Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM

Rizal
 

Subject                       :         History
Course                       :         BSBA-FM 1

Activity 1
Directions: Provide a primary source in Philippine history and answer the following
questions on source criticism.

PRIMARY SOURCE:
“FM Declares Martial Law” - the headline of the Philippine Sunday Express
Newspaper on September 24, 1972.

SOURCE CRITICISM:
1. When was the source, written or unwritten, produced?
The written source was produced or published on September 24, 1972.

2. Where was it produced?

It was produced/issued at the Sunday edition of Philippine Daily Express which
was the only newspaper allowed to circulate upon the declaration of Martial Law.

3. By whom was it produced?

It was produced by Roberto Benedicto, the owner/author of the Philippine Daily
Express newspaper.

4. From what pre-existing material was it produced?

The pre-existing material that was used to produce the source was the
Newsprint, a low-cost, non-archival paper that is most commonly used to print
newspapers and other publications and advertising material. It was invented in 1844 by
Charles Fenerty of Nova Scotia, Canada.

5. In what original form was it produced?

It was produced in the original form of documents that President Marcos released
to issue his orders and instructions to fully implement his martial rule.

6. What is the evidential value of its contents?

President Marcos controlled the people’s access and the kind of information they
got. The Philippine Daily Express was known for circulating news articles related to the
President Ferdinand Marcos during the time of his regime. As a result, the newspaper's
content had the evidential value as a source of information for the public.