Veteran actress Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo dismissed on Tuesday, April 26, the claims that the golden years of the Philippines happened during the Marcos era.
In a two-minute clip, the actress witnessed what Martial Law did to Filipinos. She, too, was led to believe that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr could create a better country by putting Proclamation No. 1081 into effect.
“Sabi ng lola mo, maganda ang panahon noon? Yung more than 20 years ng diktadurya? Naranasan ko lahat ‘yon. Kasama rin ako dun sa mga naniwala no’ng una eh,” she said.
Roa-Rodrigo even thought that Martial Law would promote discipline among Filipinos.
“Baka naman kailangan. Baka magandang yung pinapangakong disiplina.”
At age 77, the actress revealed that she saw that it was far from being the “golden years.”
“Pero nakita ko with my own eyes ang pagbagsak ng ekonomiya. Yung gutom at kawalan ng trabaho.
“Naranasan ko ng mga kaibigan na bigla na lang nawala. Mga simpleng tao ‘yun bang, ‘yong iba natagpuan ng patay.
“Karamihan hindi na nakita. Ang tanong ko, kakayanin mo ba? ‘Yung mahigit na dalawampung taon na hindi ka sigurado kung buhay pa o wala na yung mahal mo sa buhay? ‘Yung hindi ka man lang makapagpaalam dahil wala kang bangkay na ipinaglamay o inilibing.”
She wished that this generation would never experience the pain and trauma Martial Law have caused her.
Roa-Rodrigo even stressed that those were never the best years of the country.
“Dyusko mga apo, sana hindi ninyo maranasan. Sana hindi na natin marananasan muli. Nobody recovers from that pain. Take it from me mga apo. Hindi natin golden years ‘yon.”
The actress supports Vice President Leni Robredo in her candidacy. She believes that her candidate could lead the Philippines into progress.
“Pero yung pinapangarap nating bayan, p’wede pa nating ilaban iyan. P’wede pa tayong magbago nang isip. Sa ilalim ng mahusay at matapat na pangulo, gagaling ang Pilipinas.
“Ngayong 2022, ang Presidente ko ay si Leni Robredo.”
She ended, “Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo po. Dating naniwala sa pangako ng disiplina at pagkakaisa. Pero nakita at naranasan ang katotohanan.”
Based on the documentation of Amnesty International, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, and similar human rights monitoring entities, there were 3,257 known extrajudicial killings, 35,000 documented tortures, 77 ‘disappeared’, and 70,000 incarcerations.
The late dictator Marcos became president on December 30, 1965. His administration claimed that the “golden years” began in 1972—after Martial Law was enacted—at an average rate of 5.71%.
However, it was far from the truth as it only grew 3.85% (annually) from 1965 to 1985.
During the final years of the Marcos regime, the economy crashed with negative growth of 7.04% in 1984 and -6.86% in 1985, becoming the “Sick Man of Asia.”
Only with the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s term when the Philippines became the “Rising Tiger of Asia” and succeeded by President Rodrigo Duterte.
