It has been said that in Hell, there will be nothing but law. May the prohibited things under Marcos’ Martial Law serve as a reminder of our heroes’ sacrifices and sufferings so that we will not take for granted the freedom and democracy we are currently enjoying.

The late dictator Marcos made a lot of effort to take control over the media during his rise to power because he understood the importance of the media to society. Marcos silenced public criticism and controlled the information that the people had access to by shutting down dissent and setting up a media outlet that was under his control. Because of this, Marcos had the final say in whatever passed for the truth.

Marcos authorized the military to take over the assets of major media outlets including the ABS-CBN network, Channel 5, and various radio stations across the country. Thousands of journalists, editors, radio and television personnel were arrested and thrown into jail without due process.

Media outlets that belonged to Marcos cronies such as the Philippine Daily Express, the Kanlaon Broadcasting System, and several television channels were allowed to continue running print issues and airing shows on the airwaves. Roberto Benedicto, for instance, owned Kanlaon and the Daily Express, while greatly enjoying Marcos’s favor as his appointed chairman of the Philippine National Bank, ambassador to Japan, and head of the Philippine Sugar Commission.

Sources:

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/the-makings-of-a-constitutional-dictator/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/04/09/marcos-orders-crackdown-on-critics-of-martial-law/15de84b2-1ebd-41bf-81d8-d9226e6b0764/

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/how-marcos-silenced-media-press-freedom-martial-law/

https://web.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/posts/ilang-araw-matapos-ipatupad-ang-martial-law-iniutos-ng-diktador-na-si-ferdinand-/10159787983765168/?_rdc=1&_rdr

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