OPINION| The Dangers of Negative Historical Revisionism and Historical Distortion

ANTHEAlogical Standpoint

The Dangers of Negative Historical Revisionism and Historical Distortion

Anthea Reformado

The 2022 elections have come and gone. Despite his opponent's popularity, Senator Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. is poised to become the next President of the Philippines after years of ousting the Marcoses. It is hard to believe it for those who grew up in a time of democracy, but the same country that struggled for its freedom from Martial Law has become a breeding ground for a political dynasty.

When the past is forgotten, the present and future become doomed to repeat. The real crime in history is not any particular act of war or folly — but the downfall of human civilization as we collectively forget what lessons were learned from those acts.

This is the story of what happened to one country under a bloody dictatorship.

History is the ultimate teacher and truth-teller. There is no better teacher, and there are no better examples than those created and happened in the past. The past, not just the present, defines us as a nation. What we think about the Founding Fathers of our country impacts how we shape the future.

It may not be new to you that social media platforms were used and taken advantage of with political intent and influencing voters in the 2022 elections. Aspiring candidates have stepped up to the plate, ready to assume the presidency after President Rodrigo Duterte's term ends. The battle for power is immense, with many contenders thrown out of the race. One of the viable aspirants in the run-up to the Presidential election was Senator Bongbong Marcos, the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Revisiting The Horrors of Martial Law

Ferdinand Marcos was democratically-appointed in 1965 and 1969. He then lengthened his regime by demanding Martial Law through Proclamation No. 1081 in 1972, which became infamous because of extortion and human rights violation. It followed a period of violent political unrest and economic problems in the country.

Over the next 14 years, he presided over a harshly repressive regime where thousands of people were arrested without charges and held for long periods without trial. Many were tortured or raped to extract confessions. Many others were murdered with impunity. According to Alfred Mccoy, an American Historian, approximately 3,257 people were killed, about 35,000 were tortured, and 70,000 were arrested during the Martial Law.

The devil is in the details: the arrest without charges, searches without warrants, the stripping of those arrested for clothing and personal belongings, the tortures— both physical and psychological—the cold-blooded murders disguised as suicides and accidents. The deprivation of civil liberties is carefully documented in historical accounts. Human rights organizations extensively record the political use of the military, police, and judiciary. The extensive looting of public resources had been exposed and officially acknowledged by government agencies. Why is it so hard for people to accept such claims when there is clear, verifiable evidence and scientific data pointing out otherwise?

Marcos apologists have distorted the truth and created alternative facts to propagandize the Marcos administration. They will market the merits of the regime by proclaiming that no documents exist that prove Marcos's corruption, omitting the fact that it took almost three decades for these records to surface.

It is somehow amusing that people think that the abomination during the Martial Law era was nothing more than defamation against the Marcoses. Mass media was one of the channels silenced by Marcos to control information. Newspapers had to get pre-clearance before they could publish anything and the same goes with broadcast media.

The Golden Age.. of Graft and Exploitation

The Marcos Period being the golden age of the Philippines is such a blatant lie that people still believe despite the evidence present. As if national coffers were a personal bank account, Marcos and his family plundered the national treasury, resulting in a $5 to $10 billion debt that would serve as the basis for the country's bankrupt economy.

The distortions of history are the most harmful. When we deny that thousands were killed during martial law or that Marcoses stole billions from the national coffers, that's historical distortion.

If you want to change your life and bring justice to people victimized by these politicians, will you stand up for them? When problems arise, and nobody seems willing or able to solve them, who do you look to for answers? If those in power don't listen, what do we do next?

Never Forget?

We live in a new dawn, but why did people forget the dark age that engulfed our ancestors? How could you ever again allow a regime that dragged the nation into such chaos? The 2022 Philippine presidential election is a crucial juncture in the country's fate.

If a populist leader wins, it could lead to further political weakening and social unrest. However, if true leaders emerge who can rein in misinformation, this 2022 election could catalyze a rebirth of Philippine democracy.

The "never again" message of martial law victims was not enough to rein in the Marcoses – the family that ruled for over a decade with an iron fist, human rights violations, and impunity. The country had a chance to stand up to the Marcoses, but it failed.

#NeverAgain

This is the world we live in. This is the threat we face, and our voices will only get louder. We will continue to fight back against those who threaten our freedoms and want to tear apart our communities and families. We will use the strength of unity and love to protect and preserve what we stand for.

I want you to remember that strongmen cannot take our values and morals from us. These things can never be taken away by those who use gaslighting tactics to change our reality.

We must remember that #NeverAgain is more than a hashtag. It is a reminder that Filipino lives matter. That better choice can be made. And it's the belief that together we can help continue to build the world we crave and deserve. In this world, surrounded by their bigotry, we will continue our work for justice.