At
the Polytechnic University of the Philippines stands the Freedom Hall Building
and in that very same edifice is a mini-theater named in honor of Charlie del
Rosario. For us to understand who he is, let us go back to the year 1971
shortly before martial law was declared.
In
that year, Carlos “Charlie” del Rosario, aged 27, was an instructor of
Political Science and History at the Philippine College of Commerce (now PUP)
and a ranking member of the Movement for a Democratic Philippines (MDP)
secretariat. A former general secretary
of the Kabataan Makabayan (KM) and an alleged close associate of Jose Ma. Sison
who was branded as the chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines,
Charlie’s role in the national democratic organization was a gadfly in the
government’s eyes.
It
is important to note that the MDP was one of the few national democratic
organizations which were the only legitimate opposition to the then Marcos
regime.
On
March 19, 1971, Charlie mysteriously disappeared. He was last seen at around
10:00 pm putting up posters at the PCC campus for the upcoming MDP congress.
The
national democratic movements issued releases fulminating the government’s
involvement in the disappearance. Investigations
conducted by the KM and the MDP revealed that Charlie had been shadowed by
government intelligence men since January 1971.
Six
days after the incident, then KM spokesman Rey Tiquia stated in a press
statement that “the movement does not have any concrete evidence that the
military has kidnapped Del Rosario, but within the context of the established
suppression of the KM, the movement has reason to believe that this is the
case.”[1]
The
movement further stated that the case was another example of “state fascism”
and a “clear indication that the Marcos administration no longer trusts its
system of law whose ideal rhetoric cannot thoroughly destroy the national
democratic movement.[2]
Such
scathing denunciations failed to force the military to produce Charlie or to
disclose his whereabouts.
His
wife, Francie, expressed doubts that her husband would come back alive. But his involuntary disappearance was not
for naught. Contrary to the government’s expectations the incident instead of
abating the movement, further intensified its popularity and activities.
Pickets
and protest rallies were staged at the Freedom Park in front of Malacañang
Palace. One such rally on April 12, 1971 attended by hundreds of concerned
citizens wearing T-shirts with Charlie’s faced stamped on them ended violently
leaving 18 youths hurt.
Fifteen
years has passed and a new government has been installed yet Charlie is still
missing. He was one of the first victims of involuntary disappearances and the question
that continues to reverberate in our mind is “Where is Charlie?”
Dr.
Nemesio Prudente, former PCC president and newly reinstated president of PUP
cited in his speech before the first national conference of SELDA last May, 24,
1986, Charlie del Rosario’s dreams of achieving a free, democratic and just
society through the ouster of the then Marcos repressive administration.
But Charlie’s dreams
have not yet materialized for if he was still with us today, he would be the
first to caution the Filipino people on indulging in delusions of freedom,
democracy and justice. And he would be right, for the little that we have
tasted of it is being stealthily taken from our grasp. Thus, the struggle
continues.
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento