Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte has delegated the task of addressing questions regarding the proposal to change the term “Diktadurang Marcos” to “Diktadura” in the Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan curriculum to the experts in the Department of Education’s Curriculum and Teaching strand.
“They can argue with the education experts inside the Curriculum and Teaching stand of the Department of Education because it was the education experts who decided the direction in teaching,” Duterte told GMA Regional TV One Mindanao using a combination of English and Bisaya.
On Monday, Joyce Andaya, the Director of the DepEd Bureau of Curriculum and Teaching, confirmed the existence of a letter from multiple specialists within the agency’s Bureau of Curriculum Development. This letter outlined the directive to exclude Marcos’ name from the term “Diktadurang Marcos.”
However, Andaya emphasized that this recommendation is subject to scrutiny during the initial implementation of the revised K-10 curriculum this year. She mentioned that DepEd has not yet reached a consensus regarding the content included in the final curriculum document, which will be available on its official website.
Numerous teachers’ groups have expressed their opposition to the decision to alter the term “Diktadurang Marcos.” Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Representative and House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro voiced concerns, describing it as an effort to eliminate accountability and sanitize the reputation of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
DepEd to decide on ‘Diktadurang Marcos’ issue – VP Sara
Andaya countered assertions that there was any intention of historical revisionism or distorting the truth regarding the martial law era. Furthermore, she clarified that there was no political pressure from the present administration to advocate for excluding the name “Marcos” from the term “Diktadurang Marcos” in the new basic education curriculum, which was introduced in August.
On September 23, 1972, at 7:17 pm, President Ferdinand Marcos made a televised announcement, declaring the imposition of martial law across the entire Philippines.
This declaration marked the commencement of a 14-year era characterized by one-man rule, which persisted until Marcos was forced into exile from the country on February 25, 1986.
Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines for many reasons, but the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing on August 21, 1971, is widely highlighted. In Plaza Miranda, anonymous individuals tossed two fragmentation grenades onto the stage during the opposition’s “miting de avance” (last campaign rally), particularly the Liberal Party.
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