Press Freedom tested in Toni Gonzaga case

How sad it is indeed that as Cebu moves closer to another celebration of the Philippines' one and only Press Freedom Week, the very thing that is taking the country by storm is the social media interview by actress and vlogger Toni Gonzaga of Bongbong Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and her subsequent bashing for doing the interview, which in effect gave the younger Marcos a venue to freely express himself.

In bashing Gonzaga, the people she displeased mouthed the familiar anti-Marcos slogans like murder, plunder, profligacy, cronyism, muzzling of the press and curtailment of the right to free expression. How amazing that their own ears cannot hear what their own mouths are saying. How can they, in all honesty, beat their breasts in the name of freedom while in the same breath deny Gonzaga and Bongbong theirs?

It is very evident in this case just how far-reaching hypocrisy has gone in seizing the core of the Filipino soul. For of all that we could inherit from the great United States, that so-called bastion of freedom and democracy, it had to be hypocrisy, that country's worst trait, that some people would rather wear on their chests like a badge of honor when in fact it is a stigma of shame.

The anti-Marcos forces, still at it some four decades after the dictator had been called by his maker, and probably long forgiven his sins by an ever-merciful God, are afraid Bongbong will attempt to rewrite history and whitewash the evil legacy of his father. They are wrong to the very core of their hateful vengefulness. History books are written by authors. History is written by people, each person with his own story to tell.

Is it true that Marcos left a gory trail in his wake? Yes. The cries of grief and anguish from victims' families continue to be heard today. Did he plunder the nation's coffers? Probably. He could not have left his family so rich on his own personal resources. Did he allow his friends and relatives to enrich themselves? Yes. Some of them are still very much around, as rich as ever. The only difference being they are now cronies of new leaders.

But that is only half the story. It is not true the whole country hated Marcos. Only his enemies and the communists hated him. And they represent only a tiny fraction of the more than 50 million Filipinos who were around during Marcos' time. It is not true that the country lived in terror. Only his enemies were scared. Nobody got picked up on whim. The vast majority minded their own business, went about their own lives.

If you do not believe this, go fact check history. In the 2010 election, the main anti-Marcos contender was Noynoy Aquino. If the country so hated Marcos as to elect No. 1 Marcos-hater Noynoy president, why would that same country elect Bongbong Marcos to the Senate? In fact that same country placed Bongbong at Number 7 out of 12, a ranking too high for a Marcos with an anti-Marcos winning president.

In 2016, Bongbong ran for vice president and was leading by a mile when the country went to bed the night after the polls closed. When the country woke up the morning after, Bongbong already lost by the skin of his teeth. As recent as the last election in 2019, Bongbong's sister Imee became a senator at Number 8. Election results are individual stories of individual choices of individual people. That is history. It cannot be changed.

If there is anyone trying to rewrite history, it is the anti-Marcos forces. They cannot live with the fact that in this country, there are those who hate the Marcoses and those who don't and that those who don't may actually love them. The heroes who fell under Marcos need no tears but the exaltation they deserve in history's name, not exploited for political interest. As for Gonzaga, a most courageous woman, she should be emulated, not bashed.