VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte yesterday assured the public the department is not in the business of erasing historical facts and engaging in revisionism amid concerns of “rebranding” of modules and teaching materials being used in some public schools to teach about the dark days of Martial Law.
Duterte issued the statement after the Alliance of Concerned Teachers questioned the DepEd on whether the modules and teaching materials being used in some schools in Southern Tagalog region passed its standards and called on the department to “immediately pull out” the module from its online portals.
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 country under martial law.
New society or “Bagong Lipunan” was a phrase popularized by the late dictator to characterize the martial law era.
The group said the module, among others, cited the alleged economic progress, discipline, tourism boom and the likes 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.
Marcos Sr. held onto power until February 1986 when he was ousted by a popular uprising.
The module was printed under the previous DepEd leadership.
However, Duterte said 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 the 14-year era.
Duterte said both terms have been used in DepEd textbooks since 2000 but “within their proper context.”
“As Education Secretary, I have no mandate to destroy the integrity of our history. And the Department of Education which is busy with various programs to improve the quality of basic education in the Philippines have no time to engage in historical revisionism as claimed by some anti-Marcos groups,” Duterte said.
“DepEd is not in the business of erasing these facts and replacing them with something else,” she added.
Duterte also said the social media post of a learner in Marinduque regarding the use of a DepEd module with the word “New Society” lacks proper context and showed only one page of the material.
Duterte also said that as the granddaughter of one of those who led the Yellow Friday Movement in Davao city to protest abuses under the martial law period, she is the last one to revise historical facts.
Duterte is referring to Soledad Duterte, mother of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who led many protest actions in Davao city during that time.
Before he assumed the presidency, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said history textbooks should be revised as charges against his family were being dismissed by the courts.
