A WRITTEN REPORT ABOUT THE JABIDAH

MASSACRE

GE 3: The Contemporary World

Submitted by: BAGUIO, JULIAN M.

Submitted to: PROFESSOR ESPINO, LINDSEY C.

Date Submitted: 12/21/2022

INTRODUCTION

Occurrences of events do happen rigorously and literally. However, history is always

written for winners such that the archives can provide bias and changes towards a

phenomenon. History has shown dilemmas which people tackle about what the

actual focal point of producing a record for the past. In this juncture, people have

discovered discrepancies that showcases these cases where history does not totally

provide the main truth from a certain event or phenomenon. Independence from the

distinctive personality of the writer seems to be inevitable, as biases protrude in the

becoming of a historical event.

Supposedly, history is seen to be always right as these are registers of the past men

and women who experience such events, however there are conundrums with this

type of thinking. Two of which is the incapability of a person to accept actual facts

and reasoning which may differ from the usual history, and ignorance of a man to

grasp reality and truth. In this case, it may be correct to judge one's reasoning

towards history, but it may also deter authentic knowledge to be processed towards

the minds of people. Persons with historical experience, such as experts, have

studied an ample of historical perspectives to reach a certain conclusion on a certain

event. Such is true, to today's topic which is the controversial Jabidah Massacre

where it happened at the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. regime on March 18, 1968 which

killed a lot of young Moros from Sulu. This is such a controversial issue since the

Marcos Sr. regime, due to the differences of people's opinion about the case.

Some people say it did happen and some said it did not. Moreover, this massacre is

not officially included in the Philippines because there is dispute amongst the higher-

ups if it actually happened. Though in opposition, there were witnesses and

evidences that confirms the existence of Jabidah Massacre. If in such instance, what

has truly occurred in this event such that it shoved shockwaves towards the Filipino's

ears, especially in the lives of the Bangsamoro, specifically Sulu? Despite the

political endeavors, the infamy of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. does not help in disproving

this event ever happening. Jabidah Massacre is one of the most influential parts of

the Filipino history which is excluded in the history books. The occurrence

showcases power and authority, disagreements, violence, and other negative facets

of the Marcos regime that took the country by storm.

BACKGROUND

On March 18, 1968 in Corregidor Island, the Jabidah Massacre took place. The

event, which left more than 100 people dead, is still remembered and debated by the

Philippines. The massacre was carried out by the military during a protest called the

National Democratic Front of the Philippines against Martial Law. In less than 20

minutes, soldiers fatally shot hundreds of people without giving them a chance to

surrender. It was one of the most brutal acts of violence against civilians in the

country's history. The Philippine government classified the massacre as a "riot" and

refused to pay reparations to victims' families. However, many families continue to

demand justice from the government.

According to Ninoy (2013, as cited in Doronila 2013) The “code name” of a

supposedly super-secret operation of President Marcos to wipe out the opposition is

called Jabidah—literally, if need be—in 1969 and to set on a high foreign adventure.

It is the code name for Ferdinand Marcos’ special operation to ensure his continuity

in power and achieve territorial gains.” The recruits were not told about these

objectives or of the mission to infiltrate Sabah.

The recruits started getting restless around the fourth week of Februrary. Since their

arrival in Corregidor, they had not been paid their allowances of P50 a month. On

Feb. 25-26, the recruits signed a petition addressed to Marcos demanding their

delayed pay for three months and improvement in their living quarters, food and

clothing. They asked him to visit them. Instead Maj. Abdul Latif Martelino, who was

in charge of the Jabidah project, came to see them. Martelino told them their pay

was forthcoming. And they could sign for it and the government would send them

home.
On March 3 or 4, 1968, Martelino called for the four Muslim leaders of the petition

and allegedly told them that they could go home ahead of the other boys. They were

taken to Manila and never returned to Corregidor. The rest of the boys became

restive and wanted to know what had happened to the four. They were simply told

that their leaders had gone home ahead. They became more restless. Some feared

that their petition leaders had been “massacred.” In the first two weeks of March, the

recruits left camp in small groups. On March 18, 24 recruits left camp. On the same

day, another batch of 12 was transported to the Corregidor airstrip, purportedly for

evacuation to Sulu.

This batch was never heard from again. In a sworn statement, Jibin Arula, the lone

survivor of the alleged massacre, said that upon reaching the airstrip, they were told

to get off the weapons carrier and to form one line. Arula presumably feared that his

time to be killed had come. He made a dash on the airstrip. Told to halt by his armed

escorts, he kept running. His escorts shot him in the legs. He kept going, hid in the

bushes, and then escaped to the sea. He was rescued hours later by fishermen.
WHY DID IT OCCUR?

The event is considered one of the most brutal massacres in Philippine history, and it

has never been fully explained why it took place or who was responsible. The

motives behind the massacre are still unclear today. Theories have emerged over

the years in an attempt to explain this tragic event: one states that it was a reaction

to Muslim rebel activity on the island, while the other argues that it was an act of

vengeance by the Armed Forces of the Philippines against Filipinos who

sympathized with the rebels. Scholars have reached conflicting conclusions

regarding these theories.

The main arguments put forward by those who support the theory that the massacre

was retaliation by the Philippine military are the following: First, there was

widespread violence committed by Filipino Muslim rebels known as Moros during

this period. The violence included attacks on civilian and military targets and

bombings of government buildings. Second, there were reports that the military

planned an “operation against Muslims” after seizing control of the island in early

February. Third, there was evidence uncovered by government investigators that

soldiers had murdered innocent civilians prior to the Jabidah massacre. According to

these reports, some soldiers tortured and killed civilians during interrogations and

took photographs of the victims. Fourth, the soldiers involved in the massacre were

under strict orders to kill all Muslim civilians they saw and made no attempt to

prevent civilian casualties. Fifth, a group of soldiers discovered three bodies in a

nearby cave several days after the attack and found evidence of other corpses in the

cave. Sixth, several witnesses testified that soldiers told them they had killed a

Muslim family during the attack and told others to do the same. Finally, an

investigation by President Ferdinand Marcos’ administration concluded that the

massacre was a response to Islamic separatist activity and was directed by military

officers who were frustrated with their inability to defeat the rebels.

Those who support the theory that the massacre was revenge against Muslim rebels

claim that the killings were carried out primarily to eliminate sources of resistance

against the government’s rule and to intimidate the Muslim community into

submitting to the authority of the Philippine government. They also contend that the

motive for the murders was religious discrimination rather than a desire to suppress

Muslim support for the rebels. In support of this theory, they point to statements by

government officials suggesting that the killings were ordered by the military
commanders and suggest that the perpetrators may have been motivated by a

sense of grievance or hatred toward the Muslim community.

Furthermore, the Philippines was in the midst of a civil war in the 1960s when the

massacre at Jabidah took place. At that time, the country was governed by a military

dictatorship known as the Marcos dictatorship. The government under Marcos

became increasingly authoritarian during the 1960s and eventually led the country

into a prolonged period of martial law in 1972. During this time, there were

widespread violence and human rights abuses in the country as the government

cracked down on dissent. The Philippines' participation in the Vietnam War was

another factor that led to the violence that occurred in the country during the 1960s

and 1970s. According to some historians, the war in Vietnam was a major

contributing factor to the outbreak of violence in the Philippines at that time.

Moreover, when Japan surrendered to Allied forces during the Second World War,

the Philippines was left devastated by the devastating effects of the war. This

resulted in a large influx of immigrants coming into the country from all over the

world, which sparked unrest among the native population of the country. In the years

following the Second World War, tensions began to rise in the country as a result of

the growing divide between the native population and the growing immigrant

population. This would eventually lead to a violent uprising known as "the revolution"

that broke out in the late 1960s. The "revolution" eventually resulted in the arrest of

President Ferdinand Marcos and the collapse of his government.

TRIVIA AND FACTS

During the fighting, more than 100 people were killed. Around the time of the

massacre, the Philippines was in the midst of an ongoing civil war between the
government and the communist rebels that were fighting against the government for

independence. This conflict resulted in widespread violence throughout the country,

including the massacre at Jabidah.

The National Democratic Front was established to oppose President Ferdinand

Marcos' dictatorial rule and his authoritarian economic policies. It was established in

1968 in response to the government's efforts to suppress opposition groups through

arrests and violence. According to historians, the organization largely consisted of

leftists, including students and members of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

On March 18, 1968, an estimated 500 to 1,000 National Democratic Front of the

Philippines protesters gathered at a barricade near Fort Pilar. Many of them had

spent the night there in order to block military vehicles from approaching the nearby

gate that leads to mainland Manila. Some women had gathered with children and

some were breastfeeding their children at the time of the attack. Women and

children were also among the dozens of people who were killed during the attack.

The massacre was carried out by the military forces of Ferdinand Marcos against a

group of civilians who were protesting the dictatorial rule of Marcos. This mass killing

prompted widespread public outrage and condemnation around the world. As a

result of this outcry, Marcos was overthrown from power three years later. The

Jabidah Massacre left many dead and wounded, and the survivors were forced to

flee to neighboring countries in order to survive. Today, there are reminders of the

tragedy of the Jabidah Massacre. These include a memorial plaza and a museum

dedicated to the people who died during the massacre. There is also an annual

commemoration event held to remember the victims of the massacre.

IMPACT OF THE MASSACRE

In the early hours of March 18, 1968, troops loyal to Ferdinand Marcos opened fire

on a crowd of protesters who were gathered in the town of Jabidah on the island of

Corregidor, in the Philippines. It is estimated that at least 300 people were killed in

the Jabidah Massacre and many more were wounded. This event marked a turning

point in Philippine history because it led to the overthrow of Marcos' regime three

years later. As survivors of the massacre fled into neighboring Asian countries in

search of safety, they helped trigger massive social upheaval throughout the region.

This was the beginning of the so-called "Asian Spring" that would spread across

much of Asia during the 1970s. In addition, the Jabidah Massacre inspired a wave of

social and political reforms in Asia that are still having an impact today.
REFERENCES:

Bangsamoro Information Office. (2021). Remembering Jabidah and the seeds of

struggle. Retrieved from:

https://bangsamoro.gov.ph/news/latest-news/remembering-jabidah-and-the-seeds-

of-the-struggle/

Doronila, A. (2013). Is ‘Jabidah Massacre’ a myth? Retrieved from:

https://opinion.inquirer.net/49557/is-jabidah-massacre-a-myth

Curaming, R. & Aljunied K. (2013). On the Fluidity and Stability of Personal Memory:

Jibin Arula and the Jabidah Massacre in the Philippines Retrieved from:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/

304862513_On_the_Fluidity_and_Stability_of_Personal_Memory_Jibin_Arula_and_t

he_Jabidah_Massacre_in_the_Philippines

Ortiz, A. T. (1986). TOWARDS A THEORY OF ETHNIC SEPARATISM: A CASE

STUDY OF MUSLIMS IN THE PHILIPPINES. Retrieved from:

https://www.proquest.com/docview/303505465