Nowadays, the narrative of Martial Law seems to have been overly simplified in the memes prevalent in social media. For some, young and old alike, these have become their sources of information on the era. Some have pointed to this as a symptom of the country’s failure to properly pass on the lessons of those years. While the Department of Education promised to strengthen their commitment to properly educating students regarding what had happened then, there remains a lack of consistency between what was taught and what was kept away.

With this in mind, The GUIDON asked several youths of different backgrounds this question: “How was the Martial Law era taught to you back when you were in grade school and/or high school?”

“Our Philippine History teacher made us watch a video about Martial Law. I find that it lacked the substance needed [to] grasp the atrocity of the regime. Plunder and human rights were not discussed, but a lot of unimportant things were included (by unimportant, I mean things like Marcos’ affairs). It instilled a sense of the lavish lifestyle of the Marcoses, though I believe that there should be more than that.” – Jejomar Derecho, 19 (3 BS Applied Physics in the University of the Philippines, from Manila Science High School)

“I first learned about Martial Law not with hard, cold facts, but with first hand stories of people who experienced it, and it was not a happy story. Even the ending was not a happy one. A hero died before he even step foot in his country [and] the oligarchs were allowed to go free even after everything. At a young age, I was taught that dictatorship is not the same as discipline.” – Jessica Gayo, 18 (2 AB LIT (ENG) in Ateneo de Manila University, from Ateneo de Iloilo High School)

“My parents always discussed the Martial Law era as dark and dangerous. I was homeschooled and it was hard for my family to find good Filipino learning materials then. My limited knowledge of Philippine history was based on my parent’s education, the stories of the elders I interacted with, and the historical sites of my hometown. My parents knew personally people who were ‘salvaged’ or went into hiding for fear of their lives. My parents were both very young during Martial Law, but it’s horrors were very real for them and were communicated to me very clearly.” – Amber Hao, 18 (2 LIT (ENG) in Ateneo de Manila University, homeschooled)

“[Martial Law] was not taught as a grim event in the PH history. ‘He had his intentions’, the elders would say. ‘Nagkakagulo na kasi noon. And that was his option.’ Sobrang iba ang pagtingin ng mga Ilocano sa history ng mga Marcos. Kaya siguro ang bilis naming nag-move on. And this is further perpetuated by soft politics led by Manang Imee and extreme loyalists.” – Denise Nacnac, 20 (4 AB COM in Ateneo de Manila University, from Ilocos Norte National High School, Laoag City)

“I was never exposed about Martial Law in high school. It wasn’t at all part of the curriculum. I was only able to be informed about it while researching for my Government class in college.” – Isaac Tapar, 28 (English teacher in Manila Science High School)

Reports from the Beyond Loyola staff; Compiled by Maxine A. Buenaventura

ERRATUM (Updated 10:13 PM, October 20, 2016): Isaac Tapar is an English teacher from Manila Science High School, not New Era University. We apologize for this oversight. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article should have appeared in the September 2016 print issue of The GUIDON. Yet due to lay-out constraints, it was decided upon that the article be released online instead.

What do you think about this story? Send your comments and suggestions here: tgdn.co/2ZqqodZ