WHILE most Filipinos flock to cemeteries during Undas (All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day) to honor and remember their dearly departed, families of the desaparecidos endure a different kind of grief — one marked by uncertainty, unanswered questions, and the painful absence of closure.
“Desaparecidos” is a Spanish and Portuguese term meaning “disappeared people,” commonly used to refer to victims of enforced disappearance.
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights identifies three essential elements of enforced disappearance:
(a) deprivation of a person’s liberty against their will;
(b) involvement of government officials, whether directly or through acquiescence; and
(c) refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or concealment of the disappeared person’s fate or whereabouts
In a painful sense, the desaparecidos are neither confirmed dead nor known to be alive, leaving their families without bodies to bury, graves to tend, or final resting places to visit.
Unable to observe the traditional practice of cleaning and visiting their loved ones’ graves, these families instead gather at monuments and memorial shrines across Metro Manila, where they offer flowers, light candles, and hold ceremonies in remembrance of the missing.
One such memorial is the Bantayog ng mga Desaparecido, also known as the Flame of Courage Monument, located within the grounds of Baclaran Church (National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help) along Roxas Boulevard.
The monument depicts a woman carrying a torch alongside a child holding a photograph of his missing father. Surrounding the monument are plaques bearing the names of more than 1,300 individuals reportedly subjected to enforced disappearance during the Marcos dictatorship.
Another significant memorial is the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, a landscaped memorial center in Quezon City honoring individuals who resisted the repressive regime that ruled the Philippines from 1972 to 1986, many of whom sacrificed their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy.
Standing prominently within the memorial grounds is the 14-meter Inang Bayan (Mother Philippines) Monument. It portrays a fallen man, symbolizing self-sacrifice, supported by the rising figure of a woman representing the Motherland. Her other hand reaches toward the radiant sun, symbolizing freedom.
Nearby stands the Wall of Remembrance, where the names of martyrs and heroes who fought against the dictatorship are permanently inscribed.
Families and advocates also gather at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila, offering flowers at the foot of the monument honoring revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio, whose remains have never been conclusively located.
The United Nations (UN) International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance recognizes enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. It also upholds the rights of victims and their families to seek reparations and demand the truth about the fate of their missing loved ones.
According to the United Nations, enforced disappearance has frequently been employed as a strategy to spread terror throughout society, silencing dissent and instilling fear not only among victims’ families but also within entire communities.
The convention explicitly declares that no exceptional circumstances, regardless of their nature, may be invoked to justify enforced disappearance.
The treaty entered into force on December 23, 2010. At the time reflected in the original report, 58 countries had ratified it, while the Philippines had yet to do so.
To draw global attention to this continuing human rights concern, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, also known as “Desaparecidos Day,” has been observed every August 30 since 2011.
In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 10353, or the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012, defines enforced disappearance as more than the deprivation of a person’s liberty by state agents or with state authorization, support, or acquiescence. A crucial element is the subsequent refusal to acknowledge the detention or the deliberate concealment of information concerning the victim’s fate or whereabouts.
Data from human rights organizations Karapatan and Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) indicate that more than 1,900 cases of enforced disappearance have been documented in the Philippines since the dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Of these, approximately 950 to 1,000 cases were recorded during the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. administration, 206 during the Gloria Arroyo administration, 29 under Benigno Simeon Aquino, 20 under Rodrigo Duterte, and 17 under the Bongbong Marcos Jr. administration.
Many of the victims were activists, farmers, labor organizers, and individuals perceived as political dissenters. Some were students or alumni of the University of the Philippines.
Against this backdrop, victims’ families and human rights advocates continue to press the Philippine government to ratify or accede to the UN convention, underscoring the need for stronger safeguards against enforced disappearance and greater accountability for those responsible.
Among the most widely known cases is that of peasant activist Jonas Burgos, who disappeared during the Arroyo administration and remains one of the country’s enduring symbols of the struggle for truth and justice.
His disappearance became the subject of the documentary film “Alipato at Muog”, directed by his brother, JL Burgos. The documentary won Best Picture at the FAMAS Awards, while JL Burgos received the Best Director award.
The film also received the Special Jury Award at the 2024 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival “for its effective use of the resources of documentary cinema to shed light on an actual case of enforced disappearance and reveal dark truths about human rights in the Philippines.”
For the families of the desaparecidos, Undas is more than an occasion for remembrance. It is a painful reminder of loved ones who vanished without a trace and of the justice and answers that remain elusive.
While others gather around graves to honor those who have died, these families continue to wait, hoping that someday they will finally learn what happened to those who never came home.
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“Peyups” is the moniker of the University of the Philippines.
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Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com or call 0908-8665786./PN
