Never again

It was the 21st of September of 1972 when the country's democracy went bleak. I wasn't born yet then, but I knew the times were hard. Documentaries and articles made it very clear that Martial Law robbed the Philippines of its freedom that its forefathers worked hard for. I could only imagine the times and hear it through the thoughts in my heard -- every cry, scream and clamor for a government that would be in favor of the people. Fists were raised, along with "L" signs which meant “Laban.” At the end of a very tedious battle, a dictator was removed from his seat. A first in Philippine history.

Here we are 48 years later and the 21st of September seems just like an ordinary day. I sit here in the coffee shop, trying to finish this piece along with other school work and looking at the people around me. Girls on the other end of this cafe are laughing, others are in a business meeting over coffee while some chose to sip their drink in solitude. This is the price of all the fighting that was done years ago but then we are apathetic to be even in gratitude for what the previous generation has done.

To be honest, the pain that I've felt when the government shut down ABS-CBN has never subsided. With the recent commemoration of the martial law declaration, I felt the sting even deeper. It seems like we are entering the same era but on a lighter scale. Of course, the administration will never admit that they are like dictators -- getting what they want through the power of the legislative bodies. It’s amazing how they can hypnotize people with the machinery of trolls they have blasting wrong information on social media. However they deny this, I'd really like to believe that they exist.

This becomes so timely because the press in Cebu is celebrating press freedom. To some extent, there is still the liberty but it could be subjected to a lot of factors: Advertising is one, and online bashing could come next. With social media being a platform of free speech, journalists who don't have the balls to make their stand will surely sacrifice their own content for the pleasure of others. I hope, here in Cebu, we don't have to reach that point. We have somehow maintained a level of credibility far from others but it’s sad when someone from the group gives in to envelopes with a few bucks inside.

Never again would I want to live in a time where the administration has been so full of promises but curtails our freedom of speech and the free press. A hurt ego is never an excuse to sever ties with several media entities so that their own interests could move forward. I guess this September would be full of reflections, especially those who are still planning to enter the field. It is still a career worth the while, but never again should we give in. Never again should we be bought.