From exploring global historical revisionism to debunking “Golden Era” myths, co-founder and former director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Sheila Coronel, talked about history, particularly the Martial Law era and its controversial legacy at the first Professorial Chairholder’s Talk, “May Saysay ba ang Kasaysayan,” at the PUP-COC Theater (Tanghalang PUP) on August 19.
Guest Speaker Sheila Coronel, a veteran investigative journalist, is the dean of Academic Affairs at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, and Tony Stabile Professor of Professional Practice in Investigative Journalism. Coronel started her journalism career during Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship.
She shared her experiences as a staffer of an underground newspaper, a type of news service that served as a mini-Reuters or Associated Press. During the Martial Law era, they conducted secret operations to publish newspapers, risking their safety and protection.
When her story becomes history
In her discussion, Coronel mentioned significant milestones she achieved along with her comrades in the mosquito press and the longstanding influence of propaganda on the history of society brought on the powerful now and then.
“Ayon kay Trouillot, kung sino ang may kapangyarihan, siya rin ang nagtatakda ng historical facts, ng pag-archive ng mga ito, at ng mga naratibong hinabi base sa archive. Sa ngayon, ang narrative power ay nasa kamay ng pamilyang Marcos.”
According to her, the people who hold the power to create the narrative arc of history are the Marcoses, which leads to their story being told like the narrative of Christ: Rise, Fall, and Resurrection.
She gave examples of these phenomena that favor the family in written history, such as the history book entitled “Tadhana,” which tackles martial law as the golden era of the Philippine revolution against colonial and neo-colonial governance, featuring Ferdinand Marcos Sr. as the heir of this revolutionary desire, and other books that are said to be part of the Marcos personality cult.
“Akala ng marami, bagong phenomenon ang fake news at disinformation. Sa totoo lang, nung 1960s pa, eksperto na si Marcos sa pagkalat ng mga alamat at kasinungalingan.”
Furthermore, Coronel shared how this propagandist power is more evident today with all the “new and trendy” tactics used to woo the people and be deceived in the powerful’s revised fantasy history.
“Bihirang mag-report ng orihinal na balita ang mga pro-Marcos social media influencers [ngayon]. Sa halip, minimina nila ang Internet. Napakaraming materyal doon na madali nilang i-repurpose. Co-creation ang tawag dito, imbes na top-down at one-way communication gaya noong araw. Hindi ito galing sa iilang malalaking broadcaster o diyaryo kundi mula sa napakaraming micro-influencers,” she explained.
Coronel said that many of the activists, teachers, scholars, and reporters realized that another generation today is brought up without knowledge of dictatorship because of the decreasing amount of information about it that is written in textbooks, quoting historian Filomeno Aguilar Jr., where people should dig deeper into the roots of dictatorship.
She continued to discuss stories and examples, showing how much of history has not been told and is already facing threats of being permanently forgotten and tampered with by the people in power.
Coronel then reiterated to the audience the iconic line of Ella Cruz in defense of accusations of historical revisionism against the Marcoses: “Hindi natin alam kung ano ang tunay na kasaysayan.”
“Totoo naman: Walang objective na kasaysayan. Pero hindi ibig sabihin nito na wala talagang historical facts. Ninakawan ni Marcos ang bansa. ‘Yan ay totoo. Ang bersyon [lamang] nila ng kasaysayan ang nananaig dahil sila ang may kapangyarihan—ang may control of the means of historical and narrative production.”
In the end of her lecture, she encouraged the audience, “Larangan ng pakikibaka ang kasaysayan. Binubuo natin ang ating kinabukasan mula sa pagka-unawa natin sa nakaraan. ‘Yan ang saysay ng kasaysayan.”
What journalism means to history
An open forum after the discussion offered the students to ask their questions to Coronel regarding the challenges of investigative reporting, journalistic integrity, and the future of journalism.
Coronel addressed the important role journalists play in preventing another Martial Law from happening in the Philippines, highlighting that journalism is the first draft of history.
“Noong panahon na nangyayari itong mga makasaysayang mga events, nandoon ang mga journalist para i-record [ang history]... Kung wala noon na nag-record, hindi manalaman ang negation ng mga bata.”
She added that it is important that journalists write for the future. They should write as chroniclers, not just for the present. Write not just for today, but also for what is to come.
Coronel also pointed out that journalism should focus on holding the powerful and institutions accountable for what they do because it is important to go beyond just informing readers about what was done.
“They have to justify to the people the correctness of their actions. Kailangan nag-research tayo, halukayin natin ang historical record. Kailangan, hindi lang yung mga nasa poder ang kinakausap natin. Kausapin din natin yung mga ordinaryong taong bayan, mga biktima ng mga polisiya ng gobyerno.”
She emphasized the importance of teaching digital and media literacy to the public so they can easily identify if an article is false, especially with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“Nakakatakot ang AI kasi mass produced ang misinformation. Kailangan din turuan ang mga mamamayan sa responsableng paggamit ng social media…[digital literacy, media literacy]. Dapat bata pa lang, alam na nila ang difference ng fake news, sa truth of information, alam dapat nila kung paano ang pag-diskusyon sa social media for civil discourse and discussion.”
When asked about the worth of pursuing journalism in a field that is continuously challenged, she firmly asserts that it is crucial to recognize the powerful impact of writing.
“May power tayo. We don’t realize our power, but we have the power to influence the world. We have the power to shape history. The power to record history. And that power is what makes all of us agents of change.”
The lecture and open forum were followed by a ceremonial Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing that appreciated Coronel’s legendary contribution to the field of journalism and recognized her as an honorary chairholder of the college.
Department of Journalism (DOJ) Chairperson Renalyn Valdez expressed her gratitude to Coronel, who inspires young journalists to continue with free and responsible writing and give importance to history for the greater good of us Filipinos during her closing remarks.
This first onsite professorial chairholder’s talk, organized by PUP DOJ and PUP Journalism Guild, marked a significant event in the academic calendar, providing students and faculty with valuable knowledge of journalism's role in shaping history and holding power accountable.
Article: Joanna Martinez & Rica Labbao
Graphics: Lourence Angelo Marcellana
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