FILE PHOTO: ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education’s (DepEd) decision to remove former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.‘s surname from the term “Diktadurang Marcos” in Grade 6 textbooks is “an insult to countless victims of human rights abuses” during the martial law period.
House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said this Sunday as she criticized the memorandum of DepEd’s Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) on September 6, which changes “Diktadurang Marcos” (Marcos Dictatorship) to just “Diktadura” (Dictatorship) in Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan or Social Studies curriculum.
“The decision to remove ‘Marcos’ from the term ‘Diktadurang Marcos’ is a clear revision of history and an insult to the countless victims of human rights abuses and atrocities committed during the martial law period,” she said in a statement.
READ: Marcos’ martial law: Golden age for corruption, abuses
“The move to eliminate the name ‘Marcos’ from the term ‘Diktadurang Marcos’ is a blatant attempt to whitewash the crimes and atrocities committed under his regime. This is a clear violation of Republic Act 10368 or Marcos Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, and the DepEd should know this,” she added.
Castro stressed that Section 27 of RA 10368 mandates the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission to coordinate and collaborate with the DepED and Commission on Higher Education to ensure that the teaching of Martial Law atrocities, including the lives of the victims are part of the basic, secondary and tertiary education curricula.
READ: Teachers’ group decries DepEd memo on ‘dictatorship’
She likewise emphasized that the younger generation should not be denied of their right to fully understand the historical context and impact of martial law in the country.
She branded DepEd’s decision as “a disservice to students’ education and their pursuit of historical truth.”
“Just because the current President is the son of the dictator Marcos doesn’t mean that we should erase his family’s name from the proper term,” Castro said.
READ: Marcos: Rise and fall of a dictator
The lawmaker called on the DepEd to reverse its decision and “restore the accurate historical representation of the martial law period in textbooks.” She urged her fellow legislators to support her call.
“We cannot allow the erasure of history and the distortion of truth. It is our responsibility to uphold the memory of those who suffered and to ensure that the lessons of the past are learned so that we can prevent the repetition of such grave injustices,” Castro said.
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