Inclusion of martial law story in history books sought

MANILA, Philippines - Thousands of netizens have signed an online petition asking the Department of Education (DepEd) to include the full story of the martial law era in Philippine history books. 

Initiated by the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA), the Change.org petition has gathered almost 10,000 signatures as of yesterday afternoon. 

“Filipino millennials aren’t aware of the various human and civil rights violations accounted for during the Marcos martial law era,” read the online petition. 

“To them, they were the golden years of our country’s history as their knowledge of those times is limited to Marcos’ successes, unaware of the terrible price at which they came,” it added. 

CARMMA said this is because history books and syllabus have never been changed to include the other side of the Marcos martial law era.

The group this week released a video showing how millennials positively perceive the martial law era, and then letting them hear about the horrors of the human rights violations from the victims themselves. 

Earlier, the DepEd committed to deepen the discussion on the martial law period amid criticisms that the younger generation is no longer aware of the atrocities committed during the dictatorship.

DepEd said curriculum guides for Grades 5 and 6 Araling Panlipunan in the new K-12 program have been designed to allow for more in-depth and enriched discussion on Philippine history, including the martial law period.

“DepEd remains committed to highlighting the importance of learning the lessons of history and preserving the gains of democracy,” the agency said in a statement. 

“We shall continue to enable our learners to remember and understand the country’s history and the impact of martial law to the lives of Filipinos today,” it added.

DepEd said it remains faithful to its commitment to promote critical thinking among Filipino learners.

“We encourage them to examine and rediscover the importance of this historical marker in bringing Filipinos together to build a nation everyone deserves,” it added.