In 2022, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Policy Center identified textbooks containing inaccurate, incomplete, and decontextualized information about Philippine history. An entire chapter was devoted to errors about the Martial Law era:

  • What led Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to declare Martial Law? Seven textbooks reviewed cited rising protests tied to oil price increases as a primary cause. Six also pointed to the 1971 bombing at Plaza Miranda during a Liberal Party rally. Four included the ambush of then-Justice Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile near his Mandaluyong residence as a justification.
  • What transpired during the nine years of Martial Law? Three textbooks listed positive programs but lacked substantial explanations or analysis. One even copied and translated a Wikipedia article on Martial Law’s effects without crediting the source.
  • Did Marcos Sr. amass ill-gotten wealth? Only one textbook acknowledged corruption allegations against the Marcoses, framing it as mere usap-usapan (hearsay). Five others focused on Marcos’s allies while avoiding mention of his family.
  • Why did millions gather at Edsa to end the Marcos regime? While textbooks noted the roles of key People Power figures like Jaime Cardinal Sin and Fidel V. Ramos, they failed to delve into the deeper issues behind the four-day uprising, such as the economic decline and the controversies surrounding the 1986 snap elections.

These inaccuracies hinder the teaching of Philippine history: a December 2023 survey by WR Numero found that 57% of Filipinos aged 18 and older viewed Martial Law positively.

To address this, historians stress the importance of teaching Martial Law using proper historical methodology. But this is easier said than done.

Recognizing that teachers’ personal experiences influence their perspectives on Martial Law, Assoc. Prof. Eloisa de Castro of the UST Department of History said educators must critically assess their sources.

“Historical methodology is anchored on… source criticism. You must learn how to criticize your sources. There are two ways of looking at that: internal and external criticism,” Assoc. Prof. Eloisa de Castro, a faculty member at the UST Department of History, said.

Internal criticism, she explained, examines an author’s qualifications and motives for writing a document, while external criticism looks at conditions outside the document’s content.

“Every researcher, every writer, every author has biases,” De Castro, a regular member of the board of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, said. “So if you are conscious of your biases, you are able to minimize your biases in order to be able to have a more balanced perspective.”

“‘Yon ‘yong sinasabi ko, that you are able to look at the positive and the negative side, and then you would have a clear judgment, you would be able to weigh the evidence much, much better, and you would be able to have a fair, balanced assessment of any period in history or any event in history especially something as controversial as Martial Law.”

Jose Victor Torres, a history professor at De La Salle University, said publishers often include pro-government content to secure approval easily.

“Publishers will always make money,” he told the Varsitarian. “Publishers will always try to make money and, of course, in trying to make money, their publications, their textbooks should always satisfy government inspection.”

For instance, the textbook “Lahing Kayumanggi” discussed Martial Law in generic terms: “During Marcos’s tenure, many problems and troubles happened in the country. Marcos used this as a pretext to declare martial law. Because of this, many human rights were trampled upon.”

A Grade 6 textbook, “Pilipinas: Bansang Papaunlad,” omitted discussions about Philippine history after 1946 — the year the Philippines gained independence from the United States.

In 2022, a learning module referred to Martial Law as the “period of New Society,” prompting then-DepEd Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte to deny any historical “rebranding.” 

 “The DepEd…has no time for historical revisionism that some anti-Marcos groups insist,” she said in a statement.

Textbooks, curriculum

Textbook inaccuracies persist because the industry prioritizes profit over quality, De Castro lamented.

“Writing a textbook in the Philippines is meant for business,” she said. “So, the people who write the textbooks in the Philippines are not the specialists.”

Torres reminded educators that textbooks should not be treated as “bibles.”

“Trabaho rin naman ng guro ang magdagdag ng information tungkol sa textbook,” he said. “A textbook is just a guide. Hindi napapako lahat ng facts diyan.”

Historian Michael Charleston “Xiao” Chua emphasized that the problem lies not with the curriculum but with its unchecked implementation.

“The curriculum, for example, was vetted and checked by experts, was created by specialists that are really good at their job, except that the implementation is not checked.”

Chua added that a lack of coordination among agencies responsible for curriculum development contributes to the issue.

“The problem is the education system in the Philippines is not in one lockstep,” he said. “Even if you talk to the Department of Education, you’re talking to different divisions that are probably not talking to each other. Ngayon nagbabago na ‘yan, there are some systems that are changing, but (that has been the case) for the longest time.”

Educators like Kenneth Nolasco, an Araling Panlipunan teacher in Cavite, noted the pandemic-driven shift from textbooks to modules. However, he lamented that the curriculum limits in-depth teaching.

Sa ngayon kasi, kung ano ‘yong nakalagay sa aming curriculum, sa most essential competencies na ginagamit, ‘yon lang talaga,” he said. “Kahit sabihin natin [na] gusto ko siyang ituro pa nang mas maigi pero, ‘yon nga, naka-rely lang kami sa curriculum.”

Bernadine Ann Mendoza, an Araling Panlipunan (AP) teacher at the UST Junior High School, observed that some textbooks devoted only three paragraphs to Martial Law, all of which praised the late dictator. Despite this, she said many of her students were aware of the human rights violations committed during that time.

The 2023 MATATAG Curriculum, introduced by Duterte, further reduced time for Philippine history. Topics like civic responsibility and cultural identity are covered in Grade 1, while Southeast Asian history is introduced in Grade 7.

Before this curriculum, Martial Law was discussed only in Grades 5 and 6, with high school Araling Panlipunan focusing on Southeast Asia, world history, economics, and contemporary issues.

UST Senior High School teacher Tyrone Nepomuceno noted that students’ views on Martial Law are shaped by their families.

“There are students who view Martial Law with strong empathy and concern for those whose lives were sacrificed during that period,” he told the Varsitarian.

“But it is also worth noting that there are also those students who offer an alternative view of Martial Law, heavily influenced by their elders in the family who happen to have experienced, in their own words, a feeling of safety and financial gains during that period.”

Bernard Maravilla, a senior editor for AP books at Vibal Publishing House, told the Varsitarian that textbooks are developed collaboratively, enlisting historians to ensure accuracy.

The FEU Policy Center used three of Vibal’s titles in its study. One of its textbooks, “Araling Panlipunan: Pag-usbong ng Nasyonalismong Pilipino” (2016), stood alone in mentioning the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth, but “it does so tentatively.” Another, “Kultura, Kasaysayan, at Kabuhayan” (2016), detailed in two sentences the establishment of the Presidential Commission on Good Governance but failed to tackle in the chapter on Martial Law about the family’s plundered wealth.

“’Pag ginagawa kasi ‘yong libro, it’s a collaboration of many people,” Maravilla said. “Ang mga textbook, meron tayong consultant… Very important na tama ‘yong mga nakalagay doon sa book.”

However, the Second Congressional Commission on Education highlighted challenges like tight deadlines and manpower shortages in textbook development. The DepEd often gave publishers only six months — far shorter than the standard 18 months — to produce textbooks.

Retooling

De Castro suggested that history textbooks should involve not only historians but also psychologists.

“It should be written by the professionals and by the specialists…in collaboration with child psychologists who would be able to determine the appropriateness and how to effectively communicate or make the ideas age-appropriate.”

Vibal applies this principle by simplifying historians’ lengthy manuscripts for younger readers, Maravilla noted.

Hindi naman kailangang sobrang lalim, pero, at least, ‘yong essence ng topic, kailangan madaling ma-digest,” he said. “Otherwise, hindi masyado interesado [mga estudyante] kasi hindi sila maka-connect.”

Chua emphasized the significant influence of textbooks on students’ interest in history:

Ang interest ko sa history ay triggered ng mga textbooks na ‘yan. So if the textbooks are bad, parang boring, hindi maganda ang presentation, hindi kaaya-ayang basahin, talo na tayo. Malaking influence ang textbooks.”

Marie Beatriz Gulinao of Ateneo de Manila University’s History Department advised against blindly relying on textbooks.

“At most times, I would say it’s not really indicative of ano ba ‘yong nangyayari sa classroom,” Gulinao, who presented in September a paper at the Philippine Historical Association tackling depictions of Martial Law in textbooks, told the Varsitarian. “Isang reference lang siya. Puwedeng hindi naman talaga siya ginagamit ng teacher.”

Nepomuceno underscored the role of textbook authors and teachers in shaping students’ knowledge.

“Textbook authors, in the first place, should be an example of responsible research, proper presentation of data, and love of facts and the truth to the younger generations, their main readers,” he said. “Educators must serve as the models of their students in doing responsible research, of forming views and opinion guided by facts and ultimately, the truth.”

For De Castro, instilling critical thinking is paramount.

“If you develop critical thinking, if you develop their knowledge in historical methodology, ‘yon na ‘yon. You don’t need a textbook. When you teach them historical methodology and critical thinking, you can build a nation.” Fritz Nathan A. Diaz and Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel. With reports from Ralent M. Penilla 

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