September 21: Then and Now
September 21: Then and Now
FOR THE RECORD:
MANY WHO lived through the years of Martial Law, proclaimed by then Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972, are gripped by a sense of déjà vu.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to more restrictions, imposed curfews, check-points and limits on travel and movement. In these and other ways, September 21, 2020 feels as though Filipinos have gone back in time to that dark period of fear and uncertainty.
Existential threats are real on many levels. In the early eighties, the rise of oil prices disrupted the national economy just as the pandemic has cost many their jobs, stalled production and slowed down the economy. But there are also deaths from unexplained and un-investigated killings, adding to the heavy toll of the deadly virus on human life. Human rights and freedoms are in peril with the passage of anti-terror laws, the passage of which has emboldened public officials to curtail at every opportunity free speech on social and old media. The government’s propaganda machine churns out hate speech and fake news, deepening the confusion and polarization of Philippine society.
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