EDITORIAL | When the Press Gets Silenced

For decades, every Filipino has been reminded of the violence, repression, and loss that Martial Law has caused. Filipinos have been continuously reminded by the casualties it triggered. Even until today, we return to public memory through the stories of the victims and the records left behind. However, what truly happened back then for Filipinos to feel as if Martial Law just happened yesterday? But beneath that question lies another question: How would we know what happened when those who could have told the story were among the first to be silenced?

During the regime, media suppression happened, thereby stripping press freedom from the Filipinos. Martial Law was the loudest fight of the Filipinos, yet the most silent one because the media was taken down, and journalists and media owners were arrested.  When the press is silenced,  the question becomes more than who gets to tell the story – it becomes who is left to speak at all.  

Martial Law played an important role in the history of the Philippines, yet until today, much of its information has been attempted to be revised. Until now, the question of what truly happened behind its continuous revisions remains. How can accurate information be gained when the media was taken down by the Marcoses? 

In the same month, September 22, 1972, Marcos Sr. issued Letter of Instruction No. 1 that authorized the military to take over the assets of major media outlets nationwide (Melencio, 2023). He announced that the purpose of this was to prevent the use of privately owned mass media against the government. With the media taken down, companies, namely ABS-CBN Broadcasting Company and Associated Broadcasting Company, were sequestered by the military officers as ordered in Letter of Instruction No. 1-A (Elemia, 2020). 

Aside from taking down the media, military officers also arrested the journalists and media owners. They ambushed some of the journalists and civilians who were publicizing the truth about what was happening during the Martial Law. The Marcoses did everything to limit the news and chose only those that made them come clean. Personalities of different media companies were also arrested for fighting for what's right and giving out factual information. Yet, the silencing of the press did not mean that every journalist stopped reporting; some continued to document what was happening despite the risks. One of them was Jacob Amatong, publisher at Mindanao Observer, who published critical articles on the Marcos regime (Inquirer, 2020). His paper exposed military involvement in illegal gambling and extortion, along with the reported case of executions and military bombings of communities. Amatong was then ambushed by military men in September 1984 because he exposed the cruel things they had done. Before Amatong passed away, he recognized the assailants as people who belonged in the army, while a witness also identified two killers as part of the army (Regencia, 2023). His story shows the danger faced by journalists who continued to report during the Martial Law era.

Filipinos faced dreadful experiences during the Martial Law while their freedom of speech was deprived by the government. It was the time when their loudest cry for help was silenced rather than heard. Many Filipino journalists and media company owners experienced the lashing of Martial Law. It silenced the Filipinos over and over, while even their screams were punished rather than being recognized. This era was continually remembered to remind us that no Filipino should be silenced, especially when they are fighting for what is right. However, the freedom of speech of Filipinos was not the only one silenced, because how can this be further cruel?

Martial Law may belong to the past, but the question of who gets to speak, and who gets to be believed, continues to matter. If silencing the press can shape what a generation knows about its own history, what happens when dissent is no longer silenced outright, but instead discredited and labeled as a threat? 

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References:

Elemia, C. (2020, September 19) FAST FACTS: How Marcos silenced, controlled the media during martial law. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/how-marcos-silenced-media-press-freedom-martial-law/ 

Inquirer, I. R. P. D. (2020, January 21). Writers, journalists as freedom heroes. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/810571/writers-journalists-as-freedom-heroes 

Melencio, G. E. (2023). The fall and rise of the Marcoses: from mosquito press to troll farms. University Knowledge Digital Repository. https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/journal-articles/6007/ 

Regencia, T. (2023, May 3). Battle against disinformation, historical revisionism in Philippine polls. TRT World. https://www.trtworld.com/article/12788665