of the military counterinsurgencies, especially in the
Philippine South (Gleeck, 1987) where the military presence was noticeable due to
the strength of the Muslim movements of insurgencies.
Polomolok (F’lom’lok, two fused B’laan terms which are given three different
meanings such as “hunting ground”, “upper portion of the creek” and “cradle of
hunters”) is a municipality located in between the municipality of Tupi and General
Santos City. Polomolok was part of the National Land Settlement Administration’s
settlement area in Mindanao (Koronadal Valley), opened so as to hasten the Mindanao
integration to the Philippines (Asleah, 2011). It was organized by Atty. Ernesto T.
Jimenez as its first overseer (Sentillanosa, 1987). Later, Polomolok became a municipality on August 21, 1957 by virtue of Executive Order No. 264 by former Philippine
President Carlos P. Garcia, installing Datu Badong Nilong as its first mayor. Today,
Polomolok is under the administration of Mayor Honey Lumayag-Matti, the daughter of former Polomolok Mayor Engr. Isidro Lumayag. It is now one of the fastest
growing municipalities, not only in Mindanao, but in the entire Philippines also. The
Province of South Cotabato website would describe Polomolok as the province’s
largest agro-industrial municipality not just because it is the home of the Philippines’s
largest food processing company, Dole Philippines Incorporated, but also because of
the presence of various factories manufacturing hog feed, cotton, and ice.
Polomolok, South Cotabato, as a booming municipality during the 1970s, had
not been excluded from the efforts of the national government’s aims of a New
Society. As the home of one of the world’s largest food processing companies, Dole
Philippines, the national government exerted plans and projects for Polomolok to
develop and improve as a municipality, at that time.
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MARTIAL LAW AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
General Orders No. 6, 7 and 7-A
Malacañang had started to mobilize the military and the Philippine Constabulary
all over the country to search for firearms, regardless of legal registration, and confiscate ammunition of any kind. Gen. Order No.6 banned the ownership of guns
and ammunition in the entire country on September 22, 1972. General Orders No.7
dated September 23, 1972 and 7-A dated September 30, 1972 exempted the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Constabulary and other
militia groups that were deemed helpful for the government to facilitate reform in
the urban and rural provinces of the country. Mayor Barney French, the mayor of
Polomolok from July 1968 until January 1980, consequently adhered to these orders
and issued a gun ban order. He stressed, during the 11th Meeting of the Sangguniang
Bayan dated October 16, 1972, that people possessing firearms must surrender
them to the Office of the Chief of Police of the local Philippine Constabulary by no
later than October 25, 1972. Failure to do so would be dealt with “drastically” and
could entail the punishment of death to anyone that was disobedient to the Presidential Order. (Minutes of the 11th Sangguniang Bayan Meeting, 1972).
Searches and surrender of ammunition were conducted by the joint forces of
the local Integrated National Police and the Philippine Constabulary during the months
of September and October in 1972. That led to many people of Polomolok really
feeling the pressure from the government, increased even further by the military,
stressing to the people that it was serious in disciplining the country and destroying
hindrances to the “Bagong Lipunan”. Private armies were disbanded in the
government’s efforts to subdue private militia due to their threat to the Republic, as
declared by the President, and their firearms were confiscated to suppress armed
insurgencies. According to Mrs. Elsa Biantan, President of the Catholic Women’s
League in Polomolok for twenty years up to today, who stated that there was strict
confiscation of firearms at that time. Policemen and military personnel conducted
‘house to house’ inspections to confiscate firearms from the people and to prevent
mayhem occurring in Polomolok. However, the combined police and military force
were unable to confiscate all of the firearms thus outlaws were able to continually
“harass” the people. Some people made improvised guns, commonly known as
“paltik”, for their safety however others hired the Ilaga for protection.
Despite the strict implementation of the orders, the local populace created improvised firearms to protect themselves from rebel elements that had fled to the
mountains and would extort money from local residents. The failure of the local
government, the local police and military to confiscate all the arms created a new
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breed of private security forces and body guards for private individuals, or they
would hire Ilaga (Ilaga was a term used for the paramilitary group founded by Bernardo
Baylosis, popularly known as “Commander Toothpick” (Startup, M.M. & Laird, M.M.,
1985)) members in order to protect their interests and guard them. This proliferation
of improvised firearms forced Mayor French to extend the arms General Orders to
authorize the Philippine Constabulary to confiscate these types of weapons. The
Municipal government adhered “religiously” to the general order and they also
mobilized their civilian messengers, namely Leonardo Limos, Gemino Dipus, and
Marciano Deypalan, to cooperate closely with the Police officers handling the order.
Right after the issuance of this order, the Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Council)
was assured by Mayor French of the release of funding for an irrigation project in
Barangay Glamang, Polomolok, by the national government.
Presidential Declaration No. 823 and General Order No. 5
The very foundation of the rights of the Filipinos stipulated in the third provision
of the Bill of Rights was prohibited by the very institution supposed to defend it at all
costs. General Order No. 5 was decreed in to law by Presidential Decree No. 823 on
November 3, 1975. Presidential Decree No. 823 outlawed pickets and strikes against
workers of the vital industries such as telecommunications companies, water companies and many more. It also widened the scope of the terms “strikes”, “lockouts”
and “pickets” to include slow downs, mass absences and deliberate slowing of work
rate (Presidential Decree No. 823) (Timberman, 1991). This step by the government
was aimed to present a “beautiful” picture of the implementation of martial law in
the country. Groups that were violating this order would be immediately penalized
and would be “dealt with immediately” (Rodriguez, 1985). The people of Polomolok
were not immediately aware of the effects of martial law. The obvious signs of
implementation of martial law in the municipality were the curfew hours and an
increased presence of the military. During the time of martial law, as one informant
contends, people could never say anything against the government because everyone knew that there was tight surveillance aimed at the local populace so as to
know, who among the locals, were not conforming to the actions of the government. The informant added that they were particularly afraid when they were visiting the town market because the military and police personnel were very evident.
The very presence of the military intimidated the people of Polomolok. The local
police acted like military officers. Also the civilian populace was intimidated by
numerous arrests due to the extreme implementation of General Order No. 5 by a
certain “Sergeant Pantik”. According to Mrs. Yañez, individuals caught discussing
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the ills of society and the wrongdoings of the government were brought for investigation and interrogation to Hill 191 (which was later converted to a local public
cemetery and is now the Golden Sunshine Resort), which was then an infamous
prison camp in Miranda, Polomolok. They were detained and forced to admit to,
sometimes fabricated accusations just to escape further torture. The municipal leaders, according to Mrs. Yañez, had to adhere to the military in terms of peace and
order matters and they could not launch any programs, regarding to the latter,
without the military’s positive response. Mrs. Yañez and Mrs. Biantan concurred to
the fact that the local police became informants of the military and the tiñente del
barrio (barangay captain) served as reinforcement for the intelligence operatives of
the military by providing them with information concerning those who were against
the Marcos dictatorship, in the locality.
Presidential Decree 1016 – The Integrated Civilian Home Defense Forces
In the later years, the government, especially the military, saw the importance of
creating a more diverse and sporadic group that would aid the military in putting
down hooligans and insurgents that were spread all over the country. Thus, the
ICHDF or Integrated Civilian Home Defense Forces was created through Presidential
Decree No.1016 (Startup, M.M. & Laird, M.M., 1985) on September 22, 1976. The
ICHDF was a unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and was trained by the
military to augment the military presence in local communities, especially in the
rural areas of the country. General Jose Crisol, Deputy Minister of Home Defense
and the architect of the creation of the Integrated National Police (INP) described the
ICHDF as a unit “against lawless elements and to assist law enforcement agencies in
restoring peace and order” (Youngblood, 1993).
In Mindanao, the ICHDF group was a recognized entity that helped the military
to put down insurgencies. The local Ilaga, originally an Ilonggo term for rat was later
used to refer to the fanatic pseudo-military entity founded in Samar, mostly Ilonggos,
which was being satirically expounded to ‘Ilonggo Land Grabbers Association’ by
their enemies. An informant, who chose not to divulge his identity in this study said
that the Ilaga was organized by the Magnificent Seven, a group of seven Ilonggo
Mindanao mayors, namely Nicolas Dequiña of Midsayap, North Cotabato, Wenceslao
Dela Cerna of Alamada, Cotabato City, Pacifico Dela Cerna of Libungan, North
Cotabato, Bonifacio Tejada of Mlang, North Cotabato, Conrado Lemana of Tulunan,
North Cotabato, Jose Escribano of Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat and Esteban Doruelo of
Pigcawayan, Cotabato. The Magnificent Seven organized the Ilaga because of the
threat from the Black shirts and the Barracudas and to protect the Christian villages
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and population. These factions spread to Mindanao and moved against the Muslim
secessionists, the Black shirts of Cotabato and the Barracudas of Lanao, the armed
wing of the Mindanao Independence Movement and precursor to the Moro National Liberation Front (Araneta-Divinagracia- Ilonggo National Movement, 2015).
“In the mid-1970’s the Ilaga split into factions just as the BSDU (Barangay SelfDefense Unit [author’s note]) was about to be renamed ICHDF (Integrated Civilian
Home Defense Forces [author’s note]). One splinter group was led by Commander
Bucay and Commander Inday, aliases of Norberto Manero, Jr. and Leonarda Lacson
Manero. The husband-and-wife team, together with the remnants of the Ilaga group,
set up their headquarters in Polomolok, South Cotabato. Bucay was designated by
then Brig. Gen Delfin Castro of the Central Mindanao Command…as the Commanding Officer of the ICHDF Special Strike Force under the Special Warfare Group…”
(Startup,M.M. &Laird, M.M., 1985). The Ilaga was bestowed the title Barangay SelfDefense Unit by virtue of the then Provincial Commander, turned Parliament member and Deputy Minister of Civil-Military Relations, Col. Carlos Cajelo who made the
justification that the Ilaga were after the Muslim secessionists in Mindanao. Thus the
image of a folk hero turned into a lawless hooligan (Startup, M.M. & Laird, M.M.,
1985).
The Maneros were also suspects in the massacre of Ali Mamalumpong and his
brother. Geroge Pontilla, a witness furnished by the Justice and Peace-Social Action
Center reported that Larry Gonzaga, a Manero follower, cut out the sex organ of one
of the Mamalumpong brothers to be eaten at the right time (Startup, M.M. & Laird,
M.M., 1985).
Edgar Arguilles, another ex-follower, said in his sworn statement that Norberto
and Leonarda ordered the team leader George Manero, on May 29, 1977 to massacre B’laan communities in Kiniles and to be exact the words of Manero were, “…
magmasaker kamo sang Bilaan sa Kiniles…” (Massacre some B’laans in Kiniles).
Fernardo Guymon was a B’laan pastor reported killed by the George Maneros group
in Polomolok. Arguilles reported that George Manero asked Guymon who he was
and Guymon responded by asking who he was, George Manero told Fernardo Guymon
“… indi ka na mabuhi, nong…” (You won’t live anymore) and Fernardo Guymon
said, “Praise the Lord, Alleluia”, then George Manero fired his shotgun. Arguilles
added that a number of men, named only as Uldarico, Sedonio, Kris and Ronnie
Abella, all followers of the Maneros hacked Guymon’s children and wife using their
samurai swords. (Startup, M.M. & Laird, M.M., 1985)
The case of the Maneros against the party of Fr. Tullio Favalli and the
Mamalumpongs was allegedly financed by many affluent families in General Santos,
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Sarangani and South Cotabato. Atty. Cornelio Falgui, who once served as Kiamba
mayor, made a courageous stand on the side of the Maneros and saved their lives in
the court when the Mayor of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur ordered the Maneros arrest
and ordered PC Captain Filipino Amoguis to capture the Maneros and kill them by
firing squad. Atty. Falgui successfully defended the Maneros in court and indeed
saved their lives and”…for saving his life, the charismatic and extremely violent
Manero would be indebted to him, ever after. Indeed, years later, long after Mayor
Falgui’s death, Manero continues to hold a close relationship with Falgui’s son,
General Santos City-based Attorney Tomas C. Falgui.” (http:// /.blogspot.com/2011/
11).
A respondent who did wish not to divulge his identity due to security concerns
said that the Maneros used to work with the government and when Atty. Falgui
successfully saved them from the death penalty and the firing squad, the Maneros
were indebted to him and worked for him. Now the Maneros worked for Dole
Philippines by securing the lands they own in Polomolok.
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 198
With the increased spending of the government to finance more projects in the
rural communities, the national government had selected many communities in the
provinces to finance them. Among the large projects were the Chico Hydroelectric
Dam and the Magat Dam that were constructed to produce power for many locations in Luzon. Irrigation was also a primary project for the government and the two
dams previously mentioned were also equipped to release water for the agricultural
fields in the vicinity. In May 25, 1973, President Marcos signed his Presidential
Decree No. 198 or the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973.
In Polomolok, the Community Development Ministry helped in the realization of
a water sewage system for the Municipality that had been a dream of the people of
Polomolok for many years. The administration of Barney French had once initiated
the program. However, it was not realized because of a tight municipal budget.
(Sentillanosa, 1984) Following a survey undertaken by the Municipal Planning and
Development Office, in accordance with the majority of the population’s desire to
have a clean water supply, Polomolok Water District was created to provide safe and
clean water for the municipality, during the middle months of 1980. It was formally
ordered to be constructed by the local government by virtue of Sangguniang Bayan
Resolution No. 63, under Saturnino Calulo’s leadership. It aimed to answer the plea
of the growing population for potable water which was difficult to acquire due to
the distance to the nearest watersheds that, at that time, were found in the far-flung
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mountainous areas in Polomolok. The drilling of a deep well at that time was considered too expensive for private exploration, thus the Polomolok Water District served
as a very great help in the development of the municipality (Sentillanosa, 1984).
Anecita Balanay, the Municipal Agriculturist of Polomolok from 1974 – 1999,
said that the Water District was a great help to the Municipality of Polomlok because
prior to the Water District being in operation, it was difficult to get potable water
and the source was very far away from Purok Bliss and many other places in Polomolok,
upon it coming into operation, life had become a lot easier.
The Polomolok Water District, through the financial support of the national government by PD No. 198, was inaugurated on October 9, 1980 and Mr. Hilarion
Visande Jr. was appointed manager and assigned to the office to supervise the operation and to continue the development of the exploratory operations that supply
water to many homes in Polomolok, up to the present day. (Polomolok Water District Website).
HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION
Freedom of Speech
As stated in the 19th Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; this
right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive
and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers. This
right must be upheld by the state and the government. Various decrees and orders,
issued by the President, can be said to have violated this provision of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. The Greater Manila area and other provinces were
purged of opposition to silence the voicing of grievances and to ensure only a
positive response from the people, due to the absence of opposition.
Presidential Declaration No. 823/824 and General Order No. 5 had created an
atmosphere of threat towards protests and upheavals. Many arrests were made because of these orders from the President. Even powerful government officials and
politicians were arrested because they were blatant and “noisy” opposition members. In Polomolok, military and police worked in the stiff implementation of these
orders, where even private conversations were deemed to be under the surveillance
of paid civilian informants. Even church magazines were on the watch list or under
surveillance of the authorities. Mrs. Yañez recounted that if Concern Magazines
were placed outside the church, they would be turned to ashes. Furthermore, Mr.
Leopoldo Biantan, the husband of Mrs. Elsa Biantan, recalled the saying “the ground
has its ears and the news has its wings” which was famous during the martial law
years. The Military and police officers’ primary job was to keep a keen ear for the
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people who voiced antagonistic comments about the government. There were
Barangay captains who reported to the military concerning people doing and saying
things against the government, which was why the people were so afraid of talking
about the imperfections of the government.
In the Concern Magazine, Volume 5 No. 5, there was a manifesto that was
distributed to the employees of Dole Philippines and other key industries and companies in South Cotabato, calling for a strike to show that the workers were not
happy with the conditions in the companies. They were advocating strike action to
alleviate their working conditions. The manifesto was allegedly cultivated by Communists in South Cotabato and was brought to the attention of Dole’s top management. The company called upon the local police to counter the strike call as they
knew that a strike could affect the operation of the company. Thus, the police
moved into action immediately and searched for the culprit responsible for distributing the strike call, which was a direct violation of Presidential Decree 823/824. What
happened was a gross violation of human rights, the right to be heard, the right to
peaceful assembly, as well as association with others.
Freedom to own property and its maintenance
Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone
has the right to own property. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property”
and this is considered as a vital right of each individual and must be protected by the
government.
The Philippine economy was aided in its progress and development due to the
entry of large international companies which were usually owned by foreigners.
These companies were established in various provinces and even in cities where
large Filipino industries were already operating (Rodriguez, 1985). The Philippines is
open for these foreign companies to have access to wider and larger lands for use in
their business operation. This situation was true of Dole Philippines Incorporated
who built their mega plantation in Polomolok, South Cotabato. Their main plantation and canning structures are now located in Barangay Cannery and their business
operations have expanded in to the nearby Municipalities such as Tupi and T’boli,
Maasim and Surallah as well as the City of General Santos.
In Polomolok, which hosted the original pineapple plantation of the company,
vast tract of lands were purchased by Dole Philippines Incorporated in a questionable
manner. Suspicious dealings were engaged in with the land owners, who were
usually members of the indigenous settlers in the area. Their lack the proper education and misinformation regarding the exact market value of their land made them
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victims of unscrupulous transactions, therefore they were not paid a just amount of
compensation for their lands.
According to respondents who chose not to divulge their identity, Dole Philippines purchased their land by payment of one can of sardines and few clothing
items in exchange for one (1) to three (3) hectares. It was undertaken in an unscrupulous manner so that they were deceived and uninformed of the real value of the
land. Other stories gathered by the researcher suggested that Dole Philippines promised to pay a certain amount, much higher than they usually offered, but they never
paid the amount due, for unknown reasons, even though they continued to use the
land.
The government at that time was relentless in its desperation to speed up the
opening of new lands for industries and residences to be established. A respondent
said that the Black shirts of Polomolok were just a made-up story. The authorities
considered that the Bla’ans of the Polo-Landan areas were Black shirts, if not sympathizers and they were harassed by the Ilaga (ICHDF-Polomolok). This group often
killed the Bla’ans because of the accusations. Some, who had fled to save their lives,
upon their return found that their lands were illegally occupied and planted with
pineapples and corn or were occupied by other people.
A respondent, who chose not to reveal his identity, spoke even further about the
expansion of the lands the Ilaga allegedly grabbed from the Bla’ans and which were
secured by Presidential Decree No. 762 on July 5, 1961 by President Carlos P. Garcia,
who declared the 2,507 hectares of land located in the Polo-Landan-Maligo-Kiniles
area as a reservation area. The respondent said that the lands that were grabbed by
the Christian settlers in the area were immense. The land area that were grabbed
from the Bla’ans accounted for the entire 2,507 hectares. However, based on a
survey we undertook, the total land was 2,511 hectares. Later, some Christian settlers sold the land to Dole Philippines while some preferred to lease, despite Dole
Philippines being aware that the lands were illegally grabbed from the B’laans.
The lands were supposed to be ancestral domains reserved for the B’laans. However, with the illegal land grab many were left landless and poverty-stricken, making
them a marginalized group nowadays. These unfortunate circumstances, allegedly
involving the government forces through the ICHDF and known locally as Ilaga, to
create more residential and industrial area in Polomolok was a violation of the rights
of the B’laans. The Municipal government was silent on the issue and municipal
records do not reflect any entries regarding this. Cases were not filed due to fear of
pressure from the mega company; the stories were still considered hearsay although
respondents were still present and stood silent witness to these atrocities.
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Right to Recognition as a Person before the Law
In the history of Polomolok, Martial law was in place until it was lifted in 1981.
However, the continuance of injustice persisted. Justice and equal rights under the
rule of law was part of a promise of the reforms of the New Society. However, justice
for the Manero victims remained elusive. According to Benjie Nequento, a Justice
and Peace – Social Action Center (JP-SAC) official, (JP-SAC is a religious agency
which was organized to help people acquire justice through legal aid), that had been
assigned to be part of the team to help the Mamalumpongs against a prominent
opponent that protected the Maneros, he stated that the Maneros were just so
tough. I can remember that at the time, children were being frightened by threats
from their mothers that the Manero would eat them if they went home late at night
or if they would go home late in the evening. It was as if Manero was the ‘Maria
Labo’ of that time.)
Mrs. Takahashi-Magpayo described the ill repute of the Maneros as notorious.
Mrs. Takahashi-Magpayo observed that the Maneros have a strong grip upon powerful politicians because no matter how the military and the police exerted efforts to
search for them, they were able to elude capture.
Pepito L. Modercion, a member of the 453rd Philippine Constabulary Command
in Camp Lira, City of General Santos, filed an affidavit in which he divulged several
atrocities carried out by the Maneros on their ICHDF operations in Kiniles, Barangay
Lamcalyap, in Polomolok Municipality. Moderacion reported the events that lead to
the murders of Ali Mamalumpong and his brother through a sworn statement in
1983. He presented in his affidavit that in October 1977, he was ordered by his
superior Commanding Officer 1st Lt. Antonio P. Billones, to join the ICHDF group
supervised by Norberto Manero Jr. and Leonarda Lacson Manero “without divulging
my identity as an enlisted PC personnel”.(Startup,M.M. & Laird,M.M, 1985).
Moderacion confessed in his sworn affidavit that he had witnessed several unlawful
arrests made by the Manero ICHDF group without warrants and the murderous acts
perpetrated towards Christians and Muslims in Polomolok, particularly those who
were suspected of being rebels.
Moderacion, due to being present during the actions undertaken by the Maneros
and their followers, witnessed the events of the killing of the Mamalumpong brothers. He said that on November 5, 1977, at around 3:30 in the afternoon, Kumander
Inday (Leonarda Lacson Manero) with other followers armed with high-powered
firearms took the Mamalumpongs on their farm lot in Kiniles, Lamcalyap, Polomolok.
Kumander Bucay (Norberto Manero, Jr.) was already there with their other followers.
The Mamalumpongs were then stripped naked, hogtied and interrogated by Kumander
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Bucay after which ordered the Mamalumpongs to be shot to death. The two brothers were then slaughtered and sliced into pieces, their internal organs taken from
their bodies and then cooked to be eaten.
Another witness to the Mamalumpong case was George Pontilla, an ex-follower
of the Maneros who later on turned against them due to their ritualistic cannibalism.
He testified before the court in his sworn affidavit that he was once a member of the
Integrated Civilian Home Defense Forces – South Cotabato Strike Force, under the
command of Kumander Bucay and Kumander Inday, until he surrendered his firearm
to the Maneros on June 22, 1978. He swore before the court that he witnessed that
the Mamalumpong brothers were hogtied, beaten by bars and guns, after which
they were butchered and eaten. A part of the body was cut off from one
Mamalumpong brother by a certain Larry Gonzaga and was kept in Pontilla’s possession as an exhibit of the heinous crime.
To note the report of the Fact Finding Mission of Patricia Startup, M.M. and
Eileen Laird, M.M. in May 1985, the military seemed to protect the Maneros despite
their cannibalistic and inhuman treatment of accused rebels. In one instance, when
Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile released an ASSO (Arrest, Search and Seizure
Order) against the Maneros who were being instigated for the murder of the
Mamalumpong brothers, the military, with their highest officials and commanders,
seemed not to be interested while junior officers seemed not brave enough to tell
the whereabouts of the Maneros. They were not interested in handing in the Maneros
to the court due to their significant role in suppressing Muslim dissenters and insurgents in Southern Cotabato.
Leopoldo Ojacastro, a vital witness to the murder case was stabbed to death
while on the way to a meeting, even though he was under military protection.
Further, Col. Mariano Miranda, 3rd Brigade Commander of the Southern Command
of the Philippine Constabulary refused to disarm the Maneros despite official orders
and growing requests from the local populace to do so. In addition, Brig. Gen.
Delfin Castro refused to make a move in arresting the Maneros, on the grounds that
the Maneros were not already present in the area under his command. However,
numerous sightings were reported, such as that of Norberto Manero, Jr. (Commander Bucay) who was seen entering a local movie house in Koronadal and Leonarda
Lacson Manero (Commander Inday) was spotted as a wedding sponsor in Polomolok.
(Startup,M.M. & Laird,M.M, 1985).
Thus, the notorious reputation of the Maneros had intimidated even the judicial
system of the court at that time. The case was first heard in Dadiangas (General
Santos City), but due to security reasons and a court decision, the case was filed to
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Alabel despite the fact that the massacre was orchestrated in Kiniles, Polomolok. The
trial got underway for the first time when the Maneros were captured after the
intervention of high-ranking military and Cabinet members. Former Chief of Staff
Fidel Ramos was said to have intervened to capture the elusive murderers. It took
several years of searches and seizures, and several people who affirmed the murders
of the Mamalumpong brothers, Francisco Guymon, Fr. Tullio Favalli and other people
and who had experienced the atrocities and abuses of the Maneros, for them to be
put to trial.
Right of Security of Tenure in Employment
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a sacred document which assured the people of the world on their rights as individuals and a society. These
rights must be protected, of course with other limitations on case to case basis.
However, it is clear in this document that the state must uphold this right, even
during the gravest time for the country. This is a duty the state must be responsible
for. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated that “Everyone has the right
to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and
to protection against unemployment” (Article 23 Paragraph 1).
On June 28, 1983, Concern Magazine denounced the unjust termination of
eleven (11) supervisors of Dole Philippines for an unreported and unpublicized reason. Concern Magazine reported that on February 26, 1983, Mike O’Brien, Dole
Philippines’ Overall Manager for the Agricultural Operations Division, terminated
Toriano Chua, Silvestre Maquidato, Romeo Plete, Paul Echem, Elenterio Dapanas,
Roberto Gregorio, Ciriaco Pagaduan, Carlito Cadiao, Reggie Batita, Tomas Montano
and a certain “Mr. Roque”, all who were supervisors of the Agricultural Operations
Division, without prior notice. This issue led to further events that caught the attention of local media and ultimately the Regional Office of the Ministry on Labor. The
municipal government, according to Mr. Fin, stipulated that if ever Dole would do
something crazy we can easily sanction them or punish them. I will say this that the
municipal government held Dole ‘by the neck’, that is why they do not do nasty
things. During our time, we told the Dole officials that they should never do bad
things if you do not want to be banished from here, so Dole were frightened of the
Municipal government.
However, the issue was never discussed in any Sangguniang Bayan meeting nor
did the municipal government order an investigation in to the grounds of the matter.
The Municipal government was silent about the issue maybe because, as one informant reported, they feared Dole Philippines would decide to close its operations,
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which would mean a great economic downfall for the Municipality of Polomolok
because many depended upon Dole Philippines for their living. Apart from economic downturn, Polomolok would suffer a tremendous unemployment rate and it
could only mean a gigantic slashing of Polomolok tax revenues. Other businesses
would also be affected. This domino effect of Dole Philippines’s exit from Polomolok,
if ever the municipal government would intervene and Dole did not like it, perhaps
halted the municipal government from intervening in the issue and kept its hands
free for creating the issue bigger.
Later in 1983, the Dole Philippines’ Supervisors’ Club Chairman, now a Municipal Councilor of the Sangguniang Bayan of the Municipality of Polomolok, Hon.
Jose Falcon, relayed a message to the local newspapers and the Concern Magazine
as well a message to Dole Philippines and the Ministry of Labor – Regional and
National Offices, manifesting concern over the issues and personal qualms that anyone serving as supervisors and all employees of Dole Philippines, in general, could
be terminated at any time, for any reason under the grace of high-ranking Dole
Philippines officials (Concern Magazine, Volume 5 No. 6, 1983).
The clergy, seeing the injustice perpetrated by Dole Philippines sympathized with
the sacked supervisors and other employees of Dole Philippines. Our Lady of Lourdes
Parish of Polomolok, led by Fr. Jaime Apolinares and Fr. George Carin, was, at that
time raising funds for the construction of a parish building, heard the news and
ultimately condemned the matter. They relayed to the administration of Dole Philippines that their donation of about P 40,000.00 to the parish project had been withdrawn and would be returned by Fr. Apolinares himself as a sign of disgust towards
Dole Philippines’ unfair treatment of the eleven sacked supervisors. In addition, a
religious organization in Polomolok called Samarianos-Cursillistas, condemned the
unreasonable actions of Dole Philippines. Salvador Hormigos, the group’s leader,
wrote a letter addressed to Dole Philippines’ General Manager and Vice President for
Cannery Operations, Seren C. Bacani condemning the “hostile action” (Concern
Magazine Volume 5 No. 5, 1983).
CONCLUSION
The local government is a political and administrative unit established to administer and protect the interests of the local people or its constituents. It is expected to
be the vanguard in protecting the rights and interests of its constituents. The events
in Polomolok, South Cotabato were obviously the opposite of what may have been
expected. The local government was silent and even cooperated in the measures and
programs of the national government, even if it was obviously against the very
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fundamental rights of the people.
The local government was guilty of conniving with a dictatorial regime and its
atrocities were never opposed by the local government. Also, the local government
had presented “deaf ears and blind eyes” to the pleas of its people and had also the
same stance in regard to the human rights violations committed by the national
government. It is very sad to know that the very institution expected to protect the
people did not have the courage and will to do so.
There are many stories that surround the martial law years of Polomolok however
limits to this paper had been bounded that the researcher is limited to select significant issues on local government policies and administration thus, at the end of the
day, the narratives herein would serve as a reminder of their responsibilities and
obligations to the people they serve.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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People.Commonwealth, Quezon City:
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Bas Sr., M. (1973). Philippine Martial Law. New
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Bresnan, J., et. al. (1986).Crisis in the Philippines: An Analysis of the Marcos Era and
Beyond. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton
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Buss, C.A., (1977). The United States and the
Philippines: Background for Policy.
Washington D.C., USA: American Enterprise
Institute for Public Policy Research, Stanford
University.
Celoza, Albert F. Ferdinand Marcos and the
Philippines: The Political Economy of
Authoritarianism. Westport: Praeger, 1997.
Collins, J. (1989). The Philippines: Fire in the
Rim. San Francisco, California: Institute for
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Constantino, L. (1984). Issues Without Tears: A
Layman’s Manual to Current Issues Volume
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Cortes, R.M. (1999). Philippine Presidents 100
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De Dios, A.J., et. al (1988). Dictatorship and
Revolution Roots of People’s Power. Metro
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Gleeck, L. (1987).President Marcos and the
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Gaspar, K. (2000). The Lumad’s Struggle in the
Face of Globalization. Davao City: Alternate
Forum for Research in Mindanao.
Manalang, P. (ed.). (1987). A Nation for Our
Children. Quezon City, Philippines: Jose W.
Diokno Foundation Inc. and Claretian
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Manapat, R. (1991).Some are Smarter than
Others: The History of Marcos’ Crony
Capitalism. New York: Aletheia Publications.
Marcos, F.(1981). Progress and Martial
Law.Manila: Malacañang.
Masataka, Kimura (1997). Election and Politics
Philippine Style: A Case in Lipa. Manila. De
La Salle University Press.
McDougald, C. (1987). The Marcos Files: Was
He a Filipino Hero or Corrupt Tyrant?. San
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Mijares, P. (1976). The Conjugal Dictatorship of
Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos I. San
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National Media Production Center (1981).The
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Palmer, M. (2003).Breaking the Real Axis of
Evil: How to Oust the World’s Last Dictators
by 2025.USA: Rowman & Littlefield
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Rodriguez, F. (1985).The Marcos Regime: Rape
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Simons, L. (1987).Worth Dying For. USA:
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Thompson, M. (1996).The Anti-Marcos
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Timberman, D. (1991). A Changeless Land
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Alcantara, R. (1978) “Bureaucracy and Political
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Volume 7.pp.107 – 110.
Bagadion, B. (1978) “People Power in the
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5 – 7.
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V. Interviews
Brigido Fin, 88 years old, Resident of
Summerlight, Polomolok, South Cotabato,
Interviewed at Polomolok Foursquare Gospel
Church, Sanchez St., Polomolok South
Cotabato, November 16, 2014, 2:36 PM
Elsa Biantan, 73 years old, Resident of Brgy.
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Sulit, Polomolok, South Cotabato, Interviewed at Brgy. Sulit, Polomolok, South
Cotabato, November 17, 2014, 9:45 AM
Leopoldo Biantan, 75 years old, Resident of
Brgy. Sulit, Polomolok, South Cotabato,
Interviewed at Brgy. Sulit, Polomolok, South
Cotabato, November 17, 2014, 10:56 AM
Benjie Nequento, Resident of Koronadal, South
Cotabato, Interviewed at Justice and PeaceSocial Action Center- Koronadal Office,
December 16, 2014, 3:34 PM
Fr. Joy Pelino, Resident of Korornadal, South
Cotabato, Interviewed at Justice and PeaceSocial Action Center- Koronadal Office,
December 9, 2014, 5:27 PM
Merlinda Yañez, 57 years old, Resident of Brgy.
Palkan, Polomolok, South Cotabato,
Interviewed at Pastoral Office of the Our
Lady of Lourdes Parish, Brgy. Poblacion,
Polomolok, South Cotabato, January 14,
2015, 2:30 PM
Gregoria Takahashi-Magpayo, 76 years old,
Resident of Brgy. Lumakil, Polomolok, South
Cotabato, Interviewed at Brgy. Lumakil,
Polomolok, South Cotabato, January 15,
2014, 9:54 AM
Lidio Villa, Resident of Purok Bliss, Brgy.
Poblacion Polomolok, South Cotabato,
Interviewed at Purok Bliss, Brgy. Poblacion,
Polomolok, South Cotabato, February 25,
2015
Anecita Balanay, 65 years old, Resident of
Purok Bliss, Brgy. Poblacion Polomolok,
South Cotabato, Interviewed at Purok Bliss,
Brgy. Poblacion, Polomolok, South Cotabato,
February 25, 2015
Milagros Fernandez-Abesia, 79 years old,
Resident of Purok Bliss, Brgy. Poblacion
Polomolok, South Cotabato, Interviewed at
Purok Bliss, Brgy. Poblacion, Polomolok,
South Cotabato, February 25, 2015
Toto Frias, Resident of Purok Bliss, Brgy.
Poblacion Polomolok, South Cotabato,
Interviewed at Purok Bliss, Brgy. Poblacion,
Polomolok, South Cotabato, February 25,
2015
***Some of the interviewees were not stated
herein due to the interviewee’s decision that
their identity be concealed
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