Saira G.

Pambid
Socio 171 WFV

Press Freedom and Activism

In the documentary entitled Portraits of Mosquito Press, JL Burgos tackles
the subject of (the lack of) Press Freedom during the time of Ferdinand Marcoss
presidency. Its synopsis includes Jose Joe Burgos Jr., along with his wife Edita
Burgos, daring to publish a newspaper exposing the corruption, violations of human
rights, and other loathsome acts under Marcoss dictatorship. This catches the
presidents attention, which he then responded to by imposing the full force of
Martial Law upon the Burgos family. Despite the odds being against them, they did
not cease publication and committed themselves to the purpose of spreading truth.
Watching the film, I cant help but remember by relatives support of the
Marcos regime. Theyve always expressed their admiration of him, telling me that
the country was better during his presidency. Theyve always sounded so
convincing, and it made that part of the Philippine history confusing to me. In
addition to that, my teachers in my elementary school (as well as High School)
never expressed disdain on Martial Law. So, while I knew what Martial Law entailed,
I never bothered to go beyond what I was being taught inside the classroom.
Coming to UP has changed that. Ive been more exposed to people who are
passionate about social issues. I know now that what Marcos did was immoral and
unjust. The reason, perhaps, for some people admiring him is the controlled and
biased press during his regime. Perhaps their grandmothers, or grandfathers, were
not exposed to newspapers like the We Forum?
With a lot of people retelling their personal experiences during the era of
Martial Law, the film made me incredibly glad that I had not been born in that era.
The film gave the audience a glance of what it was like, and it is an atrocity. Most of
the things I do would have been banned, and my rights stripped away from me. I
applaud all the people behind the newspaper (We Forum) for all they have
accomplished. They have enlightened others of what was really happening under
Marcoss regime, laying foundation to revolution.
This still is relevant today as the media can sometimes be biased. This film
should then serve as an inspiration to aspiring journalists, keeping in mind its true
purpose, instead of giving into prejudice.
In the second film, entitled Daughters of Cordillera, Ilang-Ilang Quijano
tackles activism. Its synopsis includes Piyas grandmother retelling her defense of
their land during Marcoss regime. She led a lot of protests back in her day to stop
the Chico River Dams project. She was awarded by the Womens World Summit
Foundation the Laureate Prize for Rural Women in 2009. It is important to note that

her children were no different, and were involved in activism as well. Jean Macliing,
one of her daughters, chose activism over working in the government. Likewise,
Piya, Jean Macliings daughter, is an activist. She is a member of Kalipunan ng mga
Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KATRIBU), and is its current secretary.
It was mentioned in the film how Piyas grandmother was wary of the
activism Piya is dedicating her life to. She had said that she thought that Piya would
be better off doing other things with her time. Its not very far from what the people
close to me say, and we disagree on that regard. I feel that people who dont care at
all by social issues are those privileged. And because they are privileged, they dont
deem it necessary to try to change what is wrong with the system. Certainly, this
second film is very inspiring, especially the part where passion about social issues is
passed along from one generation to another.
Its relevance is very much evident in todays society. Studying in UP has
definitely emphasized this.