'Her life was one of service, strength, and compassion — not only to us, her children, but also to the community she dedicated herself to,' her daughter Toni says
MANILA, Philippines – Martial Law survivor and human rights activist Trinidad “Trining” Herrera-Repuno died on Saturday, April 19. She was 83 years old.
Her death was confirmed by her daughter Toni Rose on Facebook.
“Her life was one of service, strength, and compassion — not only to us, her children, but also to the community she dedicated herself to,” she wrote on Sunday.
“As a leader, a mother, a friend, and a guiding light, she touched many lives and left a legacy of kindness and integrity,” she added.
Born in Leyte on June 8, 1941, Repuno moved to Manila as a teenager to continue her studies, according to an interview with the online news outfit Bulatlat. She later emerged as a community leader in Tondo during the height of Ferdinand E. Marcos’ dictatorship, heading the Zone One Tondo Organization, a coalition of over 13 local groups that fought for land rights and decent housing for urban poor families
Repuno spent a year evading an arrest order after protesting against one of Imelda Marcos’controversial beautification projects. She, however, was arrested in 1976 and was transported to the headquarters of the Military Intelligence Security Group in Camp Crame where she was tortured via electrocution for three hours.
“Pinaaalis ang sapatos ko, pinatayo ako sa basa na lugar, at ina-attach na ang wire sa aking mga kamay,” she recalled in a 2020 interview for Rappler’s KRIMINAL podcast. “Habang ine-interrogate ako iyon ang ginagamit nila, tapos pinatanggal ang bra at doon naman ina-attach ang wire sa nipples ko, sumisigaw ako nang masakit na masakit pero hindi sila tumitigil.”
(They told me to remove my shoes, made me stand on a wet surface, and began attaching wires to my hands. While I was being interrogated, that’s what they used on me. Then they made me remove my bra and attached the wires to my nipples. I screamed from the unbearable pain, but they didn’t stop.)
“Hindi maaalis sa akin iyong ginawa nila dahil tao naman ako, bakit ganyan ang ginawa nila?” she said in a separate video interview with Rappler in 2016. “Ni hayop nga, hindi dapat ganun, pero sa tao, kaya sabi ko nga, si Marcos hindi tao.”
(What they did to me can never be erased. I’m human, so why would they do something like that? Not even animals deserve that kind of treatment. That’s why I said, Marcos was not human.)
The brutal experience did not stop her from continuing the fight against demolition and for the implementation of a law that would distribute land titles to urban poor communities.
“Ang akin lang naman ay pinaglalaban ko ang karapatang naming mga maralitang tagalungsod, eh ayaw nila ng ganoon,” she said. “Hindi talaga sinsero ang pagpapatupad ng pamahalaan sa kanilang pangako sa kanilang mga mamamayan.”
(All I was fighting for were the rights of us urban poor. But they didn’t want that. The government was never truly sincere in fulfilling its promises to the people.)
The Martial Law years are widely regarded as the darkest chapter in Philippine history as it was marked by widespread human rights abuses. Amnesty International estimated that around 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 tortured, and 3,240 killed during this period.
Later in life, Repuno was instrumental in the creation of organizations focused on remembering the atrocities under Martial Law. These groups include The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) and Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA). In 2017, she became chairperson of SELDA.
Human rights group Karapatan on Monday, April 21, paid tribute to Repuno for her tireless commitment to keeping the stories of victims and survivors alive.
“Pinakilos at hinikayat niya, sa pamamagitan ng kanyang matalas at matapang na talumpati at pahayag, ang mga kapwa survivor ng batas militar ni Marcos Sr., na manindigan at huwag kailanman papayag na maduwag o bumitaw sa kanilang sinimulan mula pa noon,” Karapatan said.
(She moved and inspired fellow survivors of Marcos Sr.’s martial law to stand their ground, to never give in to fear or abandon the cause they had long fought for, through her sharp and courageous speeches and statements.)
Martial Law survivor and former social welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo also expressed her grief and admiration for Repuno.
“Saludo [sa iyo] na nanatiling tapat sa bayan at mamamayan kahit na sobrang pinahirapan noong diktadurang Marcos,” she said on Facebook.
(I salute you for remaining loyal to the country and the people, despite the immense suffering you endured under the Marcos dictatorship.) – Rappler.com
