Persistent Resistance: Libraries in the Philippines and their Fight for Freedom and People’s Rights

Abstract

In this paper, the stories of libraries that survived during and after the Martial Law years in the Philippines under the late strongman President Ferdinand Marcos are concisely unravelled. The authors focus on the three key institutions that have played important roles in the preservation and documentation of the events and effects of the dictatorial government to the people. These are the University of the Philippines Diliman Library or UP Main Library, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, and Bantayog ng mga Bayani or Monument to the Heroes. The experiences of these institutions have illustrated the changing raison d'etre of libraries and librarians in the Philippines. The paradigm has shifted from mere gathering of materials to a more forward-looking activism.