Martial law anthem “Bagong Lipunan” was played when detainees were taken to toilets outside the detention center and allowed them to urinate or defecate, once a day in some centers. A detainee had until the end of the song to finish and dash out of the toilet stall. If they delayed, they will get beaten up. Sometimes, the guards would stop the song midway.

This is the same jingle that Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte used in their 2022 election campaign. Martial Law victims who spent time in prison camps like playwright Bonifacio Ilagan and novelist Ninotchka Rosca pointed out the irony in this.

READ: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1553254/martial-law-anthems-revival-sounds-sinister-to-victims https://www.facebook.com/ninotchka.rosca/posts/pfbid0EPVnuyjG4jwb3zjQKAWpwkAEGiv2x89rUrP61hMWCGf2aYEf3vXDsX5vjX1r33z5l https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-08-vw-6807-story.html

#SaysayNgKasaysayan #NowYouKnow #FactsFirstPH