BALAY shows a film that merges past & present in remembering martial law

The past continues to haunt nation even as it is once again confronted with a breakdown in the rule of law. This is a tragic commentary that was highlighted in the BALAY-sponsored showing of the film Respeto at the Cine Adarna Theater last Sept. 18, 2018 as part of activities to commemorate the imposition of military rule in 1972.

Respeto reflects on extra-judicial killings from the eyes of an aspiring hip-hop artist, Abra, and his reluctant mentor, an old poet living with the scars of martial law.

Directed by Treb Monteras II, the poetic lines in the film reflect the century-old ills of a society whose victims come mostly from the poorest communities. This is how films like Respeto play a role in raising consciousness to those who were not born during the Martial Law era.

“We have had enough of the trail of blood, corruption, social coercion, and lies that marks our continuing past. To collectively remember is to rise in collective indignation.  To attain social healing, redress and non-repetition must prevail,” BALAY’s executive director Josephine Lascano said in her remarks at the showing.

“We have to remember that Mr. Ferdinand Marcos placed the entire Philippine archipelago under military rule on September 21, 1972, and went on to hold the Filipino people in a garrison state and bleed the country dry for 14 years,” Lascano said.  

BALAY was formed in 1985 to provide psycho-social support services and refuge to victims of human rights violations during the dark days of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos

Among those who attended the screening were ex-political detainees, government and non-government representatives, BALAY Alternative Learning System students, filmmakers, students and professors.

The screening was supported by the European Union to the Philippines and Danish Institute Against Torture and organized in cooperation with the UP - Cinema Arts Society, a student organization based in University of the Philippines.