(1st Update) The KCC Chronicle, the official student publication of Kabankalan Catholic College (KCC), and The Channel, the official publication of Fellowship Baptist College (FBC), commemorated the 53rd anniversary of Martial Law on Sunday, September 21.
These two campus papers stood out as the only publications in Kabankalan City to release statements marking the occasion.
The student publications issued their statements on the same day thousands of Filipinos held nationwide rallies demanding the resignation of officials linked to a multi-million peso flood control corruption scandal.
The protests coincided with the anniversary of the 1972 Martial Law declaration by then-strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr., father of the country’s current president.
KCC Chronicle recalled how authorities shut down mainstream media during Martial Law and placed campus publications under tight control. Student papers were forced to self-censor, suspend operations, or close entirely. Some resisted by joining the underground press, with the College Editors Guild of the Philippines serving as a hub for campus journalists who sustained dissent through the “mosquito press.”
“Today, The KCC Chronicle stands with all student publications in remembering the courage and resilience of campus journalists who, during the dark years of Martial Law, defied censorship and repression to uphold truth and freedom of expression,” part of the statement read.*
Meanwhile, FBC’s student organ said, “As we commemorate the anniversary of Martial Law under the dictatorship of Marcos Sr., the voice of the Filipino people once again resounds—a cry against corruption and the absence of justice.”
“It is disheartening to think that despite the billions of pesos allocated for flood-control projects, we continue to drown—not only in floods, but also in the filth of corruption in our land. Projects that should serve as bridges of safety for our people have instead become graves dug by rampant corruption, where funds are pocketed, infrastructures vanish into thin air, collapse easily, and ultimately serve as channels of theft,” The Channel added in a statement.*
(Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a statement from FBC’s student organization, which was not included in the original publication.)
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.