September is the month to remember the full impact of the Marcos dictatorship in our homeland. Here are some reminders from our archives:

Marcos’ Legacy and the Philippine Military

Martial Law Stories: My Thriller in Manila

The island of Negros in the 1970s and 1980s fell on hard times when the US ended its market quota for Philippine sugar in 1974. Just two years after the declaration of martial law, President Ferdinand Marcos handed the reins of the industry to his cronies. What started out as an attempt to avert a crisis created the biggest crisis of all: the downfall of the once-formidable sugar industry which in turn led to families losing their farms and sugar farmers losing their livelihood. By the time the Marcos administration was forced to exile in 1986, social unrest and famine were widespread. Ian Rosales Casocot, whose family lost everything during the market crash, wrote about their descent to destitution (Read: "Raping Sugarland").

In February 1945, a daring rescue by US troops of prisoners of war (POW) at the UST campus happened. It wasn't exactly a clean operation -- while the POWs were freed, several of the rescuers were killed. Worse, the Japanese military retaliated with a massacre of civilians in Los Banos, Laguna. Cecilia Gaerlan, head of the Bataan Legacy Historical Society tells us the story.

A Filipino/Indian/Canadian newscaster has been a constant presence in broadcast news in Vancouver, British Columbia for years. Jason Pires' recent career move confirms his upward trajectory in an industry and a market that reward hard work and talent.

In the US, the list of remarkable Filipino Americans in various fields continues to grow. Chapter 51 of our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco's, compilation is here.

Likewise, our series on Bridge Generation stalwarts by writer/historian Peter Jamero continues with a profile of Seattle-based civil rights activist Lois Fleming.

[Video of the Week] The Story of the Filipino: Dely Po Go