Let’s have an honest conversation. One that might make your parents squint, your titas raise an eyebrow, and your lolos whisper “baka komunista ‘yan.”
Here goes:
No, the Marcos era wasn’t heaven.
It wasn’t a “golden age.”
It wasn’t “the time when everything was cheap and peaceful.”
It was a dictatorship, wrapped in propaganda, built on fear, and funded by your future.
“But Everything Was So Cheap!”
Yes, because we had subsidies, artificial price controls, and massive loans. Marcos Sr. was basically handing out credit cards under your lolo’s name, maxing them out, and leaving the bill for you to pay in 2024.
Newsflash: cheap goods don’t mean good governance. It means someone was messing with the economy so hard we’re still feeling the aftershocks. Ask the World Bank. Ask your taxes. Ask why we had to invent the term “crony capitalism.”
“But There Was Discipline!”
Sure—because there were curfews, soldiers on the streets, and people disappearing for having opinions. Is that “discipline,” or was it state-sponsored fear?
If Martial Law brought discipline, then a prison cell brings peace and quiet too.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a good place to live.
People weren’t behaving because they were inspired. They behaved because they were terrified.
That’s not order. That’s oppression.
“But Marcos Built So Many Things!”
Yes, he did build infrastructure. And also:
- Built up $27 billion in national debt,
- Built torture chambers in military camps,
- Built a propaganda machine so powerful it’s still working today,
- And built up a kleptocracy that stole around $10 billion from public funds.
It’s like saying, “Well, he beat me up but at least he bought groceries.”
“But Life Was Simpler Then”
Life was “simpler” because there was no free press to tell you how screwed everything was.
Life was “simpler” because people didn’t talk about poverty, injustice, or the economy—unless they wanted to vanish in the night.
Your grandparents weren’t wrong on purpose.
They lived in a time when TV, radio, and newspapers were all controlled by Malacañang. They only saw what the regime wanted them to see.
And now, decades later, Facebook memes have replaced textbooks, and we’re still trapped in the same loop of “baka naman he was just misunderstood.”
Why This Matters Now
Because history isn’t just about the past—it’s about the future.
Every time someone says “Martial Law wasn’t so bad,” a high schooler somewhere starts to believe it.
Every time someone says “Bongbong deserves a chance,” we hand over the government like a family inheritance—no accountability, no receipts, no remorse.
We’re not here to disrespect your elders. We’re here to remind them—and ourselves—that loving the Philippines means refusing to lie to ourselves about its wounds.
So Let’s Be Real
- No, Marcos didn’t make life better. He made life manageable for a few and miserable for the rest.
- No, Martial Law wasn’t a “blessing.” It was a state of emergency that lasted 14 years and cost lives, dignity, and truth.
- No, this isn’t about left or right, Dilawan or Pulahan. It’s about not gaslighting ourselves into thinking dictatorship is the answer.
Final Thought:
It’s okay to love your parents and disagree with them.
It’s okay to respect your lolo and still say, “I think he got this one wrong.”
Because the truth isn’t disrespect.
Silence is.