The decision of the Department of Education (DepEd) to remove the word "Diktadurang Marcos" in the Araling Panlipunan (AP) curriculum is an attempt to revise history, and an insult to all martial law victims, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT-Teachers) Rep. France Castro said on Sunday.
"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," Castro underlined in a statement.
She added that the deletion is an "insult" and a "betrayal of the pursuit of justice and accountability" for victims who suffered during the martial law period in the administration of late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.
The ACT Teachers Rep. made the remarks after DepEd issued a memorandum dated Sept. 6 which directed the Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) to remove the "Diktaturang Marcos" or "Marcos dictatorship" found in Quarter 3 of 2023 MATATAG Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan Curriculum to simply "Diktadura" or "Dictator".
“The said directive to change the above-mentioned nomenclature was made even after the arduous process of review and revision was done under the guidance and scrutiny of experts, the review of stakeholders, and the public, and the launch of the Matatag curriculum,” the education department said.
According to Castro, the DepEd should be aware that its recent move is a violation of Section 27 of the Republic Act (RA) 10368 or Marcos Human Rights Victims Reparation and the Recognition Act of 2013.
She cited that Section 27 of RA 10368 states that the Human, Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC), the DepEd, and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) must coordinate and collaborate to ensure that teachings on martial law topics are included in the curriculum of elementary to college.
The ACT Teachers Rep. called on DepEd to reverse its decision and restore the aforementioned word.
She also appealed to her fellow lawmakers in the lower House to join in 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 stressed.
