Various progressive groups gathered Saturday, July 11, on Katipunan Street in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, to mark the 41st anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Fr. Rudy Romano and Levi Ybañez. During the gathering, they renewed the call for justice for Romano, Ybañez and all victims of enforced disappearances. Prior to the activity, participants held a mass at the Redemptorist Church.

On July 11, 1985, elements of the Marcos Military Intelligence Group abducted and disappeared Romano and Ybañez in separate incidents in Cebu City. Fr. Romano, a Redemptorist priest and prominent urban poor leader, was abducted in Barangay Tisa, while Ybañez, a student and peasant activist, was last seen along Sanciangco Street.

Fr. Romano was known for his role in fighting the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr as the vice president for the Visayas of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan). Ybañez was a fellow organizer of the basic sectors in the region.

“More than four decades later, their fate remains unknown, and justice has still not been achieved,” Bayan-Central Visayas said in a statement. “Their disappearance remains a painful reminder of the many victims of enforced disappearances during the Marcos dictatorship, and of the ongoing call to end impunity and uphold human rights.”

Although more than four decades have passed, the wounds remain fresh for the families of the desaparecidos, or the victims of enforced disappearances, the groups said. They emphasized that commemorating the two martyrs is not just remembering the past, but an ongoing fight for truth and accountability under the current regime.

Progressive groups and human rights advocates in Cebu vowed that they will not stop searching for the two and will continue to give their voices to the victims of fascism in the country.