ABSTRACT
Iyra S. Buenrostro describes how with the use of the photographs taken by a former political detainee during the martial law period under the Marcos regime, more stories are revealed about this era especially that these photographs (and the associated oral histories) are not yet deposited in an established archives. The subject of the photograph included in this chapter also tells his stories and memories about the regime, and his difficult life after he was released from prison. Looking at photographs is more than a visual activity, but it can lead to the discovery of various contextualities of the record, its surrounding social conditions and the stories and different forms of affects that are normally not expressed and included in conventional archives. These are the stories and meanings that will help fill in the silences and gaps of a highly contested period in history where the victims are still crying for justice and wishing for better lives.
