Photo by Maya Butalid
The Philippines is a country of many beautiful islands and many more beautiful and happy people. Yet, beneath this sunny exterior, there is a history painted with the enraged hues of fighting and protest.
Beyond the more overt wars that can be read in history textbooks and such in school, there are also several instances of hidden struggle.
This article is about the lasting impact of the secret groups that fought for change in the country.
A Hidden Struggle for Both Soul and Country
The life that Maya Butalid has led, from the Philippines to where she is now in the Netherlands, is quite reflective of the legacy of the underground movement in the modern Philippines. While there have been many secret movements before then, the most consequential to contemporary Philippine society has to be the many groups that struggled under the weight of Martial Law.
During the height of the Dictator Marcos’s power, many people realized that his authoritarianism had to end. Many felt that joining the underground and fighting for freedom and emancipation in the darkness was the best recourse. This is the Philippine Underground, and there were many groups that it encompassed. These groups often worked in secret to oppose the tyranny of the dictatorship.
While their names may never truly be known to all, their actions undoubtedly left a mark on many Filipinos, and their quiet actions still reverberate today.
Photo by JC Presco
One such name is Maya Butalid’s. An activist who first fought against the Marcos administration during the Martial Law years. She was a key member of the Philippine Underground during those times; although she had to move to the Netherlands to continue her work, she was shoring up support from foreign entities to support the struggle at home.
In her book, Chasing Windmills, she writes about her personal battles, both the ones on the surface and the ones beneath. She talks about her life as a member of the Philippine Underground and shares the difficulties of being an activist while also raising a family and trying to fit into a new country, all the while fighting a deep internal battle about the direction her movement was taking. Her story shows the private hardships and resilience of those who had to leave their home to fight.
By telling her story, she helps us understand this quiet past, her place in it, and what the future might hold for the Philippine Underground.
The Historical Roots of the Philippine Underground
To understand this hidden struggle, we must first take a brief look at the different kinds of secret groups in the Philippines that have, at some point, emerged to fight against tyranny and oppression. This includes secret societies that fought against Spanish rule, like the Katipunan, and resistance groups that formed during the Japanese occupation, like the Hukbalahap.
In between then and the first EDSA Revolution, there have been countless other fighting groups since then, borne out of the need for people to be heard and become acknowledged, taking their matters into their own hands.
These groups all had different goals and methods, but they all worked in secret, constantly facing danger and making great personal sacrifices. For a lot of members of these groups, this meant giving up their lives in the light, their families, and sometimes even their names.
Throughout the history of the Philippine Underground, from the past up until now, the fear of being caught by the government has always been a part of the struggle for their freedom and their humanity.
Building a Community in the Darkness
Although the Philippine Underground was surrounded on all sides virtually by danger, the human spirit has always been tenacious. And in this environment fraught with danger, community springs up.
In Chasing Windmills, Maya gives readers a glimpse into the internal structures of her movement and the many ways in which they had to protect themselves from the encroaching hand of the government, but she also doesn’t shy away from the humanity of it all.
Beneath the hidden struggle, people still enjoyed themselves, fell in love with one another, ate with gusto, imagined lives beyond the shadows, and hoped—hoped for a much brighter future.
These people were a far cry from the aggressive and deceptive entities that the reactionary media painted them to be. These were people who had dreams, aspirations, and a yearning to see the future be much better than the present times they found themselves in. These were people who had a home and would stop at nothing to realize its fullest potential–and while some may have a romanticized view of what revolution and struggle entail, there can be no doubt that this comes from a heartfelt desire to see the Philippines in a better place than when they found it.
As Maya sums it all up, “life in the underground movement was not all hard work. There was also a lot of laughter and fun. And love was able to find its way in between the hard work and dangers we faced.”
A Path Towards a Much Brighter Future
Despite what others may say and what the media will show, the hidden struggle in the Philippines is far from over.
Photo by NIC LAW
Since Maya Butalid’s invitation into the Philippine Underground and subsequent departure, the Philippines still struggles and aches beneath the collective weight of corruption, tyranny, authoritarianism, and reactionary sentiment. Perhaps this will go on for longer until freedom, democracy, equality, and egalitarianism can flourish without barriers, but one thing is for certain: the struggle never ends, and the struggle is a noble cause.
By reading Maya Butalid’s personal journey, from student activist to advocate on the global stage, we see that, while things may meander and trudge along slowly, better things are still possible–an inch of goodness is infinitely more preferable to a foot of evil, as they say. As such, while understanding the causes and goals of these movements, we must always remember to look at the human side of these experiences, not merely confine ourselves to the history or the politics.
Facing and acknowledging this hidden struggle is a must for building a fair and united Philippines.
Once again, Maya Butalid’s journey can be found in her book, Chasing Windmills.