Religious sector resistance against the Marcos dictatorship


Religious sector opposition against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos included leaders and workers belonging to different beliefs and denominations.
Many of these leaders and workers belonged to the Roman Catholic church, to which belonged the majority of the Philippine population at the time. But various forms of opposition were also notable in churches from denominations including the Philippine Independent Church, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, and individual Evangelical churches such as the Diliman Bible Church.
Muslim Filipinos had been targeted by repressive policies of the Marcos administration since even before Martial Law, with the Jabidah massacre of 18 March 1968 being a watershed moment for discontent. The Muslim Independence Movement was formed two months after the Jabidah Massacre on 1 May 1968, although it was sidelined only five months later when its leader, former Cotabato governor Datu Udtog Matalam, joined the Marcos Administration as Adviser on Muslim Affairs. Although the MIM failed to gain the support of the Muslim Masses, President Marcos used its existence as one of the reasons for proclaiming Martial Law in September 1972. In December 1972 the MIM ceased to exist when Matalam surrendered to Marcos, although a splinter group, the Moro National Liberation Front, formed in October 1972.
Religious beliefs of indigenous Filipinos also factored into their opposition against the Marcos dictatorship—the most popular example being the Kalinga and Bontoc peoples' resistance against Marcos' Chico River Dam Project, in no small part because ancestral lands are sacred in their belief systems. The subsequent assassination of the Kalinga Butbut tribe Pangat Macli-ing Dulag on 24 April 1980 led to the first major news story coverage critical of Marcos administration policies during Martial Law, dealing a severe blow to the public relations efforts of the Marcos regime.

Major events

Before the declaration of Martial Law

Religious leaders and workers represent a significant portion of the names inscribed on the memorial wall of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the "Martyrs and Heroes" who resisted the Marcos dictatorship.

Fr. Zacarias Agatep

Nicknamed "Apo Kari," Fr. Agatep '' was the Roman Catholic Parish priest of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Caoayan, Ilocos Sur. Fr. Agatep helped organize cooperatives, taught interested farmers about land reform, and spoke against foreign and local monopolies in the Tobacco industry, which formed the backbone of Ilocos Sur's economy at the time. He was arrested for supposed "subversion" in 1980 and was incarcerated for four months until he was released as part of Marcos public relations efforts in preparation for a visit by Pope John Paul II. Upon his release, he famously wrote a letter to the President, decrying what he described as a "frame-up" and lamenting the miscarriage of justice typical under the Marcos administration. He kept speaking out against the abuses of the Marcos administration until he was shot four times in the back by unidentified gunmen in October 1982.

Fr. Godofredo Alingal

Nicknamed "Father Ling" by his parishioners, Fr. Alingal was a Jesuit priest and journalist who spoke out against repression and militarization under the Marcos' Martial Law on the prelature's radio station, DXBB, and its newsletter, An Bandilyo. He was also instrumental in the formation of a credit union and grains marketing cooperative for farmers, and helped organize the Kibawe, Bukidnon chapter of the Federation of Free Farmers. When the government shut down DXBB, he kept his parishioners informed through a "blackboard news service"—one of the more inventive forms that the Philippines' "Mosquito Press" took while the media was shut down Martial Law. He was shot by an unidentified gunman on 13 April 1981.

Trifonio N. Andres

"Ponyong" Andres was a Roman Catholic seminarian at the St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Davao who volunteered to document human rights violations in Davao for Task Force Detainees of the Philippines and the Citizen's Council for Justice and Peace. He was abducted in Libuangan, North Cotabato and brought to the Davao Metropolitan District Command Center in Digos, Davao del Sur, where he was tortured, and later executed on 17 August 1983.

Jeremias Ancheta Aquino

A priest of the IIglesia Filipina Independiente, Father Jerry Aquino was a member of the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines and of Christians for National Liberation. In 1977-1978 he was director of the Ecumenical Center for Development, and missionary priest of the Philippine Independent Church diocese of Greater Manila. In 1978 he became the program coordinator and youth director of the Philippine Independent Church's Laoag diocese, and concurrent associate rector of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. It was during this posting that was arrested in September 1979, in Sadanga, Mountain Province. He and several companions were held at the Philippine Constabulary stockade in Bontoc, then transferred to the Bicutan jail in Metro Manila. After prolonged fasting and hunger strikes to protest prison conditions, he was released on 24 December 1980, part of a series of prisoner releases meant to generate positive press in light of the arrival of Pope John Paul II in Manila two months later. Upon release, he helped found the Freedom Shop, a carpentry shop for unemployed former political prisoners. He died in a "suspicious" vehicular accident on 14 December 1981.

Filomena Asuncion

A deaconess of the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, Liway Asuncion was a graduate of BA in Christian education at Harris Memorial College, before coming home to serve her home congregation in the province of Isabela, serving as Christian education and music director, teaching Sunday school, conducting Bible studies, leading the church choir, and becoming president of the district-wide United Methodist Youth Fellowship. In 1979 joined an ecumenical movement of Catholics and Protestants called Timpuyog Dagiti lglesia, which sought to address the plight of exploited farmers in Isabela, where land ownership was monopolized by a few elite families. In 1981 she was among those arrested at a farmers’ protest rally in Ilagan and jailed from April to October. Upon her release, she joined the revolutionary underground and worked full-time in organizing the local farmers in defense of their rights. Witnesses said she was captured alive by government forces in 1983, and was then maltreated and abused before being killed.

Romeo Guilao Crismo

As executive secretary of the United Methodist Youth Fellowship, Romeo Crismo was instrumental in organizing the Protestant youth sector to resist the policies and programs of the dictatorship. Supporting himself by teaching, he also worked with the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, the National Council of Churches of the Philippines, and the Christian Conference of Asia.

Sr. Mariani Dimaranan

Sr. Mariani Dimaranan, SFIC was a Franciscan nun best known for leading the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines for 21 years, including the entire 14-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Sr. Mariani led the Manila based non-profit national human rights organization in documenting human rights violations, assisting victims and their families, organizing missions, conducting human rights education work, campaigning against torture, and promoting advocacy for Human Rights Defenders.

Fr. Joe Dizon

An activist Roman Catholic priest, Father Jose Dizon, led protest actions against government corruption and human rights abuses during martial law in the Philippines, political dynasties, and the pork barrel system. At protest rallies against the Marcos dictatorship, he would say mass to prevent violent dispersal by the government and to boost the morale of demonstrators. He actively campaigned for honest elections and helped form people’s organizations in rural areas to support those dealing with land grabbing, military abuses, and hamletting. He died of complications from diabetes at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute on November 12, 2013, at the age of 65.

Fr. Tullio Favali

A Roman Catholic Missionary Priest sent out by the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, Father Favali was the first foreign missionary to be killed during the years of the Marcos dictatorship. While serving as a parish priest in La Esperanza, Tulanan, North Cotabato, Fr. Favali was called by townspeople for help after Marcos government paramilitary forces led by Edilberto, Norberto Jr., and Elpidio Manero shot the town's tailor. When the Manero brothers saw him arrive and enter a house, Norberto Jr. dragged his motorcycle and set it on fire. When Favali hurried out after seeing the fire, Edilberto shot the priest pointblank in his head, trampled on his body and fired again. This caused the priest's skull to crack open, and Norberto Jr. picked the brains and displayed them to the horrified witnesses. The brothers, along with a few other gang members, stood by laughing and heckling.

Inocencio T. Ipong

Roman Catholic Lay Worker with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, "Boy" Ipong was the son of migrants from Bohol who settled in North Cotabato, so he felt drawn to the plight of poor peassats in the Visayas and Mindanao. Wanting to help them, he joined the youth organization Khi Rho, and later the Federation of Free Farmers. When Martial Law was declared, he began working as a lay assistant at the RMP with its vision of a "free, just, peaceful, and egalitarian society." In 1982, he was abducted and illegally detained at the Metropolitan District Command Headquarters and at Camp Catitipan in Davao City. He was tortured by his captors who wanted him to admit that he was a certain “Enciong” the military was looking for. His family and his coworkers at the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines spent ten days looking for him and upon finding him, successfully negotiated his release. On November 20, 1983, he was among a group of 12 religious and lay people who were going to Cebu to attend a seminar, on board the M/V Cassandra. A passing typhoon caused the ship to sink, drowning over 200 passengers in the waters off Surigao, including everyone from Boy Ipong’s group.

Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen

Julio Xavier Labayen, OCD, DD, was a Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1955, Labayen served as bishop of the Territorial Prelature of Infanta, Philippines from 1966 until 2003. He was the first Filipino Carmelite bishop when he was ordained on 8 September 1966 and the second bishop of the Prelature of Infanta. He was a staunch defender of human rights, especially during the years of the Martial Law in the Philippines, being known to be one of the "Magnificent 7" who voiced their opposition against the Marcos regime.
In recognition of his efforts against authoritarian rule, his name was inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in 2016. Aside from this, the bishop was the served as the chair of the CBCP's National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace.

Cardinal Jaime Sin

Jaime Cardinal Sin was elevated to the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals in 1976, having been made the Archbishop of Manila in 1974, succeeding Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales. He quickly became an influential voice in Philippine National life, frequently issuing statements regarding political developments, the economy, and moral concerns. It was his call on Radio Veritas to peacefully assemble at Epifanio De los Santos Avenue near Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame that first sparked the 1986 EDSA Revolution, which would eventually lead to the fall of the Marcos dictatorship. He died on 21 June 2005, aged 76.

Sr. Violeta Marcos

Ma. Violeta Marcos, AMP was a Filipino Roman Catholic Nun who was best known as the co-founder and first director of the Augustinian Missionaries of the Philippines and for her contributions to the resistance against the Martial Law dicatorship of Ferdinand Marcos - first through her diocesan social action involvements in Negros Occidental, and later as part of the human rights organization Task Force Detainees of the Philippines.

Rev. Magnifico Osorio

Rev. Magnifico L. Osorio was a Filipino Methodist Pastor and human rights advocate best known for championing the rights of indigenous people in the province of palawan and his murder during the waning days of Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship in the Philippines. He was not known to have political affiliations nor leanings, but his humanitarian work and the circumstances of his murder have led him to be considered a Martyr of the resistance against the dictatorship, and his name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng Mga Bayani in Quezon City.

Fernando Tayao Pastor, Sr.

A preacher of the Church of Christ denomination, Fernando Pastor Sr. had also served as Captain of Barangay Rizal, in the Municipality of Diffun. As such, he was one of those community leaders who were forced to keep silent about the abuses under Orlando Dulay, who had been constabulary commander, governor, and assemblyman of Quirino province. When snap presidential polls were called in 1985, Pastor decided to campaign for Corazon Aquino, and eventually became the provincial vice-chair of the United Nationalist Democratic Organization. This displeased Dulay, who was the provincial coordinator of the Marcos political party, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan. On the eve of the snap presidential elections, Pastor, his oldest son Fernando Pastor Jr. and colleague Francisco Laurella were walking on their way home when they were abducted by Dulay himself and two of his men. They were taken to Dulay’s residence and kept inside a van for three days. The tortured and mutilated bodies of the younger Pastor and Francisco Laurella were found near a ravine three days later, and that of the elder Pastor five days after. It took four years before Dulay was eventually caught and charged in 1990, and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Quezon City regional trial court.

Fr. Nilo Castillejos Valerio Jr.

Father Nilo Valerio was a Roman Catholic priest from the Society of the Divine Word assigned to a Parish in the upland province of Abra, where he established cooperatives and a school, ministered to remote communities of the Tingguian people, and supported them in protecting their ancestral lands from takeover by Marcos cronies. He was killed and beheaded by government forces on 24 August 1985.

Sr. Mary Christine Tan

Sr. Mary Christine Tan, RGS, AMRSP, was a missionary, nun, and activist, who headed the Association of Major Religious Superiors of Women from 1973-1976, a group of religious mothers who not only vocalized their disdain against the Marcos administraton, but also managed to help Filipinos who are suffering from poverty. She later served as a member of the 1987 Philippine constitutional plebiscite.