THE September 21st rallies denouncing Marcos decreed martial law showed a hodgepodge of recollections from those who played central roles from various ideological persuasions, commentaries, reactions and demonstrations from millenials from vicarious experience drawn from stories of the opposite political poles many of which are laced with distortions, outright lies richly condimented with self-proclaimed heroism and more.
Many of the accounts we hear today are replete with exaggerations and not a few are totally blurred and twisted it can pass of a comedy of errors.
Take the case of a canned televised exchanges of Bongbong Marcos and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile. The aging JPE challenges televiewers to come up with names of people who were jailed and tortured during the span of martial law regime. The decree was actually signed on 21st but was implemented nationwide only dawn of September 23.
However, many political oppositions, among them Ninoy Aquino and journalists like Max Soliven, were quietly arrested and detained in Camp Crame immediately after the edict was signed. The entire country was totally placed under martial law on the 23rd.
How can Enrile negate all these? All media establishments were closed and what followed were arrests and detentions of many more personalities on the basis of ASSOs (Arrest, Search and Seizure Orders) implemented by the Philippine Constabulary under PC Chief Fidel Ramos. Eddie, how could you?
The leap you did at EDSA does not erase memories.
On a personal note, I was working with RMN-IBC Davao as program and news director when ML was declared. On the side I was publishing a weekly community paper - the Davao Chronicle to augment a meager salary from the network.
Nearly a week after the closure of DXDC and TV13, these stations were allowed to resume broadcast. A new code of conduct was issued. Wear your ID, appear neat and necktie was to be worn. We marched to the PC barracks for finger-printing and to fill up a brief resume. I got a permit to resume publication of my newspaper. We all thought that was it.
About 15 days later, eight personnel from RMN-IBC were given their walking papers on what Henry Canoy said was an order coming from Camp Crame. The eight included me, our Cebuano newscaster Tinong Alfornon (who cannot even swat a fly) and Bonifacio dela Cruz, an innocent radio technician, some disc jockeys and announcers.
Sir Henry was crying when he handed us our termination papers. Later, my only source of livelihood, the Davao Chronicle, was also padlocked on orders of Hans Menzi, the chairman of the Philippine Council for Print Media.
Seven months later, while I was contemplating of going farming or going to the hills I received a telegram directing me to report back to my work at RMN-IBC. But that was short-lived because the famed crony Roberto Benedicto took over IBC and had us replaced.
