MANILA – The construction of a museum honoring victims of human rights violations during martial law is not a slap in the Marcos family’s faces, the head of the Human Rights Violations Victims Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) said Wednesday.
Carmelo Victor Crisanto made the statement when asked if he thinks the project could move forward under a Marcos presidency, a day after he told lawmakers that it risks becoming a white elephant due to lack of funds.
“Sa tingin ko, kung makikita ng mga ibang tao, na itong museo, ay hindi ito sampal sa mga pamilyang Marcos. Hindi ito sampal,” he said.
(I think if people will see this museum, they'll realize it isn't a slap in the Marcos family's faces.)
“Ito ang pwedeng lugar kung saan magsama-sama ang Pilipino para mag-usap, para mag-debate, para makita, ito yung mga nangyari, at para malamn natin na, ano bang gusto natin sa kinabukasan,” he told TeleRadyo.
(This is a place where Filipinos can meet, can debate, can see what happened in the past, and discuss what we want for the future.)
Crisanto said that the memorial honoring martial law victims will be a “living museum.”
“Hindi ito patay na museo. Meron ‘tong teatro, meron ‘tong augmented reality, matutuwa yung mga kabataan na dumalo dito dahil ang kanilang iisipin, pag dumaan sila sa museo na ‘to, ah dumaan ang Pilipinas dito, ito yung nangyari. Ano bang gusto nating katangi-tanging idala sa kinabukasan, sa pagbubuo ng kung tawagin dati, bagong lipunan?”
(This is not a dead musuem. It will have a theater, an augmented reality space, the youth will be happy to be here because they will see what the Philippines went through in the past. They can ask themselves what they want to bring to the future, the new society.)
The official also said they are ready to begin construction of the museum once their funding is secured.
The museum is set to be built on a 1.4-hecatre plot of land along C.P. Garcia Avenue in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus.
“May pakiusap lang ang UP sa amin. Sabi nila, may mga building kami dyan at warehouse, yung community maintenance office namin na, maaari ba, bago niyo pasukin niyan, gawan niyo na sila ng relocation, itayo niyong bagong building, ng i-subsidize niyo nang hindi lalampas ng P80 million… ngayon, as I speak, tapos na lahat ng buildings na paglilipatan ng mga UP.”
(UP has asked us to subsidize up to P80 million the construction of new buildings for their community maintenance office, which stands on the land where the musuem is to be built. As I speak, the construction has been completed.)
“At dahil po pwede na silang lumipat, and they can start tomorrow. Made-demolish na natin lahat ng buildings doon para clear na ang lupa. That can be done in one month, pag nakalipat sila nang mabilis. Para maitatag na natin ang mga poste nitong museo,” he said.
(UP can move there tomorrow. We can demolish the old building and clear the land in a month. So we can begin construction.)
--TeleRadyo, 21 September 2022