POLICY PAPER OF ESCALANTE CITY FIST BUMP MONUMENT

INTRODUCTION

On the mid-afternoon of Sept. 20, 1985, tensions were high at the

Escalante public plaza just 50 meters across the town hall as thousands of sugar
workers, farmers, fisherfolk, students, urban poor, professionals and church
people, carrying placards, some bamboo sticks, and chanting anti-government
slogans were staging a protest in commemoration of the 13 th anniversary of
martial law. The protesters were tightly encircled by some 50 combat-ready
Regional Special Action Forces (RSAF), plus local policemen, members of the
Civilian Home Defense Force (CHDF), and unidentified armed civilians.

Minutes after the town mayor Braulio Lumayno, with former congressman
Armando Gustilo and their armed bodyguards left the town hall, a volley of gunfire
from automatic rifles and a caliber .60 machinegun suddenly burst. A few minutes
after, the streets were littered with blood and scores of terrified protesters were
moaning as they lay on the ground.

The shooting claimed 20 lives – their bodies found sprawled at the rally site and
in nearby sugarcane fields. Thirty others lay wounded. A bank, concrete walls,
and some houses in front of the town hall had bullet holes.

1985 was the year before strongman Ferdinand Marcos, who had ruled the
country for 19 years, was toppled in February 1986. Nineteen years later, not a
single victim or the surviving kin of “Escam” (short for Escalante Massacre, also
known as “Bloody Thursday”) has been indemnified.

Three low-rank policemen who were put behind bars later for their role in the
massacre were released on parole last year. A ranking police officer in command
of the RSAF unit was reportedly redeployed in other provinces and was recently
promoted to the rank of senior superintendent. No local officials and other
dignitaries present in the Bloody Thursday of September 1985 were ever
summoned for investigation or trial.

Background and Context

Escalante is a small city in the northern tip of Negros, or 95 kms from

Bacolod City. The town is popularly divided into the “old poblacion,” the coastal side
of the city, where it used to host the seat of power. Local legend goes that the old
poblacion was originally known as "Manlambus," a Visayan word meaning "to strike
with a club" because its coastal waters were then teeming with fishes that catching
them could be done simply by clubbing. The new poblacion, known as “Balintawak,”
is the mainland side, made up mainly of sugar haciendas, and some small coconut
and corn farms on the hilly portion.

Escalante became a city in February 2001, after 143 years as a town. Hosting
some 80,000 Cebuano- and Ilonggo-speaking people, it faces the island province
of Cebu and most parts of the Cebuano-speaking Negros Oriental.

Apart from its scenery, the other side of Escalante is a portrait of poverty and
stagnant economy. Huge mansions of hacienda landowners are ringed by
workers barracks and shanties. Small and decrepit makeshift huts appear like
small canopies on hill farms and coastal villages.

Sugar is still the No. 1 contributor to the city’s treasury.  Sixty percent of the city’s
population relies on sugar farms as their source of income while the rest
especially those in the old poblacion depend on fishing. A small section of the
population depends on “remedyo heneral” – doing odd jobs for daily survival -
and small merchant trading.

The Escalante Massacre was one of the last major atrocities of the Marcos Regime.
It was part of a dictator’s swan song, a bookend to nearly two decades of rampant
human rights abuses. His absolute reign also allowed the siphoning of the country’s
riches to favor a select few at the expense of struggling Filipinos. This may be no more
apparent anywhere else than it was in Negros. Children were starving, workers were
spent, and families were drowning in debt, while paramilitary forces exercised unbridled
authority, cronies amassed wealth, and politicians consolidated control.

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

The Escalante massacre was an incident on September 20, 1985, in Escalante,

Negros Occidental, Philippines, where government paramilitary forces gunned down
civilians engaged in a rally in commemoration of the 13th anniversary of the declaration
of Martial Law. It is also called Escam - portmanteau of "Escalante" and "massacre",
and sometimes Bloody Thursday, though the massacre occurred on a Friday. An arts
festival consisting of exhibits, concerts, film showings, seminars, workshops, and other
activities marked the 32nd anniversary of the Escalante massacre in Negros Occidental.
On September 20, 1985, a group of civilians consisting mostly of sugar plantation
workers, fisher folk, students, urban and members of the church staged a protest rally at
the public plaza of Escalante City in Negros Occidental. The protest rally was mounted
to commemorate the 13th anniversary of Martial Law declaration. The rallyists were
subjected to water cannons, tear gas, and eventually, to open fire shots by para-military
forces, killing about 30 civilians and wounding many others.
IDENTIFICATION OF ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

The plummeting price of sugar in the world market triggered a severe

socioeconomic crisis. As production slowed down, many plantation workers lost their
jobs, resulting in widespread poverty. Children died from hunger and malnutrition. When
the crony-controlled sugar industry imploded, the sacadas, and even a small number of
enlightened landowners, said they had had enough. This triggered protest actions
demanding agrarian reform and land distribution, fair wage, and improved government
services. As a result, social tension was often high in the province.

The mayor said that the people should not blame the government troops for
what happened because they are not the perpetrators who were already brought to
justice. He urged his constituents not to allow the issue of Escalante Massacre to be
used by “the other side”, but encouraged them instead to remember the sacrifices of the
victims that have brought changes for the better. (We cannot achieve freedom and
peace if there is hatred in our hearts),” Yap said in his message relating to the theme
“Towards a New Decade of Healing and Moving Forward”.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

The condition of Negros, even after the end of Martial Law, remained largely the
same. According to Escalante Massacre survivor Toto Patigas, tracts of lands, beaches
and sugar farms are still with the same old families, the poor still bear the brunt of
gentrified modernization, and paramilitary groups still roam the area, many deployed for
surveillance and peacekeeping. Patigas had been the secretary-general of the Northern
Negros Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (NNAHRA), an organization formed and
staffed by the families of the victims. They also formed the Negros chapter of Mothers
and Relatives Against Tyranny (MARTYR). As part of their efforts to honor the
Escalante Martyrs, the Negrense mark the anniversary of the massacre every year with
activities. Adolfo Maguate, a BAYAN member and massacre survivor, rose to the
position of vice mayor of Escalante and declared September 20 as an annual day of
mourning and prayer for the townspeople. Every September 19, the Negrenses hold a
vigil and torch parade. A mass and a caravan are held on September 20, followed by a
reenactment of the Escalante Massacre at noon.[56] They have not yet forgotten about
the horrors that unfolded on that day, but perhaps they chose not to forget. Human
rights defenders like Patigas have also laid their lives on the line to prevent Negros from
relapsing back into how it was some 40 years ago.

IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION

Though many of the victims have been recognized and provided remuneration, the
people have not yet forgotten about the horrors that unfolded on that day. After
investigations and fact-finding missions were conducted, labor groups KMU and IUF
reached out to the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s Committee on Freedom of
Association with the facts of the case and asked for assistance. The committee
submitted its report to the Philippine government and received a reply on April 28, 1986,
two months after the People Power Revolution and the ouster of Marcos. In it, the newly
installed Corazon Aquino administration expressed its commitment to pursue the case
against the perpetrators, having mobilized the Ministry of Defense’s Fact-Finding
Committee and the office of the Ombudsman to investigate and file charges. It also
expressed its commitment to improve the working and living conditions in labor and
employment.

CONCLUSION

The Escalante Massacre was one of the last major atrocities of the Marcos
Regime. It was part of a dictator’s swan song, a bookend to nearly two decades of
rampant human rights abuses. His absolute reign also allowed the siphoning of the
country’s riches to favor a select few at the expense of struggling Filipinos. This may be
no more apparent anywhere else than it was in Negros. Children were starving, workers
were spent, and families were drowning in debt, while paramilitary forces exercised
unbridled authority, cronies amassed wealth, and politicians consolidated control.

The Escalante Martyrs’ monument has a marker with words that perfectly
encapsulate the lives they have led: “Ang magbuhos ng dugo para sa bayan, ay
kagitingang hindi malilimutan. Ang buhay na inalay sa lupang mahal, mayaman sa aral
at kadakilaan (Ang magula ug dugo alang sa katawhan, usa ka kabayanihon nga dili
makalimtan. Ang kinabuhi nga gihalad alang sa pinanggang nasud bahandianon nga
pagtulon-an ug dungganon).

Our cultural heritage determines who we are, giving us both identity and the values
that will guide our lives in a changing world. Cultural heritage is central to protecting our
sense of who we are. It gives us an irrefutable connection to the past – to certain social
values, beliefs, customs and traditions, that allows us to identify ourselves with others
and deepen our sense of unity, belonging and national pride. We can preserve our
cultural heritage by reading literature and poem on the culture of out place and
Imparting cultural knowledge to the next generation.

As a college student we can promote our cultural heritage by participating in cultural

events and traditions or organize your own events to share your culture with others
outside of it. Another way to help preserve and promote our cultural heritage is by being
respectful of other cultures. This means being open-minded and willing to learn about
the customs and traditions of people who come from different backgrounds than you do.
It also means not making assumptions or judgments about other cultures based on
limited information or ignorance. Remember that we all come from different
backgrounds and we all have something valuable to contribute to the world.
GROUP MEMBERS;

Lynchie C. Rosales

Arlene J. Padayogdog

Junlyn Gantalao

Trisha Michaela Canovas

Eliza Mae Siblag