#21

• One of the most controversial topics of Philippine history is the Martial Law period
• The terms "Marcos" and "Martial Law" remain to be very controversial topics
• For a student who is still grappling with understanding the entirety of the country's history, the immensity of narratives regarding the Martial Law period will surely result to a confusion
• These narratives about the said period, which are always conflicting, are reflected in social media discussions
• Comment sections rarely end in a peaceful note due to differences of perspectives and facts
• Historical distortion


  Deliberate act of changing the narratives or facts of history through the use of disinformation in order to create a new version of history
• A lot of people are changing the facts in order to suit their own interpretation of the history of the Martial Law period
• Truths have been distorted, lies have been propagated, and half-truths have been exaggerated
• These efforts to misinform the people are made to create a new version of Martial Law history that would cater to political interests
• The "historical distortion" of this topic is observable in different social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok
• The Marcos and the Martial Law period was one of the darkest chapters of Philippine history
• Most of these social media posts say that "Marcos was the greatest president of the Philippines" or that "the Martial Law period was the golden years of the country"
• Due to these attempts to distort history, people are bombarded with false notions about the period
• This results to confusion and ignorance of the historical truths
• People do not anymore recognize which are the truths and lies due to the various historically distorted content in social media
• False dichotomy


  A kind of logical fallacy or an incorrect reasoning where a person is forced to choose only between two choices despite the presence of more choices
• As seen in social media, there is "false dichotomy" when people think that if you don't like the Marcos and Martial Law period, you are immediately an Aquino supporter
• Being critical of the Marcos and Martial Law period does not make a person "pro-Aquino" or a "dilawan"
• Just because the Marcoses were bad, doesn't mean that the Aquinos were good. Just because the Aquinos were bad, does not also mean that the Marcoses were good
• Philippine history is largely missing in the educational curriculum of elementary and secondary levels of education
• A lot of history or social science teachers are not properly equipped to teach the lesson
• Instead of using Philippine history as a subject to cultivate critical thinking, the common approach to teaching the subject is only limited to memorization of facts
• There is a lack of references in schools and libraries regarding the Marcos and Martial Law period
• More and more students are relying only on Facebook posts and YouTube videos about the topic instead of doing proper research
• While some people experienced peace, prosperity, and order during the Martial Law period, it does not also mean that this experience was universal
• Some people suffered and even died during the said period
• Just because some individuals did not suffer during the Martial Law does not mean that no one did
• Ferdinand Marcos was born on September 11, 1917 in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte
• Marcos was found guilty and was sentenced life imprisonment for the murder of Julio Nandalusan
• While imprisoned, Marcos studied law and managed to top the bar exam
• Marcos claimed to play a vital role in defending the Bataan and to have organized the guerrilla group "Ang Mga Maharlika"
• Marcos claimed to have received various war medals such as the Silver Star, Order of the Purple Heart, and Distinguished Service Cross
• The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) found that "Mr. Marcos's military record is fraught with myths, factual inconsistencies, and lies"
• The NHCP found that "Mr. Marcos did not receive...the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Medal, and the Order of the Purple Heart" and that "Mr. Marcos's guerrilla unit, the Ang Mga Maharlika was never recognized during the war and neither was Mr. Marcos's leadership of it"
• Marcos won his first term in office after he defeated Macapagal in 1965
• Marcos' re-election bid in 1969 was marred with controversies such as vote-buying, political terrorism, and ballot snatching
• The growing strength of the CPP-NPA, the decay of social order, the brewing conflict in Muslim Mindanao, and the ambush on the convoy of Secretary of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile on the night of September 22, 1972 became the immediate justification for Marcos to declare Martial Law on September 23, 1972