One day before the country commemorates one of the darkest chapters in its history, the Senate is set to conduct an inquiry to determine the status of Martial Law education in basic and tertiary education.
Sen. Bam Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Education, will lead the probe jointly with the Committee on Youth on Tuesday (September 20) at 9 a.m..
The Senate set the inquiry after Sen. Aquino filed Senate Resolution No. 29 to look into how the Martial Law era is being taught in high school and colleges all over the country.
Expected to attend the hearing are Department of Education (DepEd) Sec. Leonor Briones, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairperson Maria Serena Diokno and Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairman Chito Gascon.
Sen. Bam saw the need to look into the matter, especially with the propagation of erroneous information on the Internet regarding the Martial Law, declared by former President Ferdinand Marcos on Sept. 21, 1972.
“Kailangan nating malaman kung paano tinuturo ng Martial Law sa ating kabataan at siguraduhin na ang katotohanan ang nananaig sa ating mga paaralan,” said Sen. Bam.
“Napansin natin na mukhang nagkaroon na ng pagbabago sa kasaysayan. Nakakalungkot ang pangyayaring ito dahil tila kinalimutan na ang mga nagsakripisyo ng buhay noong panahon ng diktarudya,” he added.
According to historical records, 3,257 were killed, while an estimated 35,000 were tortured, and 70,000 incarcerated during the Martial Law rule, which ran from 1972 to 1981.
Aside from the rampant human rights violation during that time, an estimated $10 billion in government money was stolen, according to Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) records.
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