With the national elections nearing, the power of fake news persists. More materials surface across social media from Marcos fanatics and trolls, manipulating our past into thinking the time of the Marcoses were the golden years of the Philippines and that somehow the son would continue to carry on the late dictator's legacy.
The only resilient weapon against these distortions is the truth, and luckily, we can access them. These free-to-watch films and documentaries can help us understand how grave the atrocities of the Marcos family were to thousands of Filipinos and the country as a whole, while debunking long-running myths.
Batas Militar: A documentary on Martial Law in the Philippines,
With interviews with various economists, journalists, and key figures of the Marcos years, including Imelda Marcos herself, this documentary presents the biographies of the late dictator and his wife and dissects the numerous atrocities the Marcos administration has committed. From countless human rights violations to causing a severe decline of the Philippine's economy. You can watch the documentary here.
The King Maker
Documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield's "The Kingmaker" shows the origin story of Imelda and late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr's relationship, her influence on him during the regime, Martial Law, the People Power Revolution, their exile in the United States, and their return to the Philippines. The documentary likewise includes disturbing stories of Martial Law victims during the darkest era the country has ever faced. The documentary is now available to watch in five separate Tagalog-dubbed versions, captioned in five different languages (Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilocano, Bicol, and Hiligaynon), you can watch the film here.
Imelda,
Director:Ramona S. Diaz
This documents the early life of Imelda Marcos up to her marriage to Ferdinand Marcos and her rule as first lady during the Marcos dictatorship. This can serve as both a companion to Lauren Greenfield's famous documentary, The Kingmaker by expounding on aspects of Imelda's exorbitant life of ill-gotten luxury that were not fully explored in the former, along with more testaments explaining the abuses of Martial Law such as first-hand accounts from journalist Pete Lacaba. You can watch the film here
Coup d'etat: The Philippines Revolt
Director: Geoff Satchell
The film documents the four days of the 1986 EDSA People Power movement, and its eventual success in ousting the Marcoses from the seats of power, containing TV footage of the late dictator's television broadcasts (with an explicit mention of "sicking the tanks artillery on the protesters and critics"), and footage of the People Power movement, with prayer groups and protesters appeasing for the humanity of the military. This documentary emphasizes that the people's democratic voice was returned not through one person alone, but through the people's collective movement. You can access this documentary here.
