UP delays Martial Law Museum construction, human rights group reveals
by Casandra Peñaverde
During a House Committee on Appropriations hearing earlier this morning, the Human Rights Violations Victims Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) slammed the University of the Philippines (UP) for delaying the construction of the Freedom Memorial Museum, a project meant to honor Martial Law victims.
Despite allocating 1.4 hectares of its Diliman campus for the project, UP has yet to complete the relocation and demolition of structures on the site, causing significant delays.
HRVVMC Executive Director Chuck Crisanto bared that UP’s inaction prompted the project to be held back by 20 months since the fulfillment of the agreement, attributing the delay to crippling bureaucracy within the University. Crisanto expressed frustration, noting that despite many university officials being victims of Martial Law themselves, the institution has disregarded the need to respond.
Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas called out UP President Angelo Jimenez for “stonewalling” the project and urged the House Committee on Appropriations to hold the University accountable.
The Freedom Memorial Museum, mandated by Republic Act 10368, is a P500 million project intended to preserve the memory of human rights violations during the Martial Law era. The law, enacted in 2013, not only provides for monetary compensation for the victims but also bats for a memorial to be built with funds from the accrued interest of a P10 billion reparation fund.
Although UP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with HRVVMC in 2018, it has yet to clear the site for construction. Following mounting pressure, UP tentatively agreed to provide partial access to the land last January 2024.
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairman Richard Palpal-latoc confirmed that despite the roadblocks, the museum would be built, even under the administration of the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
With over P549 million now available for the project, Palpal-latoc said that bidding for the construction could begin in the next few months. The delay, however, casts a shadow over the University’s commitment to standing against historical revisionism.
