By FIDES LIM

I was the managing editor of the UP Philippine Collegian when soldiers went to our house to arrest me after the stroke of midnight on January 22, 1976. I was part of the mass arrest of UP student leaders together with other leaders from labor, urban poor and other sectors to preempt the growing protest movement against the Marcos dictatorship, which was catalyzed by the La Tondeña strike of November 1975. 

Wala pang Kapatid noon. But families of political prisoners and pillars of support like the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines laid the wellspring of action. By 1978, Kapatid formally came into being as the numbers of political prisoners mounted but resistance likewise swelled in counterpoint. The first Kapatid chair was Dean Armando Malay, UP dean of student affairs and father-in-law of Satur Ocampo who was one of those arrested in 1976. 

Kapatid served its purpose well throughout those dark years of Martial Law as a mutual support group of families of political prisoners and the friends who joined forces with them to provide assistance in every way.

In July 1990, when my husband Vicente Ladlad and I were arrested and I was released ahead of him, I joined Kapatid. Because of problems within the mass movement during that time, Kapatid went into hiatus from around 1995 until I pushed its reactivation on June 15, 2019, together with other human rights advocates, to serve as a fulcrum for families and friends of political prisoners to assert the just release of all political prisoners and the protection of their rights and welfare.

Hindi chismis itong kwento ko at may resibo ako para sa dinaanan naming kasaysayan. Kasama na dito sa pruweba ang human rights compensation na natanggap naman ni Vic nung May 2017, bilang mga political prisoners noong Martial Law. 

Today, Kapatid is again very much alive and kicking because the conditions which breed political prisoners persist and worsen. Political prisoners now reach 802, the biggest number since the ouster of the Marcos dictatorship in February 1986. The ascendancy of his son to the seat of power was paved by the fascist upsurge under Rodrigo Duterte. 

This is the condition we are now in as the forces of repression and deception seek to reverse the verdict of history. On behalf of Kapatid, I embrace Project Gunita and find strength and affirmation in its pursuit of truth, justice, and accountability. 

I also wish to take this opportunity to ask for your continued support for the conscience of society, the political prisoners. Food, toiletries, even puzzle mats for bedding materials. Nothing is too small to help. Join us as we join you in the struggle against forgetting. 

Gaya nga nung ibinandera namin nung December 1975 sa Collegian bago kami ikinulong: Kung ‘di tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung ‘di tayo kikilos, sino ang kikilos? ●

Fides Lim is the spokesperson of Kapatid, a group formed by the families of political prisoners. An earlier version of this article was first delivered as Lim’s message to Project Gunita during its History Fair on August 21, 2022.

Monetary donations for Kapatid may be sent via GCash at 09454427266 (Lorraine). In-kind donations may be dropped off at Kapatid National Office, 1 Erythrina Bldg., 1 Maaralin St., Diliman, Quezon City.