Now that the dictator’s son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos (BBM) has officially been inaugurated as the next Philippine president with over 30 million votes, it is clearer than ever that history is being ignored.
He has presented numerous “red flags” during his campaigns, from his absence during debates to his efforts in revising history to favor his family. But still, disinformation successfully convinced the majority that he was capable of the presidency in the first place [READ: Don’t let the late dictator’s son win].
For the past 67 years, the publication has been through various horrible events in history. Atenews once became a victim of suppression of the freedom of speech in 1972 during the martial law regime. Many media outlets, including student publications, were forced to close as a result of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. With the recent incidents of blocked news sites and news organization shutdowns, the possibility of another era of silencing could not be ruled out. Marcos Jr. is capable of reducing the power of journalism into mere noise and framing the media as the enemy in the same way that his father did.
While some would argue that “the sins of the father do not mean the sins of the son,” Marcos Jr.’s actions have always shown otherwise. He continues to deny the atrocities of his father’s regime as if they never happened. During his inaugural speech, he kept on emphasizing how his father made the country better without acknowledging the violence and abuses that happened in his time. Marcos Jr.’s sister, Imee, even confidently mentioned in an interview that his brother’s victory gives them a chance to clean their father’s legacy. Justice will never be served to the victims of martial law and their families as long as a Marcos is seated in the presidency and uses this seat to simply clear their family’s stained image.
His machinery during the election that was fueled by the rampant spread of disinformation from his father’s alleged “Golden Era” and support for another possible gruesome Martial Law has shown beyond doubt that the apple does not fall far from the tree. While his father was enjoying the people’s taxes at the expense of Filipino rights, the Marcos scion was one of the few people who benefited from that vile administration. Now that another Marcos claims the authority of the highest executive seat, we would not be surprised to see a reflection of the atrocities that the Filipinos vowed, “Never again! Never Forget!” during the EDSA People Power Revolution.
Allowing another Marcosian regime insults the victims who suffered on the ground and fought for the later generations to thrive. To even us journalists whose freedom of speech is constantly terrorized and even more under BBM’s authority. Even if it is too soon to tell that another Martial Law is imminent, the anxiety and fear of going through another battle for democracy under a rotten system are already enough for citizens to be raged on about what may seem like a betrayal of trust from their own countrymen.
As the cries of the progressive groups, marginalized sectors, and minorities become louder as they will take the most brunt in the next six years, the barbaric memoir of Filipinos’ passion and patriotism during the EDSA revolt will likely be subdued, ushering in a generation of blind followers.
As a new term begins, our nation must remain vigilant with the presidency of someone who may permit red-tagging, disinformation, and the suppression of free speech for six years to come. History must not be repeated again but rather serve as a lesson for us to remember. This is not a battle against the 31 million who believed in him, but a battle against disinformation, distortion of the truth, and injustice. Never again to historical revisionism. Never forget the lessons of the past.