The presence of factual errors and outright misinformation in textbooks at school has provided fertile ground for the revisionist history of Marcos and his family. Marcos clan as well as its comrades.

In 2018, I was speaking before a large group of teachers from all over the nation about the difficulties in Social Studies education. One of the issues I highlighted during the discussion was the growing trend of negative revisionism in the past, mainly due to attempts to portray the former ruler Ferdinand E. Marcos, his family and those. The latter lived during the Martial Law period in a positive perspective.

In the open forum, one teacher at a school in Northern Luzon asked how something could be classified as historical revisionism or even an attempt to distort the past. She claimed that no one can honestly tell the truth of history and that it’s always been an issue of interpretation and perspective. The notion that the Marcoses were involved in the perversion of historical revisionism was an attempt to propagate the “other side” who believed their interpretation of the past to be accepted as the canon. She was incredibly enthusiastic about her opinions and was in tears during her speech.

This story might seem a bit odd for those who are educated about the history of the country and Martial Law. In my experiences as a teacher and educator trainer over the last 15 years, this was a normal reaction to discussions about Marcoses and Martial Law. Marcoses as well as Martial Law. Of all the subjects in Philippine history, they have proved to be the most controversial for teachers and have produced the most heated discussions. There are many reasons behind this, including regional loyalty and differing Martial Law experiences and access to information, for instance. Whatever the reason, it’s safe to say that it’s a matter to be concerned when the teachers, as those who oversee the education of the next generation of Filipinos, are unsure of the facts and the legacy of one of the bleakest periods of Philippine history.

Questions in Martial Law Education in the Philippines

While the Marcoses have slowly retreated to the apex of political power, the commentaries have been written about how they managed to leverage the potential of social media to restore their image to an era of Post-People Power generation. There have been various comments about how the Marcoses successfully joined forces with famous political clans to help strengthen their national leadership bid, culminating in the election of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. in the presidential election elections this month.

A topic that deserves deeper discussion, one of the most important aspects is the role of education was a significant factor in the growth of the Marcoses in the past three decades. A few articles have raised concerns regarding Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies) textbooks containing mistakes and inaccurate information concerning Marcos Sr. and Martial Law. In these books, the former strongman is typically depicted as a positive figure, a kind dictator who needed to resort to force to treat society’s ailments.

As content editor in the field of Philippine History textbooks, I experienced firsthand the extent to which mistakes, in fact, carelessness or even outright misinformation, has haven ignored ad made the manuscripts or even in print sometimes. As I’ve discussed elsewhere in the past, I complained to a publishing house following the authors of the Philippine History textbook copied an inaccurate write-up of a widely critiqued article from The Official Gazette in 2016, where it was stated the fact that Marcos has “stepped out” as President in the year 1986 instead of being removed in People Power Revolution. People Power Revolution. The government’s communications department eventually modified the segment following an outcry from the public.

Controlling the content of history textbooks in the Philippines could be difficult for historians, academics, and officials from the Department of Education since textbook production in the Philippines is now more liberal after the removal of Marcos. Although there is no doubt that the Department of Education still has control over which topics have to be addressed and on which learning outcomes are to be measured, however, they have no control over the text. What we read within our books is the result of many different factors, including the author’s personal beliefs and experiences, the editorial staff’s assessments and recommendations, and the business aspect of publishing textbooks.

It is crucial to talk about the accuracy of textbooks since, in the Philippines, most Araling Panlipunan (AP) teachers aren’t history majors and thus heavily rely on books. This is a significant challenge for the industry, as in the past, before Philippine reforms in education, which were implemented in 2013, the majority of AP subjects at the high school were based on the history of the country: 3 out of four issues, with the only one exception, was economics. It is expected that teachers and schools invest in the development of faculty to tackle this problem. However, the reality is that there is no incentive for most AP teachers to invest in the specialization of content when they have already invested in becoming certified teachers. Because of this, it is of paramount importance that high-quality textbooks are used in the classroom.

A more pressing issue is how Martial Law is discussed and studied in textbooks and in the classroom. An investigation conducted by the Far Eastern University Public Policy Center in January 2022 revealed that the discussion of Martial Law in selected AP textbooks was not very extensive regardless of the importance of the subject. The same was confirmed within the school. Because Philippine history is generally taught chronologically and therefore, issues such as Martial Law and the People Power Revolution tend to be discussed towards the end of the syllabus. Because of the number of subjects required to be covered by AP teachers during a single school year and the regular cancellations of classes caused by natural disasters like typhoons, Martial Law is often not covered in-depth, and in depth it is due. I’ve personally witnessed that it was not mentioned at all in some cases.

Additionally, there is the question of presentation, emphasis, and understanding of Martial Law. For instance, how did corruption in that Martial Law era discussed? In many cases, the focus was on Marcos’s friends’ corrupt practices but less on the Marcos family itself. This could have been quickly helped by presenting Supreme Court rulings recognizing the clan’s illicit wealth magnitude. Without a thorough discussion of the direct involvement of Marcos in the corruption of their family and graft, we are the possibility to perpetuate the Marcos myth that says they were not corrupt yet were at the mercy of unscrupulous individuals who profited from their position.

Another frequent topic discussed in discussions of Marcos and Martial Law included the massive infrastructure projects of the President. In both classes and textbooks, there is often an emphasis on aspects of Marcos rule by using living icons such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Lung Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Heart Center, and the San Juanico Bridge, among numerous other projects, but without having a proper analysis of the circumstances surrounding the projects. For instance, one should be able to discuss the cost of infrastructure projects, including the growing global debts, lack of transparency and corruption, not to mention the reality that Marcos was in office for over 20 years. It is also essential to discuss what Filipinos benefited the most from these initiatives, such as the ordinary Filipinos or their acolytes and the other Filipino elites? Without this scrutiny, it is possible to reinforce another Marcos myth: that this was a “Golden Age” despite the undisputed reality that the Philippine economy was in ruin in the early 1980s.

A second concern with Martial Law education is how it is analyzed, processed and praised. The most common method of teaching AP subjects is to require students to consider two perspectives of the topic by focusing on the “positive” characteristics and consequences and the “negative.” When applied to Martial Law, infrastructure development generally is recorded as positive human rights violations are negative. Students are typically challenged to weigh each positive or negative aspect of Martial Law and make their own decisions and assessments. Although this approach might be beneficial, one hopes that teachers analyze the event to help students evaluate this time in our nation’s history based on the values we share as a nation and the generally accepted norms. When done this way, students and teachers can answer with clarity the significance that was left behind by Martial Law.

However, “judging” is not something that educators would prefer to undertake, which I consider, to be one of the most challenging issues facing Martial Law education in the Philippines. As an educator, I’ve observed that many teachers hesitate or are unwilling to assess this time in the history of the Philippines, some because of personal bias, some because of fear or insecurity and others based on the false assumption of impartiality. It is a shame that the legacy left by Martial Law then is reduced to the realm of individual opinions, which is very dangerous in the time of post-factionalism. This belief will only benefit those who have authority in society, like Imelda Marcos, who made this bold claim in the documentary “The Kingmaker”: “Perception is reality, but the truth isn’t.”

Education in the age of Marcos Jr.

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As educators and academics confront the myriad of problems that plague Martial Law education today, they face a more significant problem with the election of Bongbong Marcos in the recent polls. Students, and concerned residents, are asking institutions and individuals to safeguard documents, books, and other documents related to Martial Law and Marcos’s crimes in the fear that they will be lost or unavailable after Marcos Jr. becomes President.

The concerns are valid at the very least. Bongbong Marcos and family members, such as Imee Marcos and their mother Imelda, have always maintained their family’s innocence despite the overwhelming evidence in support. Bongbong himself had once requested revisions to textbooks and claimed that the books were full of “lies” regarding Marcos’s family history. Marcos family. However, the Marcoses have yet to formalize their version of the past despite this. It’s a different story now, however. While before, they had to make it happen through other sources of information such as TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. They now can make the deviant model of Martial Law and Marcos family historical facts that they have been preaching for a long time.

The Ferdinand family began the institutionalization under President Rodrigo Duterte, knowing full of the time the fact that the President was an all-time ally. The year 2016 was a good instance. The Official Gazette was heavily scrutinized for a post that was revised to mark the 99th birthday anniversary of Ferdinand Sr. The same year, Marcos Sr. was laid to rest at Libingan ng Mga Bayani – the national hero’s cemetery in Manila. Imagine what they can do with a solid power base when they’re in control. It’s also alarming that the presumed President announced plans to name his running mate and vice-president, presumptive Sara Duterte as education secretary just a few days after the election. Her selection was both alarming and disappointing, which is disappointing considering that education was never her main focus and alarming due to her close ties to the Marcoses.

An Appeal to Arms

Although winning the war against Marcos was a massive blow to teachers, it also served as an opportunity to raise the bar. More than ever, educators from all over the country need to reevaluate how Martial Law is taught and evaluated in their schools and even in public debate. Indeed, academics and the education sector generally grew complacent after the removal of Marcos in 1986 due to a variety of reasons. This was the case for me too. Although I would like to believe that the majority of us had taught Martial Law the best we could, I think that most of us did not know the magnitude of false information circulating in and outside of classrooms and its impact on the Filipino people.

Thus, the most urgent job for educators, academics and researchers are to increase efforts to counter the Marcoses historical distortion. All educators must combat misinformation everywhere, especially on social media, where Marcoses and their apologists have a head start. Marcoses and their apologists enjoy an advantage. To quote Winston Churchill, “We shall combat the Marcoses on TikTok. We will combat them in the textbooks. We will battle them with memorials and historical markers. We will never give up!”

As a result of the previous issue, academics and scholars must also be able to create an entire army of translators with the ability to translate quality content from academic journals and books for general consumption. Translators could be elementary educators who are well educated in pedagogy, influencers with a larger audience than academics, members from the faith-based community who are shocked by the disrespect for beliefs they hold dear and youth with the same values.

The academic community also needs to be vigilant about what the Marcos administration deals with in the commemoration and memory of Martial Law and related topics. Minor changes to the writing of official memorials, presidential addresses, historical markers, etc., must be scrutinized and, if necessary, resisted. This is vitally important as the Marcoses can institutionalize historical versions which fit their narrative.

The recent events ought to inspire historians, scholars and academics to participate in writing textbooks for primary education or perhaps collaborate with teachers of basic education to ensure accurate historical accuracy and solid pedagogy. It is essential to write more books that efficiently use primary sources and provide relevant information supporting claims that counter Marcos’s myths. It is also crucial to include stories that come from outside Luzon in which many Filipinos were victims of Martial Law.

Finally, scholars, academics, and educators need to impress Filipino citizens that this issue is essential to every Filipino and isn’t simply a struggle against one particular person or family, as Marcos and his apologists would like to assert. The battle against historical distortion is a declaration of our nation’s values and is enshrined in our Constitution. It’s a battle against attempts to erase what we stand for as human beings.