Jes Aznar exhibit on Marcos dictatorship victims opens Sept 18

Photojournalist Jes Aznar is launching an exhibit titled "The Need to Remember" in Quezon City, showcasing portraits of victims and survivors of the Marcos dictatorship.

The exhibit, organized by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, will be open to the public from September 18 to 30 at the JRS Building lobby.

Meanwhile, students of University of the Philippines Cebu opened their own exhibit, "1081 Exhibit," on September 17, with the theme "Ang Kamatuoran sa Mata nga Nagamatyag" or "The Truth in Watchful Eyes."

This exhibit, run by Communicators of UP (COMMUP) since 2018, focuses on the voices and experiences of farmers and workers during the Marcos Sr. administration.

Both exhibits aim to preserve the memory of the dictatorship's victims and counter the erasure of historical atrocities.

Aznar emphasized the importance of remembering this period of history as survivors are aging and their testimonies risk being forgotten.

The photographs from Aznar's exhibit will be donated to the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation for its archival collection.

Project adviser Dominic Yasay urged the exhibit crowd to turn remembrance into action and resist the erasure of history.