Author and professor Crispin Maslog urges journalists to ‘write more’ about Martial Law
Author and communications professor Crispin Maslog urged journalists on Saturday to keep writing about the atrocities of Martial Law, recalling the dark times of the Marcos regime.
Cripin Maslog, who obtained his bachelor of literature in journalism from the University of Santo Tomas in 1995 and his doctorate in 1960, said the media is not producing enough articles to remind the public of the real setting during the time of Martial Law.
“We (media men) are not doing enough to make people remember Martial Law. One very good way to do this is to find people who were around and suffered then,” Maslog said in an interview, adding that there are still plenty of Martial Law victims who need to be voiced out.
Maslog said the public has to know what Martial Law did to the Philippines, noting that the sins of the past should never be forgotten.
“[Kailangan] malaman ng mga tao na totoo pala yung mga sinasabing sins of Martial Law. Hindi ‘yun imagination lang. Hindi naman anti-Marcos yung mga nagcoconfess, sila ay torture victims,” Maslog said.
The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972 and it was not lifted until 1981. Under Martial Law, an estimated number of 70,000 people were jailed, 34,000 were tortured, and 3,240 were killed.
Maslog, who was a communication professor at Silliman University and UP Los Baños, also encouraged journalists to read and familiarize themselves with the historical context and background of Martial Law.
Chair of the Asian Media Information and Communication Center, Maslog was also a reporter at the Agence France-Presse, an interbational news agency based in Paris, France.
He has authored 32 books on media studies and communication, including textbooks on covering media convergence, civic and online journalism and social media.###
