- Feb 2022
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newsinfo.inquirer.net newsinfo.inquirer.net
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Some news outlets were allowed to operate, especially those that were owned by Marcos’ friends like Roberto Benedicto of the Kanlaon Broadcasting System and the Philippine Daily Express. According to the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC), 579 businesses were likewise “violently and illegally” taken over by the dictatorship.
The dictatorship of Marcos brought upon many atrocities to our country and its attack on press freedom is only one of many. It is said that only news outlets that were owned by Marcos's foalies were allowed to operate meaning that whatever news were delivered by them were already censored by his administration. This meant that people did not have access to uncensored and unbiased information nor did they had the means to because those that attempted to were violently and illegally taken over by the dictatorship. The many ramifications of this censorship in press freedom led to many believing that the Marcos era of dictatorship was a golden era for the country, ignorant to the atrocities committed by the dictatorship. In the present, the media blackout back then has also led to many attempts to rewrite history but thankfully, our brave countrymen who fought for their lives to fight the censorship have succeeded in preserving the truth.
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