Sara denies historical revisionism, rebranding of martial law by DepEd
Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte denied alleged historical revisionism and rebranding of martial law by the Department of Education (DepEd).
Duterte said the rebranding was denied by Education spokesman Michael Poa after a student from Marinduque posted on social media a portion of the DepEd module showing the word ''New Society''.
"A social media post by a learner from Marinduque about the use of a DepEd module with the word of "New Society '' only focuses on one line. The whole page of the module was not shown, it means the context is not enough and it can be manipulated based on the narratives of those who criticized the DepEd and those who spread lies about rebranding and historical revisionism," she said.
"The whole page clearly discussed the period of martial law and the EDSA revolution," she added.
Duterte explained that the "terms New Society or Bagong Lipunan and Martial Law are both historical facts," which have been used in DepEd textbooks within their proper context since 2000.
"It is a historical fact that New Society refers to the program launched by Former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. during his administration. And it is another historical fact that Martial Law refers to the 14-year rule of the former President," she said.
"DepEd is not in the business of erasing these facts and replacing them with something else," she added.
Duterte also emphasized that the Department of Education does not have time for historical revisionism.
"As Education Secretary, it is not my mandate to destroy the integrity of our history," she said.
"And the Department of Education - which is presently busy in the programs that aim to lift the quality of basic education in the Philippines - does not have time for historical revisionism that is being insisted on by some anti-Marcos groups," she added.
As she warned the public against malicious activities, Duterte said that like millions of Filipinos she is aware of the importance of Martial Law and the EDSA revolution in the history of the country.
"As a child, I couldn't count anymore how many yellow pages in the telephone directory I had cut to make confettis for Yellow Friday Movement demonstrations led by Soledad Duterte, my late grandmother, in Davao City," she said.
"It looks like we have contributed more to the protest actions against Martial Law than those few noisy anti-Marcos now," she added.
Duterte issued her statement after some leftist groups criticized the DepEd for alleged distortion of facts about Marcos' martial law to whitewash crimes committed against the Filipino people. Robina Asido/DMS
