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Mendiola massacre

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Mendiola massacre

A peasant marcher crawls for cover as a companion lies

dead

LocationMendiola Street, San Miguel, Manila,

Philippines 

DateJanuary 22, 1987

approximately 4:30 p.m. (UTC +8)

Target Demonstration

Attack type Shooting

Weapon(s) Small arms  

Death(s) 13[1][2]

 

Injured74 (51 demonstrators, 23 state security

forces)[1][2]

 

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Perpetrator(s) Philippine state security forces

The Mendiola massacre, also called Black Thursday[3][4]

by some Filipino journalists, was an

incident that took place in Mendiola Street, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines on January 22,1987, in which state security forces violently dispersed a farmers' march on Malacañang Palace.Thirteen of the peasants were killed and many wounded when government anti-riot forces

opened fire on the marchers.

Contents

[hide]

y  1 Background 

y  2 March on Malacañang 

y  3 Aftermath y  4 See also 

y  5 References 

[edit] Background

By January 1987, the administration of Corazon C. Aquino had been in power less than a year after the People Power Revolution ousted Ferdinand E. Marcos as President of the Philippines.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Filipino, "Peasants' Movement of the Philippines"), a

militant farmers' group led by Jaime Tadeo, demanded genuine agrarian reform from the Aquinogovernment.

On January 15, 1987, members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas encamped at the

Ministry of Agrarian Reform (now the Department of Agrarian Reform) in Diliman, QuezonCity. The group presented their problems and demands, among of which was the distribution of 

land to the farmers for free.[4] Dialogue between the farmers, represented by Jaime Tadeo, andthe government, represented by then Agrarian Reform minister Heherson Alvarez took place on

January 20, 1987, with Alvarez promising to bring the matter to the President's attention duringthe cabinet meeting to be held the next day.

The farmers barricaded the Ministry of Agrarian Reform offices and prevented its employeesfrom going inside the premises the day after. In discussions later that day, Alvarez advisedTadeo, suggesting that a negotiating panel be assembled the following day for further talks.

[edit] March on Malacañang

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On January 22, 1987, the farmers decided to march to Malacañang Palace in order to air their demands instead of negotiating with Heherson Alvarez. Marching from the Quezon City

Memorial Circle, Tadeo's group was joined by members of other militant groups: Kilusang MayoUno (May One Movement), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance), League of 

Filipino Students and Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod (Unity Congress of the

Urban Poor). At 1:00 in the afternoon, the marchers reached Liwasang Bonifacio and held a brief  program. At around the same time, anti-riot personnel under the command of Capital RegionalCommand commander Gen. Ramon Montaño, Task Force Nazareno under the command of Col.

Cesar Nazareno and police forces under the command of Western Police District Chief Brig.Gen. Alfredo Lim were deployed around the vicinity of Malacañang.

The first line of civil disturbance control units consisted of  policemen from the Western Police

District. About ten yards behind the policemen were Integrated National Police Field Force units.The third line, a further ten yards from the second police line, consisted of a Philippine Marine

Corps unit, the Marine Civil Disturbance Control Battalion. Positioned behind the Marines werearmy trucks, water cannons, fire trucks and two Mobile Dispersal Teams equipped with tear gas 

delivery gear.

The marchers numbered 10,000±15,000 by the time they reached Claro M. Recto Avenue. Theyclashed with the police, and the police lines were breached. At this point, gunshots were heard

and the marchers disengaged from the melee, retreating towards Claro M. Recto Avenue.Sporadic gunfire could be heard amidst the withdrawal. Alfredo Lim, now Mayor of Manila,

maintains that the Marines were responsible for the shooting.[5]

 

[edit] Aftermath

Twelve marchers were immediately confirmed dead; later sources would cite thirteen. Thirty-

nine had gunshot wounds and 12 sustained minor injuries. On the state security forces' side, threesustained gunshot wounds and 20 suffered minor injuries. President Corazon Aquino convened aspecial body chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Vicente Abad Santos, the Citizens¶

Mendiola Commission, to investigate the incident. The body recommended the prosecution of allcommissioned officers of the Western Police District and the Integrated National Police Field

Force who were armed at that time.

In protest over the massacre, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Committee onHuman Rights, Jose Diokno and J.B.L. Reyes, resigned from the government.

[6] 

In 1988, the Manila Regional Trial Court issued a decision to dismiss a P6.5-million class suit

filed by relatives of the victims.[7] This decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1993.[3] 

In 2007, members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas installed a granite marker at the

Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City, commemorating the 20th anniversary of theincident.

[1] 

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The government disallowed the conduct of demonstrations at Mendiola,[8]

however, in January2008, Mayor Alfredo Lim, allowed the conduct of rallies at the landmark, as long as these are

held on weekends and holidays.[9]