Photos of 14 victims of enforced disappearances in the Philippines under the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Photo by Lito Ocampo, used with permission.

Human rights advocates have expressed concern over the rising number of enforced disappearances in the Philippines under the government of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Marcos, who assumed power on June 30, 2022, is the son of the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who imposed Martial Law in the Philippines from 1972 to 1981. During that period, state forces were accused of committing widespread human rights violations to quell dissent. Around 1,894 victims of enforced disappearances were recorded by human rights groups.

Despite the ouster of the Marcos regime by a People Power uprising in 1986, the repressive policies introduced during the Martial Law years were retained, leading to continued systematic abuse of rights targeting activists and opposition movements.

Over the past two years, 14 people have been forcibly disappeared, meaning they have been secretly killed or imprisoned by the state with no trial or announcement. The continuation of this practice shows that Marcos Jr. may very well be following his father's notorious human rights practices, continuing his legacy of violence. Human rights groups added that the continued abduction of activists is proof of the failure of the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act, which was passed in 2012 to address the problem.

Human rights group Karapatan pointed out the worsening impunity has a chilling effect on society, where civil society groups, activists, and journalists are afraid to speak out against the state or demand change.

Families of the disappeared are left in a perpetual state of anguish, uncertainty and psychological trauma. As long as the cases of their loved ones remain unresolved, there is neither justice nor closure. Being a state-sponsored act, the terror that enforced disappearance leaves in its wake also represses entire communities, stifling free expression and dissent. There is a climate of repression where human rights can more easily be violated systematically.

Disappeared activists were mostly community and labor organizers actively involved in social justice campaigns. The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights urged authorities to stop criminalizing activism and solidarity.

We would like to remind the government that union organizing is not a crime and workers are the backbone of any economic recovery. Organizing is a basic human right and element of a functioning democracy.

Families of disappeared activists gathered to remember their loved ones and to call for justice. Photo by Lito Ocampo. Used with permission.

On November 2, families and friends of victims of enforced disappearances held a gathering to commemorate their loved ones on All Souls’ Day, a national holiday in a country with a largely Catholic population. Nanay (mother) Linda Cadapan, whose activist daughter went missing in 2006, shared the message of the event in a statement sent to members of the media:

We gather here today in search of our loved ones. Each year, we come together with heavy hearts but with undying hope that we will one day find them, and that candles will be lit and flowers offered at their resting places.

Filmmaker JL Burgos, whose activist brother was abducted by alleged members of security forces in 2007, poignantly noted that they have no place where they can visit their disappeared relatives to offer flowers and light a candle on All Souls’ Day.

No marker…no name carved in stone yet we remember those who have disappeared. They will forever live in our defiance.

Families offer flowers and light candles to honor and remember disappeared activists. Photo by Lito Ocampo. Used with permission.

Asia-based human rights groups expressed solidarity with Filipino activists and echoed the appeal for urgent government action. Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, executive director of Forum Asia, reminded the Philippine government how crucial it is to enforce the law against forced disappearances.

Tactics of repression and intimidation are increasingly being used against human rights defenders and dissenting voices

Such abductions have long been used to instill fear and to silence critics, especially among environmental, human rights and labor rights defenders.

The Philippine Government must take decisive actions to enforce the 2012 Involuntary Disappearance Act by investigating, prosecuting, and punishing perpetrators of enforced disappearances to the full extent of the law.

Wong Chen, a Malaysian Member of Parliament and board member of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Parliamentarians for Human Rights, made a similar appeal:

This alarming situation demands immediate and decisive intervention. We stand in unwavering solidarity with the families and communities of all victims of enforced disappearance.

Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. insisted that cases of human rights violations actually decreased during the first year of his presidency and lauded various institutions for strengthening the country’s commitment to democracy and justice.