REMEMBER WHEN MARCOS’ GENERALS WHO WERE ORDERED TO SHOOT AT THE PEOPLE INSTEAD TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THE MARCOSES AND SIDED WITH THE PEOPLE IN 1986?

By Maria Lourdes Sereno

Let’s all do ourselves a favor. You’re all so good at reliving the best moments of our history. Can I ask you to put your talent and that wonderful collective memory of yours to good use?

Let us remember the times when there were so many people who were heroes, including the generals, other officers, and soldiers who refused to shoot at their fellow Filipinos in EDSA. Remember that by doing so, they disobeyed the chain-of-command, and risked their careers. But they were following a higher law – the law of God. Kung sinunod nila ang twisted interpretation ng Romans 13, massacre of thousands of innocent ang nangyari.

But they were not the only ones who were heroes. Kayo pong taumbayan, so many of you risked your lives in EDSA. Magkwento po kayo, kailangan marinig ng young generation kung ano’ng nangyari noon.

Can you comment here below and give us links to internet articles that you can find about our heroism as a people then? Yung gustong magsulat ng article, please pm me and we will give you the email to send your kwento to. Yung kasya ang kwento niyo sa comment box, puede din pong dun niyo ilagay. Mas maganda nga po, kung may picture pa kayong ma-ipopost!

The more links and stories we have recalling the extraordinary days of God’s showering of grace in EDSA in 1986, the more we will be able to encourage each other for the long road ahead of nation-building, of a Just and Humane Society, of A Nation Under God.

We will feature some of your stories and links po. We need this po, pampalakas ng bayan!

NASAAN YUNG ORDER TO SHOOT?

Para naman po sa nag-iinsist na utang na loob natin kay Marcos na hindi pinaputukan ang mga tao na nag-aklas laban sa kanya sa EDSA, itong bahaging ito po ay update sa original post ko. Ipapakita natin ang sequence ng events kung bakit alam ng mga tao na binigyan ng order ang mga militar sa EDSA na paputukan ang Crame kahit pa ikamatay ito ng maraming tao.

“February 24, 1986, 8:30 am. – At 8:30 a.m., government troops broke into the rear of Camp Aguinaldo and trained their howitzers and mortars on Camp Crame. By 9:00 a.m., General Josephus Ramas gave the Fourth Marine brigade the “kill order” while civilians were still inside, but the brigade’s commander Colonel Braulio Balbas hesitated. Instead, he told Ramas, “We’re still positioning the cannons.” Ramas would ask Balbas to attack four times, and each time, Balbas stalled. Marcos lost control of the Marines.

February 24, 1986, 9:15 am. – At 9:15 a.m., Marcos, together with Ver appeared on television for a Press Conference. Ver requested Marcos permission to attack Camp Crame. But Marcos postured on TV to restrain Ver, saying, “My order is to disperse without shooting them.” However, when Marine commandant General Artemio Tadiar met with Ver later, Ver confirmed that Marcos approved the kill order on Crame.”

Nauna po ang order to kill, laban sa mga nag-mutiny, kahit mamatay pa ang maraming civilians sa bazooka fire, mortar fire at tank artillery ng mga Marines. After the order to kill, doon lang nag-kunwari si Pangulong Marcos before international television na huwag daw saktan ang mga civilians. Alam naman nating lahat na ang military orders, hindi sa television ni-rerelay but through the chain-of-command.

Kaya hindi po natin tatanggapin ang nagsasabing walang order si Marcos to hurt civilians.