(Libraries and their role in transitional justice in the Philippines is a 2018 article by Iyra S. Buenrostro of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Johann Frederick A. Cabbab of the University of the Philippines Diliman. We are re-posting the excerpt about the Bantayog library. You can browse the full article at SageJournals.)
Bantayog represents the most concerted effort at public memorializing of resistance to the Marcos regime, making it a crucial lieu de mémoire [site of memory]
Iyra S. Buenrostro & Johann Frederick A. Cabbab
Bantayog ng mga Bayani Center or Monument to the Heroes, also known as the Bantayog Memorial Center (BMC), was founded after the EDSA Revolution in 1986 to give honor to the martyrs of martial law. The late Senator Jovito Salonga in 2009 explained in an interview that “Bantayog” is used to refer both to the monument and the organization behind it (Claudio, 2010: 38). The monument is a giant statue entitled “Inang Bayan” (Mother Philippines) with a black granite Wall of Remembrance with names of martial law martyrs and heroes (Bantayog ng mga Bayani – Remembering Martial Law Martyrs and Heroes, n.d.b). Researchers can acquire martial law information from Bantayog from three of their departments: (1) The Bantayog Research and Documentation Committee, (2) The Bantayog Museum, and (3) The Bantayog Library.
The Research and Documentation Committee is responsible for the preparation of the biographies and nomination of martyrs and heroes for inclusion in the Wall of Remembrance. The Research and Documentation Committee generates the majority of the records holdings of BMC in the form of case files and statements (C Panaligan-Manglinong, 2017, personal communication).
The Bantayog Museum displays memorabilia of the events, the resistance movement, and victims in the wake of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. The Bantayog Museum also houses some original historical archival materials from this period such as newspaper clippings, posters, and photographs. It also displays a replica of a detention cell as described by former detainees who survived the regime.
The Bantayog Library intends to serve as a repository of library materials on the Philippine experience during the martial law period. It started out in June 2008 and with the help of volunteers, it opened its doors to the public on 24 February 2009. The library started off with borrowed, scanned, and photocopied books relating to martial law. There was then a call for donations and a lot of materials came from walk-in donors. The book holdings are comprised mostly of martial law books with the serials comprised of martial law and Marcos era newspapers and magazines such as Malaya, We Forum (1982–1984), Who Magazine (1982–1984), Mr & Ms, and Veritas to name a few. They also have pamphlets from martial law, updates from TFDP underground publications, and statements of individuals and anti-government organizations. To preserve and provide access to the collection, the library has started scanning brittle printed materials such as newspapers and case files, and their photocopies serve as access copies to protect the originals (S Ferdinez and C Panaligan-Manglinong, 2017, personal communication). The Bantayog Research and Documentation Committee and the Bantayog Library are intended to be consolidated into a bigger resource center that will house both their collections as well as the archival holdings of the museum (C Panaligan-Manglinong, 2017, personal communication).
There are administrative issues related to the Bantayog Library’s goal of providing service to researchers. At present, Sarah Ferdinez is the volunteer who is in charge of the continuation of the provision of library services. She is supported by on-the-job trainees rendering practicum hours for university credits. They have no full-time librarian and are relying on volunteers on top of the trainees, the acquisition of materials is dependent on donations from the public and concerned stakeholders, the organization of the collection is rather rough, and they lack a working OPAC. There is also emotional exhaustion on the part of volunteers who process materials due to secondary trauma. Ferdinez, for instance, related how one volunteer indexer in the Bantayog Library suddenly broke down in tears and started cursing while indexing an article about military atrocities. The article chronicled how a six-year-old girl was raped and killed, and how siblings were forced to have sex before being murdered. She said those were times they realized how fortunate we all are to be alive; these victims whose ordeals are chronicled in the literature were young and did not survive (S Ferdinez, 2017, personal communication).
Despite all these challenges, the Bantayog ng mga Bayani received the coveted Manuel L Quezon (MLQ) Gawad Parangal Most Outstanding Institution for 2017 last 12 October 2017. The MLQ Gawad Parangal Award is Quezon City’s highest honor and is bestowed on individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to society (Bantayog ng mga Bayani, 2017). The citation, quite appropriately, read:
- For upholding justice and recognizing the heroic deeds during the martial law era;
- For immortalizing the memory of unsung heroes, so that they may serve as an inspiration to keep the flame of democracy alive in the hearts of everyone;
- For relentlessly educating and empowering the public on issues about freedom and guarding against historical revisionism;
- For proving that “the Filipino is worth living and dying for”. (Bantayog ng mga Bayani, 2017)
Last 26 January 2018, Manuel C Lahoz’s Of Tyrants and Martyrs, his political memoir, was launched at the Bantayog. On 24 February 2018, the 32nd anniversary of EDSA People Power, Ramces M Dili’s Bayani Lubid at ang dekada ng martial law, a play about the lives of ordinary people who fell victim to the abuses of the police under the Marcos regime, was restaged at the same venue. Last 21 July 2018, #KAARA1, written and directed by Rommel Linatoc, was also staged at the Bantayog (Bantayog ng mga Bayani, n.d.a). These all support the observation of Claudio (2010), who points out that the “Bantayog represents the most concerted effort at public memorializing of resistance to the Marcos regime, making it a crucial lieu de mémoire [site of memory]” (Claudio, 2010: 36). Up to this day Bantayog maintains the Wall of Remembrance where names of heroes and martyrs are still etched on the black granite. They still serve as a point of convergence where one can conduct fora, hold exhibits, book launchings, stage plays, and concerts, etc. for the benefit of like-minded advocates or for those seeking answers to questions and looking for justice.
