Last Thursday marked the 34th anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos' declaration of martial law in the Philippines. It was during Marcos' rule three decades ago that thousands suffered human rights violations.

The time for justice for the 9,500 victims and their relatives is long overdue. Another year need not pass before they are paid a token sum for the suffering they endured under the Philippine dictator.

In this group are people now living in both the Philippines and the United States, who were tortured or detained, or are the relatives of those who were executed or vanished during the Marcos regime.

This month, the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco cleared the way for restitution when it refused to hear an appeal on an earlier decision in May that gave the victims $35 million from a brokerage account opened up by Marcos in 1972.

But the amount pales in comparison to the overall $2 billion that a Honolulu federal jury awarded the victims in 1995. So far, Marcos' Merrill Lynch account is the single biggest chunk the victims have been able to identify and claim.

The major hurdle has been the objections of the Philippine government. Officials there believe that Marcos looted that country's coffers, and that the money from his vast personal fortune belongs to the Philippine people.

No doubt, the impoverished Philippines can use the money. But it's hard to deny the claims of Marcos' identifiable victims.

The 9th Circuit Court's decision had raised the hopes of victims and relatives waiting to collect an estimated $2,000 each.

But those hopes were dashed late last week when, in a disappointing move, attorneys for the Philippines moved to stop any payments pending one last appeal before the Supreme Court.

Already, many victims have died waiting for compensation. For these remaining survivors and relatives, the long wait must end and the money paid.