The Filipinos have had enough and decided to stand their ground in resistance against the dictatorship. They marched with resolve, raised their banners high, and some even sang. They made sure their hymns echoed in the streets loud enough to make a dictator flee.
Among those who used music as protest during the Martial Law era was Becky Demetillo Abraham, alongside her best friend and fellow activist, the late Karina Constantino David.
Together, they formed the duo Inang Laya, singing with purpose amid the turmoil.
Lugging their guitars from one street to another, they were not merely marching in the streets of Manila; they also performed their protest songs as their form of activism. According to Becky, singing felt more sincere, as music had a way of uniquely touching people.
Now 76, Becky has spent most of her life as an activist and has primarily used music to express herself. Throughout the years, her love for the people never changed, and the proof is in her life’s work.
She remains active in the music scene and the community, acknowledging that there is still a lot of progress to be made as she looks back on choosing this line of work.
Protest in music
Becky and Karina formed Inang Laya after Martial Law, starting by singing at rallies. They became known for their progressive songs that speak of the experiences of Filipinos and the ones that come with being a woman.
Many of Becky’s friends were arrested, tortured, and murdered. But amid risks as women activists, she and Karina pursued their work. Becky believes it was a small contribution compared to all the lives lost in the struggle. She knew she had to take a stand.
And she did, carrying her spirit and voice in her back pocket. With no promise of a better future, she did it scared, but she still did it anyway.
“It was the only way we could help get rid of the dictator,” she said.
The sense of unity was palpable as they walked for hours, guitars in their hands, singing and chanting the calls of the Filipino masses.
“It had to start with ourselves, we were just a product of societal norms, women being second-class citizens, we’re underpaid, maraming issues sa kababaihan diba, there’s even that question about violence against us,” said Becky.
After the EDSA Revolution, the remnants of the dictatorship lingered in the daily lives of Filipinos. Becky knew there were still people denied the freedom they deserved.
“Aside from singing, what else can we do?” Back then, this is what she asked herself.
This led her and Karina to start a non-government organization called Harnessing Self-Reliant Initiatives and Knowledge. Today, it continues to organize projects to address domestic violence, poverty, and teenage pregnancy, among others.
“We started going to the communities and asking the people what they wanted. We would do that and we would have projects,” she recalled.
Resistance takes a lifetime
Her experiences while studying at the University of the Philippines Diliman from grade school to college catapulted her activism. She described the environment as an academic community where she was exposed to the performing arts, which became the catalyst for her love for music, even deciding to pursue her passion in college.
“In my mind, I only had my voice—I’m just a person who loves to sing, I think,” she said.
Through their craft as Inang Laya, Becky and Karina tackled societal issues. Their song “Babae Ka” talks about the struggles of being a woman, while “Kundiman ng Escalante” memorializes the victims of the 1985 Escalante Massacre in Negros Occidental, where the military gunned down attendees of an anti-martial law rally.
It was their mission to use their music for the greater good, and so they created songs that addressed the many injustices of Filipino realities, many of which became staple songs for different movements.
“All our songs about women became the theme songs of the women’s movement. The anti-bases movement used our song “Base Militar,” “Butil ng Palay” became the theme song of the farmers, and we have “Walang-Lagay,” which is an anti-corruption song– a lot of our songs were issue songs– we always had a song for some kind of particular issue.” she said.
All of Inang Laya’s recorded songs can be found online. Becky believes that her music will be the mark she leaves behind, as she has dedicated her craft to the community.
But Inang Laya’s work does not come without challenges. Becky admitted to having financial struggles, especially after she became a full-time activist.
“In fact, we were spending our own money out of our own pockets to go to rallies. It was a big sacrifice in terms of finances,” she said.
Becky lamented that despite the progress they once witnessed, Filipinos now find themselves in yet another grim reality, with the Marcoses reclaiming Malacañang in 2022.
“What’s happening now? It’s all dynasties, the good people are not being elected– kung sino sino nalang diba? If you go out and start questioning the policies of the government, you get red-tagged and then you just disappear,” she said.
At her age, Becky should not still be fighting the same battles she fought 40 years ago. But true victory in struggle often takes generations to achieve. Her story reminds us that it is our duty now to keep learning, remembering, and being critical–to refuse to settle for only a speck of what the people deserve.
Despite the letdowns, Becky wants to encourage every woman to recognize the strength they carries.
“There’s a lot that we can do and a lot of recognition of the strengths of women—’wag na ikinahihiya ‘yung pagiging babae mo,” she said.
Womanhood is complicated–it grows and sheds and is rebuilt brick by brick. You are torn down, sometimes left bleeding out, questioning whether or not you can do it. But Becky believes that women must be proud of their identity, as womanhood itself is the pillar of society.
Today, the streets might be quieter, looking different from how she once remembered them, but that does not erase their struggles from memory. Their marches and songs still echo and their music is proof of their history. Above all, the hope fueled by the fury that lived inside them still exists, and can never be taken away.
And so like an oath to those who previously fought for what the people have now, they will keep living and learning and running towards a future that has always belonged to them. To the people, first and foremost, women.
Just like the song, Babae Ka by Inang Laya says: “Babae ka, pinatunayan mong kaya mong ipaglaban. Ang iyong karapatan at ganap na kalayaan.”
In memory of the late Karina Constantino David, the other half of Inang Laya.
Becky and Karina’s songs of resistance still live on and will continue to, for as long as the people are still fighting.
