21/09/2026
On the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, Silliman University invites the Silliman community to revisit a difficult chapter in our shared history and to examine what it meant for the University and the people who lived through it.
Silliman was among the first universities ordered closed after the declaration of Martial Law and among the last allowed to reopen. Its classrooms fell silent, offices were raided, and members of the University community faced interrogation, detention, and other threats. Yet within this period are also stories of people who sought to keep the University alive and its commitment to learning, truth, and freedom intact.
We share again this series, “Silliman University Remembers,” not simply to recount what happened, but to encourage every Sillimanian, especially generations who did not experience this period firsthand, to engage with the historical record. The photographs, accounts, publications, documentaries, and other sources featured here offer starting points for examining the past, asking questions, and understanding the experiences of those who came before us.
As part of this commemoration, the Robert B. and Metta J. Silliman University Library will also mount a special exhibit featuring reference materials on Martial Law and related topics. We invite students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University to visit the exhibit and explore these materials for themselves.
Silliman University remembers. We invite you to remember with us.
