The Southern Tagalog 10 was a group of activists abducted and "
disappeared" in 1977 during
martial law in the Philippines under
Proclamation No. 1081 issued by President
Ferdinand E. Marcos. Of the 10 university students and professors who were abducted, only three, Virgilio Silva, Salvador Panganiban, and Modesto Sison, "surfaced" later after being killed by suspected agents of the state.[1][2] Two of those who surfaced were apparently
summarily executed.[3] The rest were never found.[4]
The incident is believed to be the single biggest case of involuntary disappearance during martial law.[2][5][8][9]Bonifacio Ilagan, brother of one of the victims and vice chair of Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (an organization that works for the welfare of political detainees),[10] described the abduction as "the single biggest case of involuntary disappearance and summary execution perpetrated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the entire history of the Marcos martial law in the Philippines."[5]
Members
The ten individuals known as the Southern Tagalog 10 are:[7]
The names of Catalla, Faustino, Rizalina Ilagan, Jasul, Sales, and Sison are included on the
Bantayog ng mga Bayani's Wall of Remembrance for martyrs and heroes of martial law.[11][12]
In popular culture
The play Pagsambang Bayan (People’s Worship), written by Bonifacio Ilagan, is dedicated to the members of the Southern Tagalog 10. It was first staged in September 1977 at the
University of the Philippines (U.P.) by the U.P. Repertory Company under the direction of
Behn Cervantes.[5] Its staging led to the arrest of Cervantes and the play's musical director.[13] The play won the Palihang Aurelio V. Tolentino and has since been performed hundreds of times.[14] The
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) cites the play as a "major work in Philippine theater."[15] A musical version of the play was staged in 2017 by director
Joel Lamangan at the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the CCP.[13]
On television, actress
Bianca Umali played Rizalina Ilagan in the
GMA Network docudrama Alaala: A Martial Law Special, which first aired on September 17, 2017.[16][17]
^
abFaustino, Joey (April 2003).
"No Closure 'til Justice is Achieved". AFAD - Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
^"About SELDA". Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto. July 11, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
^Malay and Rodriguez (2015). Ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa 'Yo: Heroes and Martys of the Filipino People in the Struggle Against Dictatorship 1972-1986 (Volume 1). Manila, Philippines: National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
ISBN9789715382700.