Carlos Tayag
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Carlos "Caloy" Nuqui Tayag (August 24, 1942disappeared August 17, 1976) was a Filipino
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
deacon and activist. He was one of the many
desaparecidos An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person with the support or acquiescence of a State (polity), state followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts with the i ...
and victims of the violations of
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
during the
martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...
of the late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
. Tayag is one of the martial-law era martyrs whose name is etched and honored 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 ...
memorial.


Early life

Tayag, whose baptismal name was Bartolome, was born on August 24, 1942, in Angeles,
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
to Fidel and Irenea Nuqui-Tayag. He studied his elementary at the Holy Family Academy and had his Secondary and Undergraduate Education at
San Beda College San Beda University () is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines in 1901. The main campus is situated ...
. He was described as too helpful and too down-to-earth. He was fond of the Jesuits and of doing mission and visits among rural folk.


Activism

He was described as someone who wanted to give Filipinos freedom and a better life from the oppression under President Marcos. He entered San Beda as an ordained
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
or monk under the Order of Saint Benedict. He was able to travel to many Asian countries and became a correspondent of an international newspaper where he exposed the conditions of Filipinos under Marcos to the international audience. Marcos was able to read an article of his in the newspaper and earned the ire of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...
and the
Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...
. He had been studying for ten years for the priesthood where he took the name Carlos Maria. He was shaped by the rise of liberation theology and, in his own words, defined the Christian faith as addressing "those who are losing hope, the poor and powerless, those being held captive." He said that such faith "was rooted in promoting human freedom within the political, economic, and cultural context: this is a human duty brought forth by the spirituality and the experiences of a suffering humanity." Several months before his scheduled ordination to priesthood in 1970, Tagag asked for his rite to be suspended. He then studied his Postgraduate at the
University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...
taking up master's degree in Philippine Literature. He furthered his activism after being involved in the social realities that time. He became one of the leaders of the
Student Christian Movement of the Philippines The Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) is a youth Ecumenism, ecumenical national democratic mass organization in the Philippines. It aims to uphold students rights and participates in numerous local and worldwide peoples' advoca ...
where he edited its newsletter ''Breakthrough''. Along with other figures like Fr. Dave Albano, Fr. Edicio de la Torre, and Purificacion "Puri" Pedro, he was one of the founding members of the
Christians for National Liberation The Christians for National Liberation is an underground revolutionary mass organization in the Philippines committed to uniting Christians in the revolution led by the Communist Party of the Philippines. A member of the National Democratic Fron ...
in 1972 and sought theological reforms and transformation of religious institutions under the context of martial law. Tayag was those assigned to do work in the countryside as he also worked underground.


Disappearance

Tayag was last seen by his family at San Beda. On August 17, 1976, he was reportedly abducted and threatened by gunpoint by unidentified armed men in a house in
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
while he was typing on his typewriter. His mother and other relatives went to the National Intelligence Service Agency (NISA) headquarters at V. Luna St., Quezon City to inquire about his whereabouts but to no avail. An unidentified officer was said to have ordered his subordinate to look under a file list of supposed "Christian leftists" after knowing that he was an ordained deacon. He was thirty-three at the time of his disappearance. After a month, Irenea Tayag received information that his son was being detained in Camp Bicutan and hurried to the Camp. He brought a big can of biscuits but was informed that no one by the name of Carlos Tayag was ever detained there. To aid with the cause of desaparecidos, Irenea Tayag founded the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearances (FIND) and eventually became its chairperson.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tayag, Carlos 1942 births Filipino activists 1976 deaths Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Religious workers honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani