Abraham Sarmiento Jr.

Early life

Sarmiento was born in Sta. Mesa, Manila. His father, Abraham, was a well-known lawyer and close friend of President Diosdado Macapagal who would be appointed an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines years after his son's death. As a child, Sarmiento Jr. was a voracious reader who would engage in discussions with adults about literature, religion and art.

Sarmiento finished his primary and secondary education at the Ateneo de Manila. He distinguished himself at the Ateneo with his high marks and literary skills and even represented his school on a televised quiz show. His schooling though was frequently impaired by asthma attacks, which necessitated the installation of an oxygen tank in his bedroom.

In 1967, Sarmiento enrolled at the University of the Philippines in Diliman where he joined the Alpha Phi Beta fraternity. At U.P., he befriended student activists who were increasingly agitated against the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, especially during the First Quarter Storm. In 1970, Sarmiento married his girlfriend, Marsha, and dropped out of the university. He and his wife would separate by 1972.

Philippine Collegian

After Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law in 1972, Sarmiento re-enrolled at the University of the Philippines as a business administration and accountancy student. He joined the staff of the official university newspaper, the Philippine Collegian. In 1975, Sarmiento was named the editor-in-chief of the Collegian after placing first in the editorial exams.

Philippine newspapers and other mass media outlets had been closed upon the declaration of martial law, with only those sympathetic to the Marcos government being allowed to re-open. Against this backdrop, the Collegian under Sarmiento's leadership began to publish articles and editorials criticizing martial law and calling for the restoration of democracy. Sarmiento himself penned several editorials which he personally signed, concerning topics such as freedom of speech and of the press. He called on students to fight for the restoration of democratic rights and civil liberties. He urged his fellow students: "Kung hindi tayo kikilos? Kung di tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?" ("If we do not act, who will act? If we do not care, who will care? If not now, when?")

Sarmiento was said not to possess radical or leftist beliefs himself but was spurred into action by a sense of justice and fair play The staff of the Collegian was itself ideologically split between radical leftists and more moderate members, but Sarmiento was able to bridge the divide among the staff.

Imprisonment

In December 1975, Sarmiento and Fides Lim, the managing editor of the Collegian were picked up for questioning by the military, in connection with an editorial entitled "Purge II" which Sarmiento had written. They were released shortly, but not before they were brought before Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who personally expressed displeasure over the editorial. The following month, Sarmiento wrote an editorial for the Collegian entitled "Where Do We Go from Here" which criticized Marcos's New Society and urged public debate about martial law. At a university symposium on January 15, 1976, Sarmiento read his editorial aloud to the audience. Nine days later, he was arrested at his home. Among the arresting officers was future Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Sarmiento would remain under detention until August 1976. The official order of arrest, which specified charges of "rumor mongering and the printing and circulation of leaflets and propaganda materials", was served only five months after his arrest. At one point, he would share a cell with Satur Ocampo, then a ranking member of the National Democratic Front.

In the meantime, Sarmiento's health had deteriorated as he had been deprived of his asthma medication. In the course of his detention, he was incarcerated in a cell at Camp Crame whose doors and windows were nearly completely sealed with plywood. Sarmiento nonetheless executed an affidavit where he defended the publication of the offending editorials in the exercise of free speech, press freedom, and the enjoyment of academic freedom. Sarmiento likewise refuse to recant his editorials. He wrote to his father, "To back off now would be an abandonment of principles I believe in and a tarnish on my integrity as an individual. I do not believe I could live with myself then."

Sarmiento's father interceded with Deputy Defense Minister Carmelo Barbero to obtain medical attention for his son. On August 28, 1976, Sarmiento was released from prison.

Death and legacy

After his release, Sarmiento re-enrolled at the University of the Philippines and tried to keep a low profile. However, his asthma had been aggravated by his detention, and he would regularly endure painful and severe attacks. A little over a year after his release, the 27-year-old Sarmiento was found dead on his bedroom floor after suffering a heart attack.

Two weeks after Sarmiento's death, the Collegian published an issue where emblazoned on the cover were the words "Para sa iyo, Ditto Sarmiento, sa iyong paglilingkod sa mag-aaral at sambayanan." ("To you, Ditto Sarmiento, for your service to the studentry and the Filipino people.") The cover also featured an outline of the U.P. Oblation with its right hand raised in a fist, having broken free from chains. The University would award a posthumous degree to Sarmiento.

After Sarmiento's death, his father intensified his participation in the political opposition against the Marcos government, and would himself be detained in 1979 after publishing a book critical of the Marcos regime. After the ouster of the Marcos government, Abraham Sarmiento got appointed in the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

In 1992, Sarmiento was listed as among "65 Martyrs" who were enshrined in the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, a monument to victims and heroes of martial law located at Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.