On history: Philippine’s state of the media

Robert John D. Medida, AB International Studies, USJR

When press freedom was restored after Martial Law in 1986, the Philippines was then hailed as having one of the freest presses in Asia. The Edsa people power had become the milestone for the Filipinos as a nation. The courage of the Filipino people inspired the world, and the legacy of that revolution never dies, especially for the generation who experienced it.

In the current administration, the Philippine media like Rappler, Inquirer and ABS-CBN were asked to explain because of swindling and ownership issues. Members of the media and netizens call it as an attack to free press.

It is in this challenging time where we hate the quote “history repeats itself” because the Filipino people could not afford to experience another dark event like what happened from 1972 to 1986.

Although there were other dictatorial regimes in other parts of the world like during the 30-year rule of former Sinagpore’s Prime Minister Lee

Kuan Yew, the said prime minister believed that the media was one of three institutions in Singapore that he needed to control to govern effectively. The other two were the Treasury and the Armed Forces.

In the beginning of his political career, not everyone of the press had sympathy for his political goals. He believed that his government should set the agenda of the country and the media would just be there “if” needed. He believed that the role of the mass media could help present Singapore’s problems simply, clearly, and objectively.

The media is seen as a threat to expose underground activities that might awaken Filipinos. Undoubtedly, the Philippine media reports stories that matter most to Filipinos like government spending and fiscal policies, department budgets, etc. The Philippine press is allowed to ridicule or lampoon the political leadership contrary to what Singapore experienced.