A hundred Filipinos and Canadians of Filipino descent gathered together in Toronto last September 27, 2025 to listen to people speak of their experience under the Marcos dictatorship.
The forum, titled “Remembering as resistance,” was the group’s way of commemorating the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. Among the speakers were Nena Cervantes, sister of the late renowned film and theater director Behn Cervantes, Jose Malillin, nephew of murdered poet activist Eman Lacaba, Josie Hilao, sister of the first known activist killed under martial law Liliosa Hilao, and Bantayog ng mga Bayani Executive Director Ma. Cristina V. Rodriguez.
Nena Cervantes described her brother Behn as like a sunbeam who loved to shine as well as to give light. Jose Malillin never met his uncle but remains inspired by the words he left behind. Josie Hilao said their father used the dining table to ingrain on his children the value of fighting against injustice.
May Rodriguez spoke about censorship by the dictatorship and why remembering these experiences, especially for Filipinos who live abroad, was a powerful way of resisting disinformation and of passing on the lessons of the past to the young generation.
The group agreed to meet again and more frequently to continue what this event had opened. The forum was organized by Malaya Canada, ICHRP-Canada, Anakbayan Toronto, Filipino-Canadian Writers & Journalists Network (FC-WJNet), and Radyo Migrante.
