Netizens tag Official Gazette post on late President Marcos as 'historical revisionism'

MANILA, Philippines — Netizens reacted negatively to a Facebook post by the Official Gazette on Sunday regarding former President Ferdinand Marcos' birthday.

What angered them was a part of the original caption which they tagged as historical revisionism. It read: "In 1972, he declared martial law to suppress a communist insurgency and secessionism in Mindanao. In 1986, Marcos stepped down from the presidency to avoid bloodshed during the uprising that came to be known as 'People Power.'" Edited, and then removed.

The Official Gazette has deleted the image and reposted it with a shortened caption. The shorter caption did not mention anything about martial law nor the People Power and only mentioned that Marcos was "the longest-serving President of the country for almost 21 years."

The post got more negative comments for the removal of any mention of martial law, which prompted the Official Gazette to delete the picture and repost it with a different caption late Sunday, Sept. 11.

The latest caption mentioned the declaration of martial law and that Marcos "went to exile to the United States in 1986 at the height of the People Power Revolution," ending that he was succeeded by Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

The Official Gazette, meanwhile, released a statement also late Sunday stating that they "are not in the business of revising history. We only convey what is documented in the official records."

They also added that the Official Gazette "is devoid of any political color and affiliations."