Over a hundred protesters gathered in front of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco to mark the 51st anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Many of the activists are current students in schools around the Bay area.
They said the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte is allegedly distorting history by painting the Martial Law period as the "Golden Age" of the Philippines.
“Just a week ago the Department of Education sent forth a memorandum to remove 'Marcos' from the Grade Six curriculum originally labeled “Dictator Marcos,” said Glenn Mercado of the Malaya Movement SF. "They claim there was no political pressure when it is Bongbong that has denied the violence his father is responsible for.”
Protesters claimed that beyond the human rights abuses under Martial Law, Marcos Sr. also stole approximately $10 billion from state coffers.
They add that the Philippine government's proposed national budget for 2024 will only embolden its anti-insurgency task force, which supposedly targets activists through violence and intimidation.
The Fil-Am students said the demonstration is their way of showing that they will not be silenced.
"We refuse to be scared off by terror-tagging or disappearances back home," said Meg Kalaw of the League of Filipino Students - UC Berkeley. "We wage this just revolutionary fight for all the victims of the fascist father and son."
Groups are also planning for more protests across the U.S. as they prepare for Marcos' next visit to America in November.
The President will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit which will be held in San Francisco from Nov. 12 to 18.