Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte belied the claims that the Department of Education (DepEd) is allegedly “rebranding” martial law as a "new society" or “bagong lipunan” on textbooks.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Oct. 25, Duterte said DepEd has “no time for historical revisionism” that anti-Marcos groups were claiming as it is currently occupied with producing quality education in the country.
“Bilang Education Secretary, wala po sa aking mandato ang pagsira sa integridad ng ating kasaysayan,” she underscored.
Duterte explained that “new society” or “bagong lipunan” were historical facts as this refers to a program initiated by late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. during his 14-year regime.
The said terms have been used in textbooks within a proper context since 2000, she claimed.
“Hindi totoo ang rebranding,” Duterte said, echoing the earlier statement of DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa.
The statement was released after many criticized the viral photo of a DepEd textbook in the Southern Tagalog region wherein it described martial law as a “period of the new society”.
She said the viral social media posts of the module have focused merely on one line.
“Hindi ipinakita ang buong pahina ng module. Ibig sabihin, kulang ito sa konteksto at maari itong baluktutin ayon sa narating ng mga bumabatikos sa DepEd at nagkakalat ng kasinungalingan tungkol sa rebranding at historical revisionism. Ang buong pahina ay malinaw na tumatalakay sa mahabang panahon ng batas militar o Martial Law at EDSA Revolution,” Duterte added.
The Education Secretary urged the public to be cautious to prevent “malicious” action that may ignite fellow Filipinos’ feelings against martial law.
