Last Updated on October 6, 2021 by OJ Maño
September 24, 2021 – This is the first time for Bulakenyoph to be attacked by rabid Pro-Marcos trolls and supporters after posting a photo of former Senator Soc Rodrigo in jail and the story of Commodore Ramon Abacan Alcaraz during Martial Law.
BulakenyoPH is an online magazine that features stories of food, places, businesses, and people from Bulacan. We have invested a reasonable amount of time in researching from credible online sources, including fact-checking, then create articles with proper citations and grammar before actually posting them on our page.
We had to write this article for our protection against these rabid Pro-Marcos trolls and supporters.
FB posts that irked Pro-Marcos trolls and Supporters
September 21, 1972, is the anniversary of the proclamation of Martial Law under Marcos’ regime. However, the official televised pronouncement happened two days after, on September 23. The late President Ferdinand Marcos claimed that it was the last defense against the rising disorder caused by increasingly violent student demonstrations, the alleged threats of communist insurgency by the new Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and the Muslim separatist movement of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Martial law was lifted on January 17, 1981, but Marcos continued to rule the country until 1986. He is the longest-serving president, having been in office for 20 years. Yearly, after the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, we commemorate the proclamation of Martial Law by remembering those who have fought and were victimized by the dictatorial regime like former Senator Soc Rodrigo and Commodore Ramon Abacan Alcaraz.
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” by British statesman Winston Churchill.
Commodore Ramon Abacan Alcaraz 
Former Senator Francisco Soc Rodrigo in Jail
On September 23, 2021, we posted a picture of former Senator Francisco Soc Rodrigo, beloved Senator, playwright, lawyer, broadcaster, and a great poet from Bulacan, in 1978 in jail during the Martial Law. This photo disproves former Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile’s claim that there were no arrests during Martial Law for criticizing the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Senator Rodrigo was arrested after participating in protest actions against the regime.
Read 7 Notable Philippine Senators From Bulacan — From 1900s to Today
The next day, September 24, 2021, we posted the story of Commodore Ramon Abacan Alcaraz, a gallant and decorated WWII hero from Plaridel. What is surprising is that he was also a victim of Martial Law. The story came from a book written by Ernesto O. Rodriguez, entitled “Commodore Alcaraz: The First Victim of Philippine President Marcos.”
The posts have reached a combined total of more than 500,000 as of posting this article.
Pro-Marcos trolls depict Marcos’ regime as the golden age of the Philippines. They claim that the country was peaceful and progressive during that time. However, the substantial economic numbers (GDP, Inflation, unemployment, etc.), local and international court decisions, and countless recorded human rights violations, including police and military atrocities, ultimately debunk their claim.
“Only in the Philippines could a leader like Ferdinand Marcos, who pillaged his country for over 20 years, be considered for a national burial. Insignificant amounts of the loot have been recovered, yet his wife and children were allowed to return and engage in politics…” quoted from Lee Kuan Yew’s book entitled, “From Third World to First.”
We have to see the whole picture. We cannot be blinded by positive toxicity. On the other hand, we cannot just dwell on purely the negative side. We have to stay aware of the reality and the truth of both sides.
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Where is your moral compass? Take every opinion with a grain of salt, and don’t be a blind follower. We abhor history denialism. Why are we so afraid of tackling Martial Law as a whole? Why are we still stuck at binary politics that this is all about Marcos vs. Aquino?
WTF moments with Pro-Marcos trolls and Supporters
We received nasty comments and messages in our inboxes from these ardent supporters of the Marcoses. What is more saddening is that these Pro-Marcos supporters are now branding former Senator Soc Rodrigo and Commodore Alcaraz as members of the New People’s Army (NPA). Their claim is unfounded and completely false.
However, instead of reading the whole article and intellectually discussing its merit, they often attack us with nonsense curses, slurs, and unfounded remarks like we are “Dilawan,” “Bayarang” Media, and even an anti-government. We know that only a few of these Pro-Marcos trolls read the article because of Facebook analytics. Only 250 read or at least access it out of more than 24,000 engagements.
Our google analytics also confirmed that fewer than 250 visitors read the two articles in the past few days. These statistics confirmed our theory that most supporters don’t care about the story’s merit or truth as long as the narrative is pro-Marcos or anti. Most will not bother doing research and rely on Youtube, Tiktok, and other social media influencers.
It was like an organized attack that fell on the same day when the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) nominated Bongbong Marcos to be its standard-bearer in the May 2022 presidential race. However, it was unclear if Bongbong accepted the nomination but graciously thanked the party for doing so. According to COMELEC, the official start of filing candidacy for the national elections will be October 1-8, 2021.
They would post propaganda materials in memes format like the Infrastructures during the late dictator’s regime and the Marcos versus Aquino legacy. An example is Facebook user Kelvin Dela Cruz Siubal. His Facebook profile shows that he is from Amulung, Cagayan, and a proud Marcos supporter. He and a couple of others flooded the comment section with similar memes.
Another follower named Jack Perez from Malabon even posted this below on Facebook saying, “Mag ingat kayong punahin o labanan and page na toh. Pakawala to ng mga anti-duterte. Nagagawa nitong maisara Facebook account nyo [Be careful not to criticize or fight the page. They are connected to the anti-Duterte group. They can even lock your Facebook account].“ His remark is ridiculous and a complete lie. We are not linked to any anti-Duterte group.
Mark Kenette from Santa Cruz, Laguna even messaged us saying “bayaran [we were paid]” and a middle finger emoji. Again, BulakenyoPH is an independent online magazine, and we maintain our website out of our own pockets from our day job as IT professionals. We are not connected with any group, whether pro or anti.
Another guy named Sandy Yeshua Sixto from Surigao City messaged us saying, “Done Reporting! False information!” and “Tae nyu mga hinayupak na Anti marcoses.” He did not read the whole article. Again, we are not connected with any group, whether pro or anti. We did our research from credible sources.
