Oral Interview Reflection

Our group had the pleasure of interviewing an academic professional for this activity.
She worked as a public teacher in Margosatubig Central School in Margosatubig,
Zamboanga del Sur from 1965 to 1967 before being transferred to Kabatan Central
Elementary School and still in Margosatubig, Zamboanga del Sur from 1968 to 2007. She is
currently serving as a Catechist in Vincenzo Sagun, Zamboanga del Sur, for her church.
Concerning our interview, she requested the interviewers keep her personal identity hidden
for her privacy. But other than that, let us proceed to our primary objective which is to
conduct an interview with those who have lived through and witnessed events in Mindanao
under the administration of former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos, and our
interviewee actually happened to be living at that period of time. With that in mind, here are
the takeaways from our interviewee's discussion.

In response to our introductory question, she made clear that she is able to experience
and witness the system of governance of our former President Ferdinand Marcos given the
fact that she is already working as a teacher under the Department of Education in the year
1965. The preceding collection of questions places an emphasis on her experiences with the
administration, with a focus on education, the economy, as well as peace and security in
Mindanao.

In terms of education, our interviewee stated that during Mr. Marcos' administration,
the curriculum was enriched by preparing teachers for different teaching techniques such as
Inductive and Deductive teaching based in the United States and that the educational system
in their place was successful in that there was already peace in the community, and that,
teachers, pupils, as well as the parents were not afraid of going to school for after declaring
Martial Law, they felt safe and secured. Salary increases were observed in her profession.
Teachers' rankings and promotions are also noticed, indicating that they will be able to cope
with rising commodity prices such as rice and dairy products.
 Our guest also told our group that during the presidency of previous President
Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippines' economy, particularly in Mindanao, experienced and
enjoyed cheap prime commodities, a strong production for farmers even without fertilizers,
and big catches for fishermen. Meanwhile, major commodity prices have increased
significantly since the declaration of Martial Law. She also mentioned that the bright side of
this situation is that hardworking people have improved their quality of life, whilst those who
are simply ambitious are having difficulty surviving or gaining employment.

The last and most crucial component covered in this conversation is Mindanao's peace
and security. She mentioned that loads of kidnappings, stealings, strappings, and killings of
individuals sailing in pump boats had been directly measured in their area prior to the
imposition of Martial Law and that they don't sleep in their respective residences and thus
must evacuate to places near the mangrove just to ensure their safety. And as a result of these
events, the administration has declared martial law in Mindanao, something our interviewee
appears to believe is intended to bring peace to the region. As a result of all of this,
educators, students, and the general public were believed to be safe, and as a teacher at the
time, she noted that her students came to school every day.

With all of that said, we asked our interviewee to evaluate former President Ferdinand
Marcos' governance in their place, as well as the Philippines as a whole, on a scale of 1 to 10,
with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest and best. In their place, she rated his
administration a 7 out of 10 rating because the implementation has made them feel protected.
In the latter, she gave it a 5/10 because, in her professional judgment, his administration has
committed crimes to the people against the government.

Throughout the interview, it went by fairly and trouble-free. One of the key points
that we took away from the interview is the truths about what transpired during martial law.
Even though various occurrences at that time caused great suffering for some individuals,
some people still believe in the President's decision. Given this, the interviewers obtained
some knowledge and were able to comprehend our history, and recognize the essential things
to understand. President Marcos Sr. has changed the country dramatically, yet he also
committed crimes against the government. The interview was not only focused on one side,
but to both sides, and we all agreed that it went effectively and objectively.