Blogpost #4: Kids from martial law vs kids from the present

When I was seven, I used to play a pinoy traditional games like tagu-taguan, patintero, langit lupa and bahay bahayan with my childhood friends. I had a great time playing all sorts things like that. When the time goes by like 7 years later, I went to my old house just to came a visit to my grandmother. When arrived at my old house, I saw the place that totally changed. There are lot of children stay in their parent's house playing computer games or iPad and the playground was like an abandoned place, there full of rusts on the seesaw, the slide and other playground materials except the basketball court. Not only the playground,but also the street is 100 percent neat that nobody play's outside anymore.

During the Marcos-era, the children from their time used to play outside and they know how to play any pinoy traditional games than the children who were born in 90s or the last decade. During the present time, everyone is now attached from technology or we can call as "Digital Culture".

As I read the article called "Throwback: larong pinoy to each and everyJuan" by Jen Macalam. This article tells about she experienced the tradional games from the Philippines when she was in Marcos-era. She tells about how her life happy when she was a child that no one will say that "I'm bored" during those times even they were controlled by the Marcos-era.

According to Macalam "You also played simple games using simple objects; with sticks, stones, cans, balls and others. There was no need for expensive, fancy gadgets, or video game systems to keep you and your friends entertained." Back in her childhood days, they don't use fancy technological games to her friends entertained because their real fun is on nature.

It's true that technology can make us limited in communication. I observe that when we got black out, my siblings said that they were board because they don't have enough to play. When my parents had idea about playing Jenga,Monopoly and other board games, we had a great time spending ourselves without technology.

As I read another article called "Computer Games vs Outdoor Games"  by Max Smith. This article is the same as Macalam's article but he didn't experience the larong pinoy. This tells about his experience playing outside the house with his friends. He was sad that the children from the present don't play on the playground anymore because they are now using iPad, PC and other fancy gadgets they have.

According to Smith "This is truly saddening because, in my opinion, it ruins their childhood. Okay, certainly, there are some games which are good for your child's development, but there is no way I can agree that spending your whole day in front of the PC is healthy and normal for a kid that should be using his energy outdoors". He was sad that children are attached to fancy gadgets and they don't even play outside anymore and their childhood will be ruined by technology. However, at least they are safe inside instead of playing outside they they might get injured.

I can't agree that it's for their own safety but spending time on their fancy gadgets will make their children anti-social or an outcast because they don't experience how communication was.

As born from 90s and grew up in the digital culture, I've experienced playing outside with my friends and had experienced spending time on my video games. I would rather say that I prefer on playing outside than being imprisoned in my parent's house because playing outside can make us happy and to have a real life communication Lastly, it will give our childhood be remembered with our friends.

Blogpost #3: Changes after the martial law

Everytime I hear the news from my father's radio, many people had been killed everyday by other crimes. My father told me that the is not very strong and the citizens are not afraid to break the law because of their own freedom. I asked my father what would be like when martial law still remains as a law for the Philippines. He compared his time to the present that during the martial law era, their crime rates were very low unlike in the present, everyone disrespects the law.

After the era of Ferdinand Marcos when Cory Aquino set us free, the filipino have the freedom to express themselves to the government and it's good to know that the authorities won't able to abuse the innocent citizens. However, the problem about freedom is that the citizens abused too much about their freedom. They break the laws, the government corrupts, the crime ratings increased and Manila became into a rotten mess just like this picture below.

As I read the article called "The Ghost of Martial Law" by Nathan Gilbet Quimpo. This article tells about what happened happened after the Marcos-era when President Joseph Estrada and Gloria Arroyo was following the footsteps of Ferdinand Marcos. However, this article tells about how those two former presidents corrupted so many taxes in a bigger different ways.

According to Quimpo "President Joseph Estrada and Arroyo apparently followed Marcos' footsteps.
Estrada amassed $78-80 million, enough to put him as No.10 in TI's list of the most corrupt rules. He was convicted of plunder but pardoned shortly afterwards". He was trying to say that former president Estrada was like Marcos for corrupting too many taxes but Estrada didn't reach Marcos' level because Marcos corrupted $5 billion during his era.

Well, there's a big differences between them and Marcos has the reason why he corrupt. The reason for that is he wants to develop the Philippines, unlike Estrada, corrupted taxes just for himself same as Gloria Arroyo,too.

While the martial law were still remains to remembered by the citizens who survived the Marcos-era. I read another article called "Ghost of Martial Law" by Ricardo De Los Santos. This article tells about the return of Imelda Marcos in 1991 and the bombing threat of Metro Manila from the Muslim but took the blame of Imelda Marcos.

According to De Los Santos "Indeed, it is a valid impression that specters of old are re-emerging. Martial law is again audible in people's discussions and concerns". He was trying to say that the martial law won't able to forget during those times because there so many filipino citizens who was suffered during the Marcos-era.

It's true that the people who survived during the Marcos-era is unforgettable and they will discuss to the young filipino people that they took the blame on Marcos. They said that his legacy is about the first ruthless dictator in the Philippines.

As a young Filipino citizen, I really don't know of which side I am if Marcos is a good or bad person because I've never experienced during those times and it whispers to all of the young filipinos same as I about the time of Marcos. According to the Philippine history book that Marcos was the most ruthless president in Asia while I read the articles from the Internet about the truth behind Marcos that he was a great person. We were blinded by those people who wrote books and articles. As for myself, I think Marcos did some good things and bad things about the Philippines same to us. Marcos is like one of us,too. As a human we do good things and bad things about ourselves, so stop judging that Marcos was the most infamous person in the Philippines.

Blogpost #2: Ninoy Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos

When I was in the age of 14 during the 2010 presidential election, everyone voted for Noynoy Aquino as the new president because he's a mother of the former president, Corazon Aquino, and the father of Ninoy Aquino. On my opinion about Noynoy, the reason why he wanted to be the new president because he wants to remain his legacy as an Aquino. On my opinion, he is just famous because of his doofus charismatic sister , Kris Aquino, made him want to be as to run for president.

Base on my personal observation through my social media account, everyone was telling that Benigno Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos were arch nemesis during the martial law era and they said that Marcos ordered the military force to kill Benigno. They said that Cory Aquino was the heroine of the country for setting us free during the martial law era. This topic talks about what really happened during the martial law era when Benigno was assassinated by the military force and the untold story between the Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos.

When Gemma Namenzo wrote an article called "The Untold Story : Marcos and Ninoy were more than close friends and Ferdinand Marcos considered Ninoy as his successor". This article talks about what really happened between them. He wrote that they started their friendships when they joined together the fraternity called Upsillon Sigma Phi from the University of the Philippines and Marcos did not order the military to arrest him and assassinated him.

According to Namanzo "In early August, FM and Ninoy talked about the latter returning to the Philippines and FM (Ferdinand Marcos) told him not to come home yet because he (FM) was weak and couldn't protect Ninoy." The reason why Benigno was assassinated because the army can kill anyone they want without Marcos' permission, so Marcos warned Benigno not to come home yet in order to make him safe.

How sad that Ferdinand Marcos tried so hard to stop his friend for telling him not to return for not to be killed by his military force and he was the most hated man in our country for killing his closest friend. He doesn't deserve what people think of him as a villain. I think I should take back what I said on my first chapter.

Ed Lingao wrote and article called "A different EDSA story". He wrote about after the assassination of Benigno Aquino by being shot from the military force. His wife declared a new people's power or so-called "EDSA Revolution" to avenge Benigno. However, the truth behind the EDSA revolution was that Marcos did not kill every single communist because he is showing to everyone that he's not the villain of our country.

According to Lingao "In the past, such assertions had merely dismissed as rumblings of Marcos symplathizers keen on putting their own spin into the history books to rehabilitate a fallen icon". He was explaining that we've been fooled by the history books and history teachers that Marcos killed anyone for ordering the military force but the truth behind is that the military took the blame on Marcos.

On my opinion, Cory Aquino should never been the president of this country if she didn't know the truth behind FM and Benigno Aquino. Not only Cory was the ignorant here but also us as a present filipino citizens for brain washing us through the book and the social media.

Ferdinand Marcos might be the infamous person in the world but on the other hand, he did something for us to make our country be disciplined to be safe. Marcos was like a father to us because he declared martial law in order us to be safe and to make our country neat. However, when Cory Aquino set us free not only us but herself and everything has changed to country into a rotten place. On my opinion, Marcos did not allowed us to be free because there lot of people who abused their freedom in order for us to be killed. It wasn't Marcos' fault to kill the innocent people, it was the military force's fault for abusing us.

Blogpost #1: What really happened during the martial law

Everytime I open my social media account, every friends who are online wants to go back where Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law even though they don't know what really happened during those time. Even my father wants to go back there,too, because he told me that the law were so strick and every filipino citizens used to obey those law. Unlike in the present, every single filipino citizens breaks the law because the isn't strong enough because there is too much freedom that Noynoy Aquino gave us.

Base on my observation in the present, the Manila was a mess like everyone is breaking the law. Crimes were too populated, the city is full of trashes, the road is too mess that it's hard to pass by because there are full of obstruction sites and others part that our country has changed without Ferdinand Marcos.

When I read an article called "Experiences During Martial Law" by John Toledo, he experienced the cruelty during those time when he was an activist after the declaration of martial maw by Ferdinand Marcos. He was tortured ion the year 1977 for being a part of an activist and he was released in the year 1988 after the fall of Ferdinand Marcos.

According to Toledo "The harshest of these were the illegal arrests and detention, forced disappearances, tortures, extrajudicial killings... Millions of people were directly victimized while the entire nation was intimidated".  He was trying to explain that all the innocent citizens were victimized by the cruelty of law without a reason and everyone died to it.

At least all the citizens were all disciplined and they got intimidated from the authorities and the military force unlike the present, mostly frequently filipino citizens were all breaking the rules like they can fight back to the authorities and they have the freedom to say something bad about the government. However, the problem about the days in Martial Law, the military force were abusing their powers to control the innocent citizens like they want to kill anyone all they want.

 Benjamin Pimentel wrote an article called "To Young Filipinos who never knew Martial Law and Dictatorship". This article talks about of how young Filipinos considering Ferdinand Marcos as the hero of this country because the country was neat and peaceful unlike the present. However, the author didn't agree that he was a hero because there were too many Filipino citizens and student were being tortured or killed by the military force.

According to Pimentel "Someone blew up that bust many years ago-which is really shame. It was hideous, but still, it could have served as a reminder of what we went through". He was trying to tell us that he had the worst experiences when he was young during the time of martial law.

This is the reason the young citizens from the present must know about what really happened during martial law days. It's true that everyone was feared and Marcos was an outstanding president but he cannot considered to be as a hero if he killed so many innocent citizens and students. Everyone was saying that he wasn't his fault to kill them it's the military but he let them kill anyone, so he's still remains as a bad person.

As a student from the present, I don't really know what happened during those times but on my opinion, I'm no one's side because Marcos killed too many innocent people and the present is worse as same as the martial law because the law wasn't really obeyed by the citizens and there are so many crimes here in the present that everyone dies everyday because of the number of crimes. The worst part of all this is the corruption, Marcos corrupt so many cash but for a good reason unlike here in the present, they do it for their greediness