When September ends

Brace yourself. The famous line of the band Green Day will be flooding our social media feeds. "Wake me up when September ends" is what they always say. Yes, I'd like to agree. It would be better to sleep the whole month and forget the important events that transpired this month many years ago. It is such a cliché as September is also my birth month. I was born on the 24th, and every time the month rolls in, I can't help but start a countdown. Recently, the energy has died down along with the realization that this world isn't going to get better.

Representative Imee Marcos said outright that the millennials have already forgiven their family for the many atrocities that they have done in the past. Colorful memes and entertaining videos putting a certain twist to history has been the content of social media recently, and many believe it. How could we forget? I wasn't born at that time yet but my teachers and relatives were alive during those days when freedom was curtailed.

There are real photos of people being tortured and kept in isolation away from their families all because they were against the government. What's worse is that press freedom never lived. Major television networks and radio stations were closed down. There was discipline, yes, but it was not in the proper forum. It made the Filipino suffer, more like being in chains.

Every September 21 we remember the day when Marcos announced on television the declaration of martial law. It then changed the landscape of Philippine history forever. Today the date is remembered with the celebration of Press Freedom Week by members of the media, specifically in Cebu. Is the celebration worth it? Sometimes I feel like there are moments when the press can be manipulated, especially when high officials are involved. Why hide the truth? We are supposed to be the fourth estate, the guardians of the state and not some megaphone to be used and abused.

Next week I will be attending a seminar on investigative journalism and corruption. It sounds enticing, but I do hope it will be useful. It seems like the offices today have more authority to say no to members of the media who want to dig out the news.

On an underlying note, we can always tell when someone is hiding the truth or worse, sugarcoating it to be something else.

September is here to stay and that's for sure. We may opt to remember and chose sides but we must remember our stand, what we fight for. Are we still the Filipino people who will protect the interest of the country by all means? Or are we apathetic to the reality of life? I wish we can all balance the sides to this story. It will be painful to remember the days of martial law. The choice now is to pick a story to believe in. Good luck to this month.