Melania Cristina Catalla (born December 25, 1950 — disappeared on July 31, 1977) was an anti-martial law activist who belonged to a network of community organizations in the

Southern Tagalog Southern Tagalog (), designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the province of Aurora in Central Luzon, and most of the National Capital Region. ...

region in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

whose disappearance on July 31, 1977, became a rallying cry of the Philippine resistance against the

Marcos dictatorship At 7:15 p.m. on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the Philippines under martial law, stating he had done so in response to the "communist threat" posed by the newly founded Communist Party ...

. Catalla's name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the

Bantayog ng mga Bayani The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the Martial law under F ...

, a memorial that honors martyrs and heroes who fought the dictatorship. She is also one of the heroes honored by the

University of the Philippines Los Baños The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB; ), also referred to as UP Los Baños or colloquially as Elbi (), is a public research university primarily located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay in the province of Laguna, some 65 kilo ...

on its 'Hagdan ng Malayang Kamalayan' memorial.

References

1954 births 1970s missing person cases Enforced disappearances in the Philippines History of the Philippines (1965–1986) Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Marcos martial law victims Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos Missing person cases in the Philippines Political repression in the Philippines Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Southern Tagalog 10 University of the Philippines Los Baños University of the Philippines Los Baños people honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Year of death uncertain {{Philippines-bio-stub

See also

References