The newsreel video above is a 21-minute newsreel of AsiaVisions on the massacre at Mendiola Bridge on January 22, 1987.
AsiaVisions was an alternative audio-visual institution during the 1980s until 1990s.
The video shows, among others, the scenes of the huge protest action by peasant organizations led by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on January 22, 1987, from Liwasang Bonifacio to Mendiola Bridge.
In Mendiola, the newsreel (at 12:18) shows several fully-armed policemen and soldiers, including members of the Philippine Marines, guarding the bridge. At 14:42, the protesters reached Mendiola Bridge, which by then had already been fortified by heavily-armed cops and soldiers. At 15:03, the protesters began pushing against the police barricade. They were unarmed.
At 16:18, shots began to be heard. Smoke and shots were evidently coming from police ranks. They began shooting at the protesters, most of whom were landless peasants demanding for genuine agrarian reform promised by then-newly installed Pres. Corazon Aquino, the current President’s mother.
Thirteen peasant protesters were killed during that day, while scores were injured.
Until now, the victims’ families still seek justice for their slain relatives, while genuine agrarian reform in the Philippines remains a dream for landless Filipino peasants who comprise majority of the country’s population.
Pinoy Weekly is uploading this newsreel as a matter of public record.
The video was digitized by Prof. Rose Roque of University of the Philippines-Manila, who has extensively researched on AsiaVisions’ work. The video is also courtesy of IBON Foundation, Inc., which owns the rights to AsiaVisions’ videos.
