Operation Merdeka or Operation Freedom was a covert military operation that was meant to destabilise Sabah and take it back from Malaysia.
Filipino Muslims were recruited, with a promise that they will be able to join the Philippine military. But Marcos’ plan failed—and the massacre of at least 20 Muslims to cover up the plan sparked a rebellion that has held back the region of Mindanao for decades.
The Palimbang Massacre. The Manili Massacre. The Bingcul massacre. The Pata massacre. The burning of Jolo….
The Marcos dictatorship ravaged countless Moro communties and claimed the lives of thousands of Muslims.
The Marcos dictatorship was so brutal it gave birth to the Moro resistance that continuous to rage to this day.
This is not a matter of opinion.
THESE ARE FACTS.
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I clung to a rafter of a seaside hotel in Palo for hours until that roof was blown away. I saw the water rise like a wall before hitting us. I held on even as the building swayed, and people cried, "Buligi kami, buligi kami."
Around us, the water swirled like a giant whirlpool, and the wind sounded like a monster. I remember it to this day. The water reached the second floor, and I clung to dear life, feeling the rain and wind hit me like a thousand little stabs all over my body.
There was a brief moment when I saw a mattress floating near our building, and I told our cameraman, "Karsten, I am going to jump." "Jam, don't do it," he said. I couldn't bear the thought of collapsing with the building.