DepEd can’t erase Martial Law facts
By Creselda Canda-Lopez
“The DepEd is not in the business of erasing these facts and replacing them with something else,” Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio refuted rebranding claims of Martial Law historical records in schools, saying Department of Education (DepEd) “is not in the business of erasing these facts.”
In a statement, the VP stressed she knows importance of Martial Law and EDSA Revolution in the country’s history, recalling that she used to cut yellow pages in the phone directory to make confetti for the Yellow Friday Movement demonstrations led by her late grandmother, Soledad Duterte, in Davao City.
She said that the terms New Society or Bagong Lipunan and Martial Law are both historical facts, and have been used in DepEd textbooks since 2000 “within their proper context.”
“Bilang Education Secretary, wala po sa aking mandato ang pagsira sa integridad ng ating kasaysayan,” she stressed.
“Ang Department of Education na kasalukuyang abala sa mga programang naglalayong maiangat ang kalidad ng basic education sa Pilipinas ay walang panahon para sa historical revisionism na pilit na iginigiit ng ilang mga anti-Marcos groups,” she added.
The VP further called on public to be vigilant against malicious acts aimed at raising disputes about Martial Law using DepEd.
The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte made the statement after group of teachers criticized DepEd module for allegedly trying to rebrand Martial Law years as “period of the new society.”
In a statement on, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said “one-sidedly” framing Martial Law period as “new society” is “blatant failure of our education authority to ensure truthful, factual and complete historical narration of Marcos era, and instead enables its propaganda.”
She said it is the duty of DepEd and also of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to teach truth, no matter the topic.
“Lies are not education; they are propaganda…lies are already undoing our society,” Hontiveros said.
According to global human rights watchdog Amnesty International, 70,000 people were incarcerated, 34,000 tortured and 3,240 murdered during reign of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who declared Martial Law in September 1972 and is the father of incumbent President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
ISKUP! 