Jycelle M.

Cornites DM 201

Interview:

In the interview, Anna (not her real name) stated that there were a lot of events
that happened during that period when Marcos was the president. According to her, his
administration was somehow good, as she remembered that the San Juanico bridge was
built during those times. However, many people did not like his way of ruling because of
the martial law, as injustices happened during those times. People were not allowed to
roam outside at night time or else they would be caught and sent to jail. She also said
that crime rates were low due to the harsh punishment given to the law offenders. In the
economic aspect, she estimated that the minimum wage was around 30-100 pesos per
day during those years. She also said that the lowest price she encountered per kilo of
rice was 35 centavos, however, it became 7 to 10 pesos in the latter years. She also
recalled that soft drinks cost around 25 centavos while canned sardines cost around 75
centavos.

Reflection:

The interviewee was raised in a rural area, which is why I think that her
perspective on the Marcos regime was different from those who witnessed the injustices
firsthand. With everything that she said, I think I can agree that during those times, the
administration was somehow good. Just like what she said, there were prominent
building projects that were done during those times which I think was a great
contribution to the development of our country. Regarding the justice system, I can say
that martial law was very strict in implementing the rules for the people. According to
her, there were injustices back then which I agree with because with that kind of power,
imbalance and injustices can happen. She also said that crime rates were low during
those times because of the punishment that was implemented. While I agree that harsh
punishments such as the death penalty can lower crime rates, I think that the justice
system should also be fair and just to eradicate the possibility of mistreatment. On the
other hand, I can compare the economic state that they have back then to what we have
right now. According to her, the lowest price per kilo of rice was 35 centavos, and if a
person earns around 30 pesos per day, it would be 1% of their income which was low.
However, there was inflation which made the price around 7-10 pesos, which would now
be 20% of their income if a person earns 30 per day. Therefore, just like in present times,
there was inflation as well back then.