21/09/2026
๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฌ | 54 years ago, on September 21, 1972, Marcos Sr. declared ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ via ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ก๐ผ. ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ด๐ญ, marking a dark period for many Filipinos. This declaration led to the shutdown of most broadcast media, severely restricting fundamental freedoms. This move aimed to centralize power and prevent any use of the media that could undermine public confidence.
A rally by the National Union of Students of the Philippines underscored tensions, while an ex-intelligence officer noted the bombings were atypical of terrorism. Marcos declared martial law through Proclamation No. 1091, following an assault on Enrile connected to "communist terrorists."
During Marcos' regime, broadcasting media was mandated to operate under government control, impacting outlets like Bulletin Today and Daily Express. This led to a media landscape heavily restricted for independent reporting, with government-aligned media enjoying more public access.
During martial law in the Philippines, Jose Burgos Jr. and others initiated an alternative press to confront government censorship. This independent media sought to deliver more in-depth information than mainstream channels restricted by the Marcos regime. Publications like Malaya and WE Forum focused on human rights violations, environmental issues, and political crises, risking arrests to present alternative views on events under the dictatorship.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฐ."
Despite the end of martial law in the Philippines, press limitations and control remain prevalent. The dismantling of media control post-Marcos and the 1987 Constitution's promises of free speech have not curtailed violence against journalists. Under Duterte's administration, efforts to silence and red-tag journalists persisted, and threats such as spying, harassment, and cyberattacks continued under Marcos Jr.'s presidency, proving that the continuous oppression and increased dangers for journalists remain the biggest problem in our country.
Today, let us remember the names of journalists who were killed, arrested, threatened, and harassed by the same government that promised us protection. Remember Frenchie Mae Cumpio and other journalists who were imprisoned and continue to serve their sentences in jail.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ต, ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐.
โ๐ผ: James Leonard Parilla
๐ผ๏ธ: Mark Nelson Motil
๐: Mary Joy Laurel
