ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list Rep. France Castro yesterday slammed the Department of Education’s removal of the late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s name from the term “Diktadurang Marcos (Marcos dictatorship)” in Grade 6 textbooks, saying it “is a clear revision of history and an insult to the countless victims of human rights abuses and atrocities committed during the martial law period.”
Castro said a September 6 DepED memorandum changes “Diktadurang Marcos” (Marcos Dictatorship) to just “Diktadura” (Dictatorship) in Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan curriculum (Social Studies) of the new Matatag curriculum.
Castro said the DepEd is attempting “to erase the culpability of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in one of the darkest times in Philippine history and to deodorize the Marcos name.
The DepEd has yet to issue a statement on the issue.
“The decision to remove ‘Marcos’ from the term ‘Diktadurang Marcos’ is a clear revision of history and an insult to the countless victims of human rights abuses and atrocities committed during the martial law period,” she said in a statement.
The DepEd is headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, also the concurrent Education Secretary.
“The move to eliminate the name ‘Marcos’ from the term ‘Diktadurang Marcos’ is a blatant attempt to whitewash the crimes and atrocities committed under his regime. It is an insult to the memory of those who suffered during martial law and a betrayal of the pursuit of justice and accountability for the victims. This is a clear violation of Republic Act No. 10368 or Marcos Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 and the DepEd should know this,” Castro said.
The militant lawmaker said that under Section 27 of RA 10368, the Human, Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) is tasked to coordinate and collaborate with the DepED and the Commission on Higher Education to ensure the teaching of martial law atrocities, the lives and sacrifices of HRVVs in history are included in the basic, secondary and tertiary education curricula.
“But with the DepEd memo, it was removed from the curriculum guide for Araling Panlipunan in Grade 6. The DepEd is a member ng Board of Trustees ng HRVVMC,” said Castro.
Castro said schools have the duty “to teach the truth to the younger generation.” By removing ‘Marcos’ from the term, she said “we are denying students the opportunity to fully understand the historical context and the impact of martial law on our nation.
“This decision is a disservice to their education and a disservice to the pursuit of historical truth. Just because the current president is the son of the Dictator Marcos doesn’t mean that we should erase his family’s name from the proper term for name for the dictatorship,” she said.
Castro called on the DepEd to reverse the decision “and restore the accurate historical representation of the martial law period in textbooks.
“We cannot allow the erasure of history and the distortion of truth. It is our responsibility to uphold the memory of those who suffered and to ensure that the lessons of the past are learned so that we can prevent the repetition of such grave injustices,” Rep. Castro concluded.
UP IN ARMS
In a statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers decried what it said is an “alarming move” by the DepEd, adding it would help spread disinformation and historical distortion.
“The alteration of historical terminology is not only distortion but also undermines the truth about one of the darkest periods in Philippine history. To reduce his oppressive rule to a mere ‘Diktadura’ is a disservice to the countless victims of his dictatorship and an affront to the pursuit of historical accuracy and truth,” the group’s national president, Vladimir Quetua, said.
“By attempting to sanitize and whitewash the term ‘Diktadurang Marcos,’ it is failing in its duty to promote critical thinking and historical consciousness among Filipino youth,” Quetua added.
The Marcoses have refused to apologize or even acknowledge the abuses and atrocities committed during their patriarch’s 21 years in power that ended when he was ousted in the 1986 EDSA People Power uprising.
The original Araling Panlipunan curriculum mentions the term “Diktadurang Marcos” twice in “Mga Pagkilos Laban sa Diktadurang Marcos” and “Hamon sa Demokrasya/Diktadurang Marcos.”
The change in nomenclature was made, the department said, “after the arduous process of review and revision was done under the guidance and scrutiny of experts, the review of stakeholders, and the public and the launch of the MATATAG curriculum.”
The DepEd earlier said the MATATAG curriculum will reinforce the basic foundations of literacy and numeracy among Filipino learners to ensure they develop 21st-century skills.
The MATATAG curriculum is being pilot-tested in 30 schools this school year and will be officially implemented next year.
Last Saturday, the Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) slammed the move, saying it is meant to distort history by downplaying the image of the late dictator, and worse, the DepEd is complicit in the move.
“The revision by DepEd is a clear strategy of the current administration to rehabilitate the dark history of the Marcos family. It is also a blatant example of disinformation, where the people are deliberately misled by manipulating historical facts,” CONTEND said.
The group called on their fellow educators to reject the “atrocious move” by the DepEd and to seek transparency in important matters such as curriculum revisions.
“We also demand accountability from Vice President Sara Duterte who, on top of her relentless red-tagging spree, has been an instrument of the Marcoses in state-sponsored historical distortions,” CONTEND added.
The DepEd chief had earlier traded barbs with members of ACT, accusing them of being in cahoots with the communist New People’s Army.
Last year, Duterte assured the public the department is not in the business of erasing historical facts and engaging in revisionism amid concerns about the “re-branding” of modules and teaching materials in some public schools to teach about the dark days of Martial Law.
The group cited the teaching module for senior high schools in Marinduque titled “Geographic, Linguistic and Ethnic Dimensions of Philippine Literary History from Pre-Colonial to the Contemporary” wherein it stated that the “new society” started on Sept. 21, 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos Sr. placed the entire country under martial law.
New society or “Bagong Lipunan” was a phrase popularized by the late dictator to characterize the martial law period.
The group said the module, among others, cited the alleged economic progress, discipline, tourism boom and other things that happened during the period.
The module also stated the Philippines “became a new nation” during the Third Republic, from 1981 to 1985, following the lifting of military rule in January 1981.
Duterte said then the terms “New Society, Bagong Lipunan and Martial Law” are both historical facts, with the former referring to the program launched by Marcos Sr. during his administration while martial law refers to his 14-year rule.
Duterte said both terms have been used in DepEd textbooks since 2000 but “within their proper context.” — With Ashzel Hachero
