Press to Break the Silence

by Catalina Cassandra Uyguanco

By the declaration of Martial law on September 21, 1972, the first to experience the said ‘efficacy’ was the free press and mass media. The Press was silenced, tortured, and voiceless. The martial law was not only for the ‘unruly’ people but also for the press, who sought truth and justice behind the lies of the Marcoses.

Under the facade of ‘peace and order,’ they stole the people’s rights, and the country’s democracy and even the media were not an exception.

The day after the declaration, he issued a Letter of Instruction 1 that ordered the military to seize the assets of major media outlets all around the country. On September 23,1972, 464 media outlets shut down, and 8,000 people were arrested, including eight journalists.

Of course, they never heard of the wrong side of the regime since the government held the chain to zip one’s lip, and the paid media broadcasted only the good news. There was no news about suffrage because the press had to sweep under the rug to hide the truth. Achieving peace by issuing unfair orders is not ‘peace and order.’

The primary purpose of the press is to be the watchdogs of society. It is supported and guaranteed by the law on freedom of expression.

Section 4 of Article III in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution 1987 states that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peacefully assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Now that the election is onset and politicians have shown their interest in running, we can see that Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will indeed run for President.

People should refrain from martyrdom to the point of still believing in his lies as he attempts to repeat history. The people and the press have suffered enough, and the Marcoses want us to suffer more. Protect the press freedom by not being fooled once more. Be aware and spread the word.

In hopes of strengthening “unity” in the country, Former Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. filed his Certificate of Candidacy for President under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP); the same party that President Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters had formed. Marcos’ tenacity to run for President despite the dictatorship of his late father shows how sturdy and gutsy the once-was-ousted family is from 36 years ago.

While Marcos loyalists are busy getting blind from the whitewashed history that the notorious family is trying to build, the

Merciless, groundless, and careless are just a few of the terms people usually use to contempt the Marcoses. Going back to history, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is the former president/dictator of the Philippines. He was known for his dictatorial regime. After winning the presidential elections, he declared Martial Law in 1976. The point where fear and uncertainty started to arise among the Filipinos.

During the Marcos administration, Amnesty International Philippines dropped a record that says 70,000 were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured, and 3,240 were killed during Martial Law. Most of these

Regarding corruption and embezzlement, $10 B is what Marcos had collected in his duty, according to the consecutive evaluation of the Philippine Supreme Court. It was a massively stolen wealth, considering that his authoritative salary barely made it to $14,000 per year. These validate the poverty that started to escalate in the 1960s. Not to mention that Marcos Sr. holds the Guinness World Record for having the “Greatest Robbery of a government.”

Going back to Bongbong, we cannot deny that his father is a man with accomplishments. Marcos Sr. graduated from the University of