Martial law books go on sale, 'Liway' director gives free copy of film
A number of local publishing houses are now offering discounts and bundles on books about Martial Law, while others released a lineup of available titles relating to the dark period in Philippine history.
Adarna House said that from May 11 to 22, readers may avail of its five Martial Law titles for its children's books at 20% off, namely:
- Ito ang Diktadura by Equipo Plantel,
- EDSA by Russell Molina,
- Isang Harding Papel by Augie Rivera,
- Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar, also by Rivera, and
- The Magic Arrow by Bolet Banal.
The books may also be purchased altogether as part of Adarna's #NeverAgain Book Bundle, sold at P463 from P545.
Adarna said that due to the high volume of orders, there will be an expected delay of one to two weeks in delivery.
It will begin shipping bundles starting May 30 for those who preordered on May 12, from 8:00AM to 12:00NN, and starting June 14 for those who preordered from noon onwards.
Preorders made on May 11, meanwhile, will be shipped starting May 23. Visit this link for preorders.
Ateneo University Press also shared a catalog of its books about Martial Law and the Marcoses, which it described as "several extensively-researched and credible literature" to aid readers in "learning about one of the darkest periods in Philippine history."
It has 16 titles, including the popular The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos by Primitivo Mijares, the late dictator's former media adviser who disappeared a year after the book's first publication in 1976.
In The Conjugal Dictatorship, Mijares exposed the "massive corruption and military abuses" during the martial law period, and the "schemes that built and held its infrastructure."
"Read, understand, and never forget," Ateneo University Press said on its website.
The books are available for purchase on its website and on e-commerce platforms Shopee and Lazada.
Online bookstore Pumplepie Books & Happiness also shared its Filipino children's book collection about Martial Law on Instagram, saying it has been receiving "a lot of inquiries" for fear that the books "will be banned."
"Most of the publishers have lived and fought through martial law, we assure you that these stories are here to stay," Pumplepie said. "In fact, more will be published in the coming months, years."
Its books, which are shipped worldwide every Wednesday, are available on its website.
The Martial Law film Liway has also been made available to the general public.
"Pinned in the comments is the HD copy of Liway on a Google Drive," said Liway's Facebook page, which is managed by writer and director Kip Oebanda.
"This is yours now. Feel free to create copies, torrents, splice it, stream it, use it for your own purposes." The Google Drive can be accessed here.
Based on Oebanda's childhood, Liway tells the the story of an anti-Marcos mother, Cecilia Flores-Oebanda or Commander Liway who is imprisoned as a political detainee. She's trying to keep the hope alive for her young son, Dakip.
It stars Glaiza de Castro as Liway, Dominic Roco as Dakip’s father Commander Toto, and Kenken Nuyad as Dakip.
The Ateneo De Iloilo Santa Maria Catholic School, for its part, wrote a Facebook post that lists links of free films about Martial Law. The lineup includes the award-winning documentary The Kingmaker by Lauren Greenfield. According to its synopsis, The Kingmaker is "a journey through the Marcos family's long history of corruption, extravagance and brutality."
Other titles in the post include:
- Imelda by Ramona Diaz
- Batas Militar by Jeannette Ifurung
- Eskapo by Chito Roño
- Dekada ‘70 by Roño
- Signos by Mike De Leon
- Marcos: A Malignant Spirit by Rolly Reyes
- Bakit Dilaw ang Gitna ng Bahaghari? by Kidlat Tahimik
- Coup d’etat: The Philippines Revolt by Geoff Satchell
- Betamax ‘83 by Marcial Bonifacio
Though Roño's Dekada '70, based on Lualhati Bautista's critically acclaimed novel of the same name, is set to private at the moment.
Under the Marcos Sr. regime, data from the Amnesty International showed that there were over 3,200 extrajudicial killings, 35,000 tortures, 70 “disappearances” or desaparecidos, and 70,000 imprisoned.
Based on the Commission on Elections's transparency server, which shows 98.35% of election returns as of 1:17PM, his son and namesake Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has secured at least 31.1 million votes in the partial and unofficial count.
Marcos Jr.'s lead is over half of his closest rival Leni Robredo's 14.8 million. It's also higher than the nine other presidential candidates' combined votes, at 21.8 million.
(This story has been updated to include the post of Ateneo De Iloilo Santa Maria Catholic School.)