Martial Law victim Cristina Pargas-Bawagan on kindness

Known as "Ka Amanda" in the underground movement, Cristina Pargas-Bawagan was arrested on May 27, 1981 while she was organizing people in Nueva Ecija.

Source: Rappler

Like her sister, former Human Rights Chairperson Etta Rosales, Tina was also tortured and sexually molested during detention.

"In times of war, in times of strife, you can be kind. You can be humane."

"I would like the educators to hear this. It is our task to teach the students; especially for history teachers to teach martial law during September so that, surely, the students will learn about  it. We have so many victims in the Philippines. There are 75,000 cases so they can easily ask for victims to speak in their classes, and the victims are very, very willing because it's different if you hear it from someone who really experienced the torture."

Watch Cristina Pargas-Bawagan's interview on Martial Law's 40th anniversary

In September 23, 1972, she was then a freshman at the University of the Philippines but "already an activist."