Juan B. Escandor (November 14, 1941 - March 31, 1983), also known as Johnny, was a Filipino cancer specialist, radiologist, and later a rural doctor. During the period of

Martial Law in the Philippines Martial law in the Philippines () refers to the various historical instances in which the Philippine head of state placed all or part of the country under military control—most prominently during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, bu ...

, Escandor went underground and joined the

New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...

. Known for his social work, his torture and death at the hands of METROCOM forces remain one of the most prominent examples of

human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship The dictatorship of 10th Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s and 1980s is historically remembered for its record of human rights abuses, particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, ...

Life and career

Escandor was born in

Gubat, Sorsogon Gubat, officially the Municipality of Gubat ( Gubatnon: ''Bungto san Gubat''; , ), is a municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 60,294 people. Gubat is pronounced with the acc ...

and studied at Gubat National High School before taking up medicine at the

University of the Philippines College of Medicine The University of the Philippines Manila College of Medicine (CM) is the medical school of the University of the Philippines Manila, the oldest constituent university of the University of the Philippines System. Its establishment in 1905 anteda ...

. He graduated in 1969 and began specializing in cancer treatment, eventually becoming the Chief Resident of the Department of Radiology at the

Philippine General Hospital The Philippine General Hospital (also known as University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital or UP–Philippine General Hospital), simply referred to as UP–PGH or PGH, is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated ...

. In 1971, Escandor received a

Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri ...

scholarship and was sent to Japan to join the Third Seminar on Early Gastric Cancer Detection. By 1972, Escandor was consultant in the PGH's Department of Radiology in PGH, and eventually, Head of the Research Department of Cancer Institute. Escandor volunteered in multiple government and non-government organizations to reach out communities in

Central Luzon Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...

and

Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...

, including the PANAMIN Foundation. He also frequently reached out to urban poor communities around

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

to give check-ups, while also establishing a free clinic in his hometown of Gubat. In 1972, Escandor was active in Operasyon Tulong, bringing medical services to flood victims in Central Luzon. Escandor was also involved as an activist. He was one of the founding members of Kabataang Makabayan and was active in its workers' bureau. He organized the institutional workers in PGH, as well as working in urban poor communities. In 1969, he was instrumental in establishing the Sorsogon Progressive Movement and the Progresibong Kilusang Medikal in 1970. During the

First Quarter Storm The First Quarter Storm (), often shortened into the acronym FQS, was a period of civil unrest in the Philippines which took place during the "first quarter of the year 1970". It included a series of demonstrations, protests, and marches again ...

, Escandor was at the forefront of mass actions in and around Manila. Upon the declaration of

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 ...

, Escandor left his job at the PGH and went underground, joining the

. As part of the NPA, he continued his services as a doctor, primarily in serving in rural areas in the

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley (; ), designated as Region II, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces: ...

. The Marcos dictatorship issued a PHP 180,000 reward for his capture, calling him the "NPA doctor."

Torture and death

Escandor and a companion, Yolanda Gordula, were last seen having dinner with friends in

Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan (; ), is a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most populous city in the Philippines. Caloo ...

on March 30, 1983. The exact circumstances of Escandor's death are still unknown, but official accounts state that Escandor was killed in a shoot-out with METROCOM units 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 ...

. Escandor and a companion, Yolanda Gordula, were last seen having dinner with friends in

on March 30, 1983. According to official accounts of the time, Escandor was later shot dead during a firefight on Bohol Avenue in nearby

. Escandor's parents retrieved his remains and brought them home to Sorsogon. A fact-finding mission led by Dr. Jaime Zamuco and Dr. Corazon Rivero conducted an autopsy on Escandor's body. The autopsy findings showed that his brain had been removed from his skull and shoved into his abdominal cavity, and his skull filled with rags, plastic bags, and a pair of briefs. He also had six gunshot wounds and bore contusions on his body. Gordula, meanwhile, was never seen again.

Legacy

Mourning Escandor's death, his medical school classmates paid tribute to him saying his death “''remind us all that the primary duty of the physician is to heal. And that healing transcends social boundaries and political beliefs.''” Escandor was among the 65 individuals first honored by having his name etched on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines'

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 ...

, which honors the martyrs and heroes who resisted the authoritarian regime of

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Escandor, Juan B. Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani 1941 births 1983 deaths Marcos martial law victims 20th-century Filipino medical doctors People from Sorsogon Bicolano people Manila during the Marcos dictatorship Medical and allied professionals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani