Historical Negationism in School Textbooks in the Philippines with Regard to the Marcos-Era Martial Law

THE FUTURE OF THE PAST: HISTORICAL NEGATIONISM IN SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS IN THE PHILIPPINES WITH REGARD TO THE MARCOS-ERA MARTIAL LAW

CZYRAH ISABELLA M. CORDOBA 2015 – 46286

An Undergraduate Thesis Submitted to the Department of Social Sciences College of Arts and Sciences University of the Philippines Manila In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

May 2019 University of the Philippines Manila College of Arts and Sciences Department of Social Sciences

APPROVAL SHEET

This undergraduate thesis entitled “The Future of the Past: Historical Negationism in School Textbooks in the Philippines with Regard to the Marcos-era Martial Law,” prepared and submitted by Czyrah Isabella M. Cordoba is hereby accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. ______Dr. Josefina G. Tayag, DPA Adviser

This undergraduate thesis is hereby accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the course requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. ______Prof. Jerome A. Ong Chairperson Department of Social Sciences

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To God, whom I have always had a different perception of, whom I have always mocked but still believed in nonetheless, whom I share a strange connection with, thank you for not smiting me and for always looking after me.

To my family, thank you for always wanting what’s best for me.

To my friends, especially to Trisha Kyle G. Aguilar, Jayna Ricka R. Bulaon, and Amiel

Laya Perpetua, thank you for the constant support and for tolerating all my quirks.

To Bollywood, Friends and How I Met Your Mother, the Song triplets, and Super Junior, thank you for keeping me sane all throughout college.

To my professors, thank you for all the knowledge and wisdom you have imparted.

To the willing participants of this study, thank you for your time and participation, and for the valuable information you have shared, without which none of this would have worked out.

To my thesis adviser, Prof. Josefina G. Tayag, thank you for the patience and the trust you have given me and my study, and thank you for the snacks you have always brought in class.

To UP, thank you for the challenges and hardships that shaped me to be who I am today.

To the Filipino masses, thank you for the inspiration; this one’s for all of us.

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ABSTRACT

Revolving on the central question of “How do textbooks used public and private schools exhibit and enforce the phenomenon of historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law?”, this research topic aims to assess how the textbooks used in schools in the Philippines enforce, or at least exhibit, the phenomenon of historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law. The research primarily focuses on 1) contextualizing the topic of how the Marcos-era martial law is taught in schools in the country and providing a brief background about the Philippine education system, 2) defining the terms “historical negationism” and “historical revisionism,” 3) putting forward the differences between the textbooks used in public and private schools, in the aspect of who approves said textbooks and how they are approved and chosen for school-use, 4) examining a few textbooks to see as to how they deal or discuss the topic of the Marcos-era martial law, and as to how they reflect negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law with their effects and implications, and 5) giving recommendations on how school textbooks can be improved to reflect a truer picture of Philippine history, specifically of martial law under the Marcos regime. As an end result, this research not only aims to find out if historical negationism is enforced, or how it is enforced, through school textbooks, it also aims to look for the effects of the said concept on the users of textbooks. The researcher puts forward that school textbooks exhibit historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law by containing inadequate or distorted information about the topic, and enforce historical negationism by exposing its users – students and educators alike – to the said inadequate or distorted information. Keywords: historical negationism, historical revisionism, Marcos-era martial law

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents Page

TITLE PAGE ...... i APPROVAL SHEET ...... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii ABSTRACT ...... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... v LIST OF TABLES ...... vii LIST OF FIGURES ...... viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Research Question and Tentative Answer ...... 2 Objectives ...... 2 Significance of the Study ...... 3 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...... 5 Historical Revisionism and Negationism ...... 5 Revisions in Textbooks ...... 8 Portrayal of Marcos-era Martial Law in Philippine History School Textbooks ...... 9 Approval of school textbooks by the Department of Education ...... 13 Gaps and Contribution ...... 15 Synthesis ...... 16 CHAPTER III: SITUATIONER AND CONTEXT ...... 18 CHAPTER IV: ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK ...... 22 Theoretical Framework ...... 22 Conceptual Framework ...... 29 Contributing Factors ...... 29 Effect ...... 30 Outcome ...... 31 CHAPTER V: METHODOLOGY ...... 32 CHAPTER VI: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ...... 41 Knowledge on Historical Negationism ...... 42 Key-Informant Interview: Department of Education ...... 44

Main agencies responsible for the assessment of textbooks ...... 45 Process of textbook assessment ...... 46 The topic of the Marcos-era martial law ...... 49 Effect(s) of current political atmosphere on curriculum-development ...... 51 In-depth Interviews: History Teachers ...... 52 Importance of textbooks ...... 52 Knowledge or reaction to the Marcos-era martial law ...... 59 Discussion of the Marcos-era martial law in textbooks and in actual teaching ...... 61 Learners’ reactions ...... 63 Teachers’ reactions ...... 64 In-depth Interviews: Textbook Authors ...... 65 Textbook Assessment ...... 69 Synthesis ...... 75 CHAPTER VII: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 76 Conclusions ...... 77 Recommendations ...... 89 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 90 APPENDICES ...... 93

LIST OF TABLES

NUMBER/TITLE PAGE

1. Data Matrix ...... 39

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LIST OF FIGURES

NUMBER/TITLE PAGE

1. Lev Vygotsky's simplified model ...... 23 2. Rezat's modified version of Vygotsky's model ...... 24 3. D.P. Newton’s model ...... 24 4. Rezat's tetrahedron model ...... 25 5. Conceptual Framework ...... 29 6. Tetrahedron model with Knowledge about Martial Law variable ...... 981 7. First triangle: Student – Teacher – Textbook ...... 982 8. Second triangle: Student – Textbook – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law ...... 983 9. Third triangle: Teacher – Textbook – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law ...... 984 10. Fourth triangle: Student – Teacher – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law ...... 986

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

According to St. Augustine who is one of the most famous Christian philosophers of the medieval times, as discussed in one of the researcher’s classes about political thought, history is strictly linear with a definite beginning and end; but what is observed today is that time is a spiraling and dynamic entity – it moves forward but it comes back upon itself. It is circuitous in that, it progresses in a cyclical manner in which it conveys that time advances, but it remembers what went by, and it will eventually face a familiar predicament once more. It is said to be dynamic because the past, present and future are all connected, and they affect each other in ways that are both different and similar in nature; what happened before influences what happens now, and what takes place today disturbs and transforms the things that will happen tomorrow. History repeats itself, like it is often said, unless we learn the lessons of history.

A critical understanding of history serves as the foundation of the present and the future – how sturdy or delicate the fate of one nation will be depends, not on how “eventful” its history is, but on how its people know and understand what happened in the past and, more importantly, why and how these events came to be.

Martial law history is supposedly taught at all levels of education under the passage of

Republic Act 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, but it is not exactly stated how extensive and intensive it should be. To ensure the execution of RA

10368, at least in the aspect of it providing knowledge about the military rule during the regime of

President Ferdinand Marcos, various personalities and interest groups pushed for the legislation of other laws that could complement it. In 2016, Senator Bam Aquino filed Senate Resolution No. 29 to study how the martial law era is being taught in schools all over the country (Valencia, 2016).

The youth of today suffer from the stereotype that they are generally uninformed about what took place four decades ago. A lot of people, mostly those who lived through the years of the

Marcos-era martial law, observe that the younger generations know very little about the dark years of the military rule under the Marcos dictatorship, but that they are not to be solely blamed because there are a number of factors as to why today’s youth exhibit ignorance towards what happened in the past. According to Antonio Go (2017), the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum and the textbooks used under it seem to exhibit selective amnesia when it comes to the horrors that the country witnessed from the declaration of martial law in 1972 to the ouster of the dictator in 1986.

This may possibly be one of the reasons why a lot of students today are unfamiliar (and to some extent, apathetic) to that certain phase of the nation’s history.

Research Question and Tentative Answer

In this study, the researcher argues that, in one way or another, the textbooks used in public and private schools enforce, or at least exhibit, the phenomenon of historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law. Focusing on the primary question “How do textbooks used in public and private schools exhibit and enforce the phenomenon of historical negationism regarding the

Marcos-era martial law?”, the researcher offers this as a tentative answer: school textbooks exhibit historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law by containing inadequate or distorted information about the topic, and enforce historical negationism by exposing its users – students and educators alike – to the said inadequate or distorted information.

Objectives

The general intention of the researcher in conducting this study was to assess how textbooks used in public and private schools exhibit and enforce the phenomenon of historical

negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law. Having said this, the specific objectives of this study are as follows:

1. To contextualize or put into perspective the topic of how history is taught in schools

in the Philippines; to discuss the national situation or context;

2. To define historical negationism and historical revisionism;

3. To put forward the differences between the textbooks used in public and private

schools, in the aspect of who approves said textbooks and how they are approved;

4. To examine a few textbooks as to how they deal or discuss the topic of the Marcos-

era martial law, and as to how they reflect negationism regarding the Marcos-era

martial law with their effects and implications; and

5. Ultimately, to give recommendations on how school textbooks can be improved to

reflect a truer picture of Philippine history, specifically of martial law under the

Marcos regime.

Significance of the Study

In today’s 21st century setup wherein the rise of social-technological innovation has been unprecedented, it seems that majority of the younger generations depend largely on the use of social media and their gadgets as conduits of information. Indeed, these technological innovations have been of great help to a great deal of people – putting together convenience and accessibility to cater to the needs of the people. But in this society wherein almost everyone has easy access to some kind of information and are ready to share them to their peers, not only are the genuiness and accuracy of facts compromised, but also the more traditional sources of information are neglected.

People, nowadays, prefer checking their smart phones to read on the latest gossips, instead of reading newspapers; people patronize personal blogs, instead of following legitimate news

portals; and students would rather browse the internet to answer their assignments, rather than just open their books to read on the discussions. Nothing is wrong with wanting to get things done easily, but when one just settles for convenience and does not bother to check on the accuracy of information, then a problem ensues.

This research revolved around the possible existence/materialization of the concept of historical negationism in textbooks used in schools in the Philippines, especially in relation to how it tackled the Martial Law era during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Historical negationism is an extreme form of historical revisionism wherein there is an incomplete or flawed presentation of facts in order to create a new narrative on past events. The research not only aimed to find out if historical negationism had been exhibited and enforced, or how it was enforced, if at all, through school textbooks, it also aimed to look for the effects of the said concept on the users of textbooks.

This study may be beneficial to how Philippine history, in general, can be taught by teachers and understood more comprehensively by students. This may also be beneficial to the process of writing and approving history textbooks to be used by students. Furthermore, this research could serve as an extension of previous studies on historical revisionism and negationism, textbook revisions, and, to some extent, the Marcos-era martial law.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

To contextualize this study, a review of the existing literature regarding the subject matters at hand is imperative. The researcher divided this review of literature into four sections: first, to clarify the definition and other connotations of vague terms, historical revisionism and negationism were discussed; second, the topic regarding revisions made in textbooks was briefly taken up; third, as this was one of the primary contentions in this study, a discussion on how the martial law era of the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. regime was portrayed in school textbooks was tackled; and lastly, to understand the process of how textbooks in schools are chosen and assessed, the approval of textbooks by the Department of Education was examined. The aim of this part was to make one understand how each of the main factors functioned individually before putting all of them together.

Historical Revisionism and Negationism

Through time, history has been greatly influenced by the interests of those who are seated in power. The existence of pseudohistory as a phenomenon that greatly affects the legitimate course of history has been proven by previous studies.

“Pseudohistory,” as defined by Marko Škorić and Milivoj Bešlin in Politics of Memory,

Historical Revisionism, and Negationism in Postsocialist Serbia (2017), is the illegitimate revisions of existing theories and facts. This, in turn, perpetuates the phenomenon of (historical) revisionism wherein certain modifications or alterations are made, which are not necessarily negatively motivated – for the most part, these revisions (or reinterpretations) are made for intellectual purposes i.e. to update the current understanding of people on certain matters.

However, there exists an extreme form of historical revisionism which is termed as

“negationism”. The term “negationism” sprang from the issues about the denial of the historical and factual foundations of the Holocaust; this term, then, is derived from, and the English rendition of, the French term “le négationnisme” which pertains to the Holocaust denial. This term came from Alain Finkielkraut’s work entitled The Future of a Negation: Reflections on the Question of

Genocide, which is an analysis of the Holocaust denial in France. (Kornberg, 2001) Pascale Bloch

(2006) stated, however, that the said term was created in 1987 by the French historian Henry

Rousso who specialized in studying the history of World War II.

Ronald J. Berger in Fathoming the Holocaust: A Social Problems Approach (2002), cited

Deborah Lipstadt (1993) and Michael Shermer and Alex Grobman (2000) and their respective works to differentiate the term “negationism” from historical revisionism. According to said scholars, as written by Berger, while “Revisionism” is the “refinement of existing knowledge about an historical event, not a denial of the event itself, that comes through an examination of new empirical evidence or a re-examination or reinterpretation of existing evidence,” “Negationism,” on the other hand “rejects the entire foundation of historical evidence.” Berger further explains that legitimate historical revisionism acknowledges “a certain body of irrefutable evidence” which may strongly suggest that an event did, in fact, occur.

The distinction between the two terms, in relation to topic of the Holocaust, are further explained and clarified by Emanuela Fronza, a professor of law in the University of Trento, in her work The Punishment of Negationism: The Difficult Dialogue Between Law and Memory (2006).

Fronza stated that the revisionist perspective does not deny the Holocaust, but it challenges the conventional way of how it is presented by “relativizing the issue of the extermination and contesting the interpretation of the events. In contrast, the negationist perspective distorts the

relationship between the Holocaust and historical reality; it primarily denies the very existence of the event.

In Response to Professor Fronza’s the Punishment of Negationism (2006), Bloch explains that the term “negationism” was intended to make a clear distinction between “negationists who intend to present falsifications of the reality of historic events and discredit testimonies and misrepresentations, as opposed to historians who use precise and scientific methods for analyzing, explaining, and updating historical facts with newly discovered information.” Bloch claims that negationists tend to present themselves as “historians” in order to legitimize their rewritten/reinterpreted versions of history as they use “fallacious methods” that ignore or distort authentic facts [about the Holocaust].

Karl Popper (1945/1947) stated, as cited by Škorić and Bešlin (2017) in their paper, that

History has always been plagued by the problem of defining the boundaries between what really happened in the past, what are accepted as revisions, and those that appear to be negations. It is this weakness which is exploited by “the authors who, for various reasons, wish to revise the official versions of history in numerous ways, since sometimes it is indeed rather difficult to differentiate between history and pseudohistory, or between legitimate revision and untruthful negation (Škorić and Bešlin, 2017).

Škorić and Bešlin (2017) calls negationist perspectives as the “most radical versions of illegitimate revisionism”. In this part of the review of related literature, the term “negationism” is only defined or used to refer to the history, or the politically-motivated denialism thereof, of the

Holocaust. The researcher, however, finds the given explanations and definitions (as) lacking and quite vague, especially when these are to be used for this research. Therefore, the researcher resorts to a more simplified yet clarified definition of the term: historical negationism is the “extreme case

of revisionism where facts are chosen to be presented while withholding others expressly to support a new narrative;” in this case, there is an incomplete or flawed presentation of facts in order to create a new account of history – one that may be aimed to establish or justify specifically- motivated agenda. (cteal2018, 2017) Unlike the common misconception that “revisionism” is automatically an adverse idea, it is actually a neutral one which only pertains to the reinterpretations made to historical records whenever new evidences and sources are found in order to provide a truer picture of an historical event. (cteal2018, 2017; Martinez, 2016; Wikipedia, n.d.)

Revisions in Textbooks

Having cleared up the meaning of “revisionism,” textbook revisionism can now be understood in a certain light. According to Fuchs (2010), textbook revision mainly focuses on books on history and social studies and is generally aimed at correcting “false or distorted interpretations in school textbooks.”

To introduce the context of school textbook revisions, Fuchs (2010) suggested that we should distinguish this practice at two levels: the national and the international. In this study, the

“national level” is given more focus as it can further explain how revisions in history textbooks regarding the Marcos-era martial law are presented.

Firstly, Fuchs stated, a lot of school textbook conflicts result from what is called “history wars.” These are conflicts that happen within the bounds of a nation, and are basically about

“differences of opinion about the development of national traditions, the maintenance of legitimation, and the construction of identity” (Fuchs, 2010).

For the past decade, there has been a trend with regard to this kind of public controversy about the interpretation of historical events, which, consequently, raises the question as to which

of the said historical events should be included in history books. (Fuchs, 2010) In contrast to this, there has also been a neo-conservative trend that pushes for the maintenance of the status quo, that is to maintain traditional national history and dictate what identities should be formed in order to preserve the specific national values.

Portrayal of Marcos-era Martial Law in Philippine History School Textbooks

Neglect and continuous heedlessness of the past is a crime that continues to be committed by the humankind of today. It is a failure on the part of the modern-day people to deem the past as simply the past, and never try to learn from it. As what George Santayana originally said in the first volume of his famous work The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. (WikiQuote, n.d.)

In the context of Philippine education, the teaching of Philippine History, according to Go

(2017), has already become obsolete (as far as textbooks are concerned). Philippine history is now only tackled in the sixth grade, as a part of the subject HeKaSi (Heyograpiya, Kasaysayan, Sibika)

– being only a third of a one-year course. The problem with this is that, because it is not the sole focus of teaching, it becomes introductory in nature. As a result, Philippine history is not properly taught to students; important factual events are glossed over and even trivialized – this becomes the case for the teaching of what occurred during the Marcos-era martial law.

One case of this is shown in how the sixth-grade public school textbook “Lahing

Kayumanggi” (1987) discusses the martial law era in just three simple and uncontextualized passages as it says: “During Marcos’ tenure, many problems and troubles happened in the country.

Marcos used this as a pretext to declare martial law. Because of this, many human rights were trampled upon” (Go, 2017). One can only surmise how texts as simple as the one provided above are further explained, or possibly, even more simplified and trivialized.

In addition, according to Neil Alcober’s report, last year, a teachers’s group dubbed as The

Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) made an appeal to the Department of Education regarding the teaching of Philippine history in high school. Benjo Basas, the spokesperson of the group, recalled that in 2014 – the second year of the implementation of the K to 12 program – the education department decided not to include the teaching of Philippine history in the secondary level.

Alcober said in his report that under DepEd Order No. 20, S. 2014, the subject of Philippine history was removed in favor of “Araling Asyano”; Philippine history was previously taught in the first year of high school or in Grade 7. The TDC then appealed to Secretary Leonor Briones to bring back the subject to the curriculum starting this school year, saying, as quoted by Alcober,

“Philippine history will regain its rightful place in high school curriculum.” (Alcober, 2017)

Aries Hegina (2014), in his undergraduate thesis, studied how school textbooks, specifically those that are used in the fifth and seventh grades, portray the martial law under the

Ferdinand Marcos regime. As a result of his assessment, he found out that 9 out of the 10 textbooks included in his study had their own chapters dedicated to the discussion of martial law; the only textbook that did not exhibit this was “Mahal kong Pilipinas” (2008).

Although this may be the case, Hegina’s study further stated that 8 of these textbooks only had 1 part dedicated to the deep and critical understanding of the military rule. One of his more crucial findings is that, although the 10 school textbooks he assessed showed variety on how they portrayed the martial law era, all of these textbooks followed a similar format: first, a discussion on the events that happened prior to the declaration of Martial Law; second, the Philippines under the “Bagong Republika”; and lastly, the lifting of martial law.

More on Hegina’s study on how martial law is portrayed in school textbooks, one of his findings stated that 9 out of the 10 textbooks that were assessed were critical of the Communist

Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army – 9 of these textbooks portrayed the CPP-NPA as the enemy of the State. 8 out of 10 of these textbooks merely and vaguely discussed the foundation of the political party, and what’s worse is that the CPP-NPA is tagged as “terrorists” because of the shallow and unclear discussion of the party’s principles. As a result of this one-sided (and some may say strategic) depiction, users of the said school textbooks

(teachers and students alike) are introduced to a biased and unidimensional perspective of one character, which then results to a biased and unidimensional perspective of the past.

Apart from the negative portrayal of the image of the CPP-NPA, the textbooks analysed in the study are also said to be critical of the movements and demonstrations against the martial law.

Almost all forms of dissent, as it seems, are portrayed in a negative light in the school textbooks analysed in Hegina’s study. He stated that majority of these textbooks portrayed protests as bloody and unruly. And in the end, the textbooks that were analysed primarily singled out the resistance of students and the increased influence of the CPP-NPA as the main reasons for Marcos’s declaration of martial law.

Meanwhile, another noteworthy finding in Hegina’s study is about the limited discussion on the human rights violations committed under the Marcos military rule. In Hegina’s analysis, only 3 out of the 10 school textbooks he reviewed contained discussions on violations against human rights. But he further stated that in these 3 books, the discussions about human rights were not deep and critical enough to truly depict the horrors that many people have gone through in the past.

With this being said, Hegina pointed out that there are two main features as to how the human rights violations are discussed in the textbooks: first is that the discussions were short and brief but nowhere near concise – this can be seen in the one to two sentences that presented the

topic; the second feature is that these brief discussions on human rights almost always only talked about big and renowned personalities like Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and Senator Jovito Salonga.

These two features of how the human rights violations during the Marcos-era martial law are depicted just goes to show that facts are indeed trivialized and glossed over.

The creation of the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) under RA 10368 and

RA 10766 that aims to bring justice to or, at least, compensate the people who have suffered from human rights violations during the martial law era is evident of the gravity of the said matter. Up until now, there are a lot of people who file their claims at HRVCB, so it is rather questionable as to why school textbooks offer so little about this topic.

In contradiction to how short and inadequate the discussions are on the things that painted the martial law era negatively, the so-called achievements of the Ferdinand Marcos regime and the positive effects of the martial law era are put in a much brighter and extensive light. According to

Go (2017), in the textbook “Isang Bansa, Isang Lahi,” the bulk of the 18 pages of Lesson 14 is dedicated to “a listing of the positive effects of the dictatorship.” One passage reads:

“Under martial law, Marcos initiated reforms in seven areas—peace and order, land reform,

livelihood programs, inculcation of moral values through education, government

reorganization, employment, and social services.”

All the books assessed in Hegina’s study contain extensive passages about the projects that were carried out during the martial law era. According to him, these projects were introduced as reforms that were badly needed to improve the country. These projects are divided into several aspects: economic, political, cultural, and some policies about peace and order. (Hegina, 2014)

Most of the textbooks presented infrastructure projects during the reign of Marcos as president and

put focus on the “booming economy” that the country allegedly experienced during the era of martial law. It was also noticeable, as stated by Hegina, that a lot of the passages and number of pages in the textbooks were dedicated to the discussion of the projects under the “Bagong

Republika”. With all these being said, and considering Hegina’s findings, the textbooks used in schools apparently really exhibited what Antonio Go calls “selective amnesia”. There are a lot of people who could attest to the horrors of the Marcos-era martial law, but history in textbooks has yet to be set straight.

A myriad of what is happening to many countries today are results of apathy towards history and the negationism thereof. Thus, it is of grave importance that people learn from the past and apply it to the present in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes. It is necessary to put importance on what happened yesterday as it is the prerequisite of tomorrow.

Approval of school textbooks by the Department of Education

“Textbooks are one of the most important educational inputs: texts reflect basic ideas about a national culture, and … are often a flashpoint of cultural struggle and controversy.” (Altbach,

1991) Building from this and the previous discussion regarding the portrayal of the Marcos-era martial law in textbooks used in schools in the Philippines, it could easily be ascertained that the evaluation and selection of textbooks to be used in schools are vital in teaching the country’s history.

Textbooks are the main sources of learning of students, and according to Dr. Daisy Santos from the Education and Training Division of the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat

(IMCS), as interviewed by Hegina (2014), teachers are largely dependent on these approved school textbooks as these are the primary materials they use for/in teaching – this is specially the case in

public schools. With this, the content of textbooks must be carefully reviewed in order to ensure the factual and multi-dimensional discussion on delicate matters such as a nation’s history.

According to Dr. Rosalie Masilang, one of the authorities in developing the curriculum of

Araling Panlipunan in high schools all over the country, all the textbooks used in schools are subject to the curriculum provided by the Department of Education (Hegina, 2014). In addition, according Dr. Santos, all textbooks must follow the “learning competencies” set by the Bureau of

Elementary Education and Bureau of Secondary Education.

These aforementioned experts, however, show a different perspective on whether or not textbook authors should have the freedom to include their personal sentiments on writing the books. While Dr. Masilang believed that authors should be constrained in putting their own viewpoints in the textbooks to ensure objectivity, Dr. Santos allows some freedoms for the authors to input their personal views, but this is just because she is confident that through the evaluation process, the biases of the authors will be neutralized.

Other than the “learning competencies,” the personal perspective of authors, and other defining factors, the content of school textbooks are nonetheless influenced by government thrusts through the “social content guidelines” that are given by the Department of Education to publishers who are interested to take part in the process of bidding.

These social content guidelines contain topics that should be taken into account by publishers. Because of the existence of such requirements, it cannot be denied that the government of the day influences the content of textbooks the most. All things considered, this could either be helpful or detrimental to the teaching of history as it depends on the sway of the government’s principles and intentions.

Although the strict compliance of textbooks to the curriculum set by the Department of

Education can be assured, Dr. Zenaida Reyes states that bias still cannot be avoided because the curriculum itself that is set by the government may not be free from it. (Hegina, 2014) It also cannot be denied that the curriculum is the primary basis followed by authors and publishers in considering the books that they produce. As a result, the authors, publishers, and the produced textbooks are all captives to the dictates of a curriculum that may or may not truly be biased – at the end of the day, the state still has the final say on what select matters and histories should be introduced and discussed to the people.

Onto the process of textbook evaluation, the main agency/office concerned here is the

Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS). The IMCS is the division of the Department of Education which is tasked with selecting school textbooks and teachers’ manuals. This division ensures that all materials go through a tedious process of evaluation to make sure of its quality, and if it follows the set guidelines.

Gaps and Contribution

Not much has been explored about the topic of historical negationism; as stated earlier, most of the literature dedicated to discussing the said matter was only really focused on its connection with the Holocaust.

As such, this research also aimed to contribute to the existing literature by widening the scope of what the term pertains to. The researcher believes that since the main idea of negationism is to distort history through one way or another, every part of what happened in the past may be vulnerable to this concept.

As a start, one must move away from the topic of the Holocaust and consider other historical events to test the concept of historical negationism. Having said this, the researcher would like to add to the existing literature by considering how historical negationism may be applied in the context of how the topic of the Marcos-era martial law is presented or studied, or, more simply, if historical negationism is exhibited in the narratives which discuss the said topic.

As the topic of the Marcos-era martial law still appears to be a pressing issue in the country nowadays, especially with how certain narratives about it are presented, it just seems befitting and important to start with this, not only to contribute to study of historical negationism but also to assess how this affects the study of history in the Philippines.

Synthesis

Overall, what this part aimed at, as mentioned in the former part, was to contextualize how the individual factors functioned by themselves. To reiterate, historical negationism is a radical form of revisionism that seeks to hide or alter facts/information so as to create a new narrative that supports someone else’s “truth”. Revisions in/of textbooks, on the other hand, are naturally done in order to update the existing information about subject matters – this is often done for intellectual purposes, and targets books in history and social sciences.

With regard to the portrayal of the Marcos-era martial law, however, this review included past studies that focused on the said topic – it had been known that discussions on the martial law era were lacking and inadequate in some of the textbooks that were studied by past researchers, like in Hegina’s study.

Lastly, the discussion on the approval of school textbooks was comprehensive enough to inform that there is a process followed in the assessment of textbooks – there is an office that is mainly tasked to take care of this. Although comprehensive, the researcher still deemed it

introductory – more information needed be included to thoroughly explain how the process is done.

All in all, studies about the portrayal of martial law are abundant enough, but studies regarding historical negationism and textbook revisions are still lacking, thus further studies should be made.

CHAPTER III

SITUATIONER AND CONTEXT

One ‘society’ is uniquely different from another one, as one individual is different from the other – the disparities are apparent enough, but what we fail to see is that similarities are just hidden in plain sight. Ideas from yesteryears may seem backwards and inapplicable when fitted to today’s setting, but their relevance should never be questioned, because history, truly, repeats itself.

“Change is coming” – this was the infamous promise of President Rodrigo Duterte when he was just running for the presidential seat. Almost three years after Duterte’s election as president, change, indeed, has come, and it has brought worse things than good. What most people came to realize through the years of the current administration’s reign is the latter’s chilling similarities with the regime of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. With the war on drugs campaign, the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the curtailing of human rights, and the silencing of critics, the Philippines under Duterte, truly, starts to mirror a nightmare from the past. But, arguably, what is worse is the indifference and the “collective amnesia” that the Filipino people seem to be exhibiting towards the said topic.

It has been mentioned earlier that, through the passage of time, it has been noticed that history is greatly influenced by the interests of those who are seated in power. When the issue of

Marcos’ burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani broke out and Marcos was eventually buried there, it has indeed manifested that “those who are seated in power” control history’s narrative. In a wider context, what this issue proved is that history can be altered or reconstructed (and can even be totally forgotten) to support someone else’s story and to create a new truth entirely. As the late dictator’s burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani became a bigger issue, the term “historical revisionism” suddenly surfaced – this was a term widely used by the people to describe what was

happening. A lot of people alleged that the Marcoses and their allies (Duterte being one of them) were trying to create a new narrative of the past – one that would allow them to bury their patriarch in the heroes’ cemetery, and ultimately to bring them back to the seat of power. Here and there, critics and students started to use the term historical revisionism as an insult to the series of events, but as what has been mentioned in the former part of this study, revisionism is a neutral term that just denotes the alteration of narratives in order to accommodate new-found evidences. Because of this burial issue, coupled with the “fake news” controversies faced by the present administration, the phenomenon of historical revisionism has been known – although the term is misunderstood and used incorrectly, it is still a step towards the truthful studying of history.

Now that is has been emphasized how significant the study of history is and how easily it can be altered by those who have the capacity to do so, especially in the midst of people who want to alter it for personal purposes, there should also be a brief mention of the current education system in the country. In May 15, 2013, former President Benigno Aquino III signed into law the

Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (RA 10533) or more commonly known as the K to 12 program. (Rappler.com, 2013) The K to 12 program, as explained in the Official Gazette (the public journal and main publication of the government of the Republic of the Philippines),

“covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.” The two added years to the basic education system are supposedly to further prepare students for the “real world”.

In the Official Gazette’s page intended to discuss the K to 12 program, under the Frequently Asked

Questions section, there were two given reasons why the government decided to implement a 13-

year basic education program; 1) “The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide with a 10-year pre-university cycle (Angola and Djibouti are the other two)” and 2) A 13-year program is found to be the best period for learning under basic education. It is also the recognized standard for students and professionals globally.” With this reasoning, one can actually see the rationale behind this program’s implementation: globalization at the expense of genuine Filipino education.

This K to 12 program was widely criticized from the start, because, as critics say, the

Philippines is still not equipped to accommodate this basic education program. Raymond Basilio, the Alliance of Concerned Teacher’s (ACT) secretary general said, “There are still no sufficient teachers, classrooms, facilities and equipment and other instructional and teaching materials.

Several schools have double, even triple shifts!” (Umil, 2017) It is also continuously criticized because of the designed curriculum which seemingly follows a more globalized trend rather than to cater to the needs of the Filipino people. Relating this to the study of history, as what has been mentioned in Chapter 1, in the second-year implementation of the K to 12 program, the education department ordered to remove the subject of Philippine history in favor of “Araling Asyano,” and it is only this school year that one group appealed to bring it back. With the curriculum and subjects of K to 12 geared towards incorporating a globalized trend for the students, the core subjects that should be learned by Filipino students are slowly being compromised.

The existing political climate today and the current situation of the Philippine education system seem like the perfect combination for the cultivation of a negationist view of history and the reason for the increasing negligence towards the study of history or history, itself. With a lot of influential people trying to create new versions of the past that are far from the truth, historical events become more and more distorted by the day. With this, coupled with the implementation of

an education program that does not seem to prioritize the main concerns of the country, history may just become what it appears to be – a thing of the past.

CHAPTER IV

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

Theoretical Framework

Much has been unexplored for a well-established historical negationism theory. Moreover, contending operational definitions surrounding it prove to be a dilemma for a researcher to concretize the abstractness of this issue. The lack of a formal theory about historical negationism, especially concerning textbooks, then, leads researchers to use more fundamental and available theories to explain the phenomenon of historical negationism and relate it with other phenomena.

The framework to be used for this research is the theoretical framework for textbook use developed by Sebastian Rezat. In A Model of Textbook Use (2006), Rezat stated that the first aim of his paper was to develop a “model of the activity ‘textbook use in teaching and learning mathematics’,” as he found this lacking from previous studies regarding the usage of textbooks.

This model developed by Rezat follows and is inspired by the Activity Theory (AT) whose roots originated from the Soviet psychological activity theory advanced by Lev Vygotsky, Alexei

Leont'ev and Sergei Rubinstein. Claire McAvinia (2016) defined the Activity Theory as a theory which “proposes that any human activity can be described and analyzed and that activities have a structure, are undertaken under certain conditions and mediated by particular tools, instruments or artefacts, and are performed to meet a purpose.” She further explained that the Activity Theory is mainly concerned with how tools or certain artefacts are utilized by individuals to accomplish specific things. (McAvinia, 2016)

Going back to Rezat’s paper, he cited Engeström (1999) who stated that activity theory analyzed “object-oriented, collective, and culturally mediated human activity,” and that it aimed

at being “a pathbreaker in studies that help humans gain control over their own artefacts.” Rezat explained that the activity “textbook use” is situated, and probably confined, in the context of teaching and learning, and in this context, the use of textbook is collective and object-oriented.

(Rezat, 2006) He cited Engeström, et al (1999) saying that AT places emphasis on the “mediation of human action by cultural artefacts;” in this case, the textbook is seen as a “cultural artefact” because it is affected and influenced by “the educational system and by traditional concepts of teaching and learning.”

Moving on, it must first be clarified that Rezat’s model is mostly aimed at understanding how mathematics textbooks are used. Having said this, the researcher made use of this model by replacing the “mathematics textbook/knowledge” variable with the main topic of this research, which is the knowledge about the Marcos-era martial law.

Rezat began the development of his model by explaining that the fundamental interacting components of the activity system are the subject, the object, and the mediating artefact. He cited

Lev Vygotsky (1978) who was the first to introduce the diagram of a triangle to represent the

“activity,” with each point representing one fundamental component, and each vertex representing a specific form of mediated action. The diagram, taken from Rezat’s paper, is shown below:

Figure 1. Lev Vygotsky’s simplified model To apply this model to the use of mathematics textbooks by students, Rezat modified

Vygotsky’s original representation and came up with a new diagram. In this model, the student

serves as the subject, the textbooks become the mediating artefact, and, finally, the object of this activity is the mathematical knowledge to be acquired. This is shown below:

Figure 2. Rezat’s modified version of Vygotsky’ simplified model The activity represented by this triangle is just a part of the whole learning process. In this activity, it is shown that the textbook is used as an instrument by the student to acquire mathematical knowledge. However, as Rezat argues, this activity, or the representation of it, at least, is incomplete because it disregards the role of the teacher in the learning process – it disregards the common perception that the teacher is the one who usually mediates the activity of acquiring knowledge by the student. In this regard, D.P. Newton (1990), as cited by Rezat, claims that “text use is usually perceived as a relationship between the teacher, the student, and the text.”

By this, Newton suggests a new model wherein the role of the teacher is incorporated, being the mediator of the text. This is represented below:

Figure 3. D.P. Newton’s model This model, however, has two important implications that cannot be overlooked. First is that the role of the textbook is changed – in the previous models, the role of textbook had always been the mediating artefact, but in this model, the textbook becomes the object of the activity.

Second implication is that the teacher adopts the role of the mediating artefact, and, as Rezat explains, this either means that this model could not represent an instrument-mediated activity or that “the idea of mediation cannot be reduced to artefacts.” (Rezat, 2006)

Before the final model was developed, Rezat first suggested another model to incorporate the variables like the “teacher” and the “mathematical knowledge,” and to properly ascertain their roles. In this said model – a quadrilateral – the student is still the subject of the activity who uses the textbook to acquire knowledge, and the teacher is still the mediating artefact. But in this particular model, the role of the teacher as the one who uses the textbook is still not represented.

Some scholars, Rezat stated, said that the relationship of the textbook and the teacher is a little different from that of the textbook and the student’s relationship; for the teacher, the textbook is not only an instrument to acquire new knowledge, but it is also used to prepare their lessons.

Finally, after much deliberation about the latest model, Rezat comes up with a new model which incorporates all the needed variables and explains the relationships between them. The complexity of the model of the activity ‘textbook use’ is represented by a tetrahedron:

Figure 4. Rezat’s tetrahedron model

In this final model, there are two variables that play the role of being the subjects of the activity – the student and the teacher. Each triangular side of the tetrahedron represents one aspect of the textbook use activity.

1) Student – Teacher – Textbook: this triangular face of the tetrahedron represents the

aspect wherein the student is the subject of the activity who uses the object of this

activity, which is the textbook, through the mediating artefact, the teacher.

2) Student – Textbook – Mathematical Knowledge: in this aspect, the student remains to

be the subject of the activity, but in this case, the student makes use of the textbook on

his/her own initiative. Mathematical knowledge, in general, becomes the object of the

activity, and the textbook becomes the instrument through which the student has access

to mathematical knowledge.

3) Teacher – Textbook – Mathematical Knowledge (didactical aspect): this face of the

tetrahedron explains that the teacher has now become the subject of the activity, who

uses the textbook to access mathematical knowledge or its didactical aspects, at least.

4) Student – Teacher – Mathematical Knowledge: this face of the tetrahedron is so-called

the “traditional didactical triangle,” or as Chevallard (1991), as cited by Rezat, called

it, the “didactical system in the narrow sense.” It is called as such because in this

subsystem, the use of textbook is nowhere to be found and the mediation of the teacher

is seen as the main factor through which the student acquires mathematical knowledge.

Rezat explained that even though the use of the textbook is not represented here, it is

still important to see this as a complement of Triangle 3, because it shows that “the

teacher implements the knowledge that is represented in the textbook without using the

textbook overtly in the lesson.” In this case, it can be loosely interpreted that the teacher

mediates knowledge in any way he/she can.

Having discussed all of these, the final suggested model includes all the major aspects of the textbook use with regard to the two primary users. As the first models only really focused on the subject – mediating artefact – object triad, with a special attention aimed at the role of the subject, they were deemed unsatisfactory by Rezat to describe the whole activity ‘textbook use’.

This, then, lead to a few modifications and introduced the tetrahedron model, which now represents the use of an artefact by two subjects; this model, then, is seen as the activity that surrounds a particular artefact – the focus shifted from the subject to the mediating artefact. As

Rezat stated, “an activity-theoretical model of an activity that is linked to a particular artefact automatically situates the artefact in the center of the activity system.” Meaning, the artefact is now the focus of the whole activity.

The researcher agrees with Rezat that the former models were not enough to explain or represent the activity of textbook use, because, for one, if the model is represented through a one- dimensional triangle, it will only show one specific activity – an activity which is only a subset of the whole ‘textbook use’ activity.

The researcher puts forward that to fully understand the framework, it is vital to view these specific activities (i.e. each of the triangular faces of the tetrahedron) as a whole and not by part.

It may be possible or true that only one specific activity can occupy one specific point in time, but it does not mean it exists exclusively of all the other activities – one activity, as clearly shown in the model, affects the other activities. In this study, the researcher will also apply the same orientation – to look at the whole of how historical negationism is enforced through school

textbooks, and not by part which pertains to the students’ use of textbook, or the teachers’ ways of teaching, or how the teachers use the textbooks.

As what the researcher mentioned earlier, for this model to be a workable framework for this study, the researcher will replace the variable “mathematical knowledge” with the knowledge about the Marcos-era martial law and its didactical aspects.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 5. Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework used in this study is divided in three parts: 1) the contributing factors as shown by the figure on the left side of the diagram; 2) the effect as characterized by the arrow in the middle; and 3) the outcomes as shown by the figure on the right side of the diagram.

Contributing Factors

As stated in the review of related literature above, there are various factors as to what influences the content of textbooks used in schools in the Philippines. These same factors are also the main candidates in sparking inadequate or distorted views eventually resulting to a negationist view of some events and histories. It is mainly because of the biases, unidimensional perspectives, and lacking implementation of these factors that revisions and negations in textbooks come to be.

Some of these factors are the so-called “government thrusts”, and these loosely include the

curriculum, the learning competencies, and social content guidelines constructed and provided by the government, specifically by the Department of Education. The curriculum specifies which subjects or topics should be included and taught in what specific grade levels. This is a contributing factor because it determines whether or not certain topics (in this case, the topic of Philippine history and the Marcos-era martial law) are to be discussed in the current education system. The learning competencies pertain to the set of skills that students need to learn, understand, and adapt for each and every lesson. Meanwhile, the social content guidelines pertain to the topics that should be taken into account by authors and publishers.

The second and third factor talks about textbooks authors/writers and teachers. They are deemed as factors because of the varied perspectives they may incorporate in the textbooks that they produce, or the opinions that they may project when discussing certain topics inside the classroom. These opinions then, whether limited or indefinite, can influence how textbook users perceive specific topics. And lastly, the approval of textbooks by the government is deemed as a contributing factor because it is in this process where one can see which textbooks the government prefer. This process will also show how rigorous or meticulous the assessment of textbooks is, so as to avoid incorrect or unwanted information in the textbooks.

Effect

Because of the contributing factors, the problem of historical negationism arises. As provided above, historical revisions are not necessarily a bad thing for they just originally aim to correct the current information as new facts come to light, what’s negative is the radical, illegitimate distortion of facts in order to support another narrative rather than the truth. As biases, personal perspectives, and dubious intentions come into play as brought in by the contributing factors, historical revisions become more and more driven to take a negationist path.

Outcome

Because of the illegitimate distortion of historical records in school textbooks, historical negationism is enforced. This is done so by exposing the users of these textbooks, whether students or teachers, to inadequate and/or distorted information. And as further result of this, the users of these textbooks, most especially the students who are just starting to learn about the nation’s past, become unaware, ignorant even, to the real history of the country.

CHAPTER V

METHODOLOGY

To reiterate the purpose of this research, the general intention of the researcher in conducting this study was to assess how textbooks used in public and private schools exhibit and enforce the phenomenon of historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law. A qualitative research design was applied in this study, as this method aimed to understand a phenomenon through observation and in-depth analysis. Furthermore, secondary data, which included books and/or journal articles, were utilized in order to broaden the researcher’s knowledge of the study.

Firstly, the following were the needed data for this research: discussions or existing literature regarding historical negationism and revisionism, textbook revisions, the portrayal of the

Marcos-era martial law, and the approval of textbooks by the Department of Education; expert opinion from the Department of Education was also needed, and the insights of school teachers and textbook authors were acquired by the researcher. These data were examined through content analysis and by searching for common themes and breaking them down into subthemes. All secondary materials that were used to acquire data about the given topics were acknowledged and all sources were properly cited.

Furthermore, the data regarding the topic of the Marcos-era martial law in textbooks and the assessment of history school textbooks used in schools in the country were acquired by conducting in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and key-informant interview with the study’s respondents.

The participants of this study were chosen through a purposive sampling method. The researcher stipulated that, for the participants to qualify as a respondent, they must have one or more, if not all, of the following: 1) first-hand knowledge and exposure to the contents of history school textbooks, 2) first-hand knowledge or involvement on how the said textbooks were created or produced, and 3) first-hand knowledge or involvement on how the said textbooks were approved by the government.

The first criterion mainly pertained to history teachers, as they were the ones who were mainly exposed to the contents of the textbooks. Authors and publishers, as the researcher deemed, fell under the second criterion so they qualify as respondents for this study. Lastly, a representative from the Department of Education was also needed as he/she fell under the third criterion.

Consequently, all those who did not satisfy the given criteria were not deemed as respondents/participants of this research.

As for the sample size of this study, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with a total of thirteen (13) teachers from six (6) different schools in the Quezon City and City of Manila area. The following were the schools where the teacher-respondents came are from:

1) Batasan Hills National High School

2) Sergio Osmeña Sr. High School

3) Eulogio Rodriguez, Jr. High School

4) Laong Laan Elementary School

5) Legarda Elementary School

6) Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School

All the respondents were from public schools, and all of them taught the subject Araling

Panlipunan (AP), which tackles history in general – Philippine history, Asian history, and world history, and also includes economic, contemporary issues, and other related topics. Six (6) of the respondents taught in the elementary level, and the remaining seven (7) taught in the high school level.

The researcher secured permits from both the Division of City Schools offices of the

Department of Education – Manila and the Department of Education – Quezon City. Together with the permits, the researcher sent out e-mails and personally delivered request letters for interview to different schools in Quezon City and Manila, but only the given schools permitted the conducting of interviews. The researcher also reached out to private schools in Quezon City and

Manila, but there was no response from them.

The request letters for interview first went to the offices of the principals of the respective schools, and once the request for interview was granted, an authority from the office of the principal was usually the one who directed or accompanied the researcher to either their respective

Araling Panlipunan faculties or directly to the teachers who were available and fit for interview.

Eleven (11) of the respondents agreed to the one-on-one interviews, two (2) respondents, however, preferred to answer the questionnaire in written form – they provided their answers in the same sheet of paper where the set of questions were found, which was attached to the informed consent form given to them. The researcher, then, just returned to the school where the respondents taught to get the sheets of paper containing their answers. In one case, a focus group discussion was conducted by the researcher with the teachers from one specific school – the respondents preferred this mode of interview due to time constraints and to more easily accommodate everyone who wanted to participate.

As for the textbook authors, the researcher was only able to interview two. An interview was conducted with Ms. Christine Diaz, formerly a Social Studies Area Editor from C&E

Publishing, Inc. and an author for Anvil Publishing, Inc., now she is an editor from Asiaherald,

Inc. Another interview was conducted with Mr. Dexter Ramos from Araullo High School, who has been an author, reviewer, and consultant for Araling Panlipunan in the elementary and junior high school series for nine years already under the DIWA Publishing Company. Ms. Diaz agreed to a one-on-one interview with the researcher, while Mr. Ramos preferred to answer the questions through written form – his answers were sent to the researcher via e-mail.

The researcher also conducted a key-informant interview with the Department of Education

(DepEd) through Mr. Emmerson Yang. Mr. Yang is a senior education program specialist from the Curriculum Standards Development Division (CSDD) of the Bureau of Curriculum

Development (BCD). The researcher firstly reached out to the Department of Education through e-mail, and once the request for interview was granted, Mr. Yang e-mailed the researcher directly to give details about the time, date, and place of the interview.

Informed Consent Forms (ICFs), which were approved by the researcher’s adviser, were provided to all the respondents, attached to the letters of request for interview. The researcher produced three sets of questionnaires (found in the appendices) that served as the primary instruments of study; the first set questions was purposely intended for the interview with the teachers, the second one was for the interview with the authors, and the last set of questions was intended for the interview with the representative from the Department of Education. Both the

Informed Consent Forms and the questionnaires were given to the respondents on a date prior to the actual interview.

The interviews were conducted at the location and time of the respondents’ own choosing.

With the express consent of the respondents, the interviews were voice-recorded, and the soft copies of the recordings were stored in the researcher’s laptop (as specified in the informed consent form), which is password-protected and is only used by the researcher. Some of the transcription of the interviews, however, were done by the researcher, and some were done by outside parties who offered transcription services. The transcriptions of the interviews were stored in the researcher’s laptop.

The textbook authors, Ms. Diaz and Mr. Ramos, and Mr. Yang from the DepEd agreed to being named in this research. Some of the teacher-respondents, however, asked to be known anonymously in this study (to which the researcher expressly agreed to), that is why, for uniformity, the researcher decided not to name all the teachers in this paper, even though some of them agreed to being named. The researcher just gave aliases to the respondents in the chapter wherein the results and findings are discussed. It should be noted that the questions during the interview proper revolved around, but were not limited to, the set of questions provided prior to the interview itself – this was something that the researcher clarified with the respondents before the conducting of interviews.

All the respondents’ answers and responses were analysed by studying them carefully, summarizing them, and cross-checking them with the other respondents’ answers. The researcher assured the respondents that all data collected from them for this study will be used for research purposes only. The collected data will be destroyed after the academic year 2018-2019, on the month of June 2019.

Additionally, the researcher also personally assessed some books required for this study.

These include the books that were already discussed in the review of literature of this study. The books that were assessed by the researcher are as follows:

1) “Bagong Lakbay ng Lahing Pilipino” by Baisa-Julian and Lontoc. Published by

Phoenix Publishing House, 2016

2) “Bayanihan 6: Mga Hamon at Tugon sa Pagkabansa” by Ramos and De Guzman.

Published by DIWA Textbooks, 2018

3) “HEKASI 6: Sibika at Kultura sa Umuunlad na Pilipinas” by Labrague and Tome.

Published by IBON Foundation Inc., 2006

4) “Lahing Kayumanggi: HEKASI” by Edgardo B. Fabian. Published by The Library

Publishing House, Inc., 2014

5) “Kayamanan: Batayan at Sanayang Aklat sa Araling Panlipunan” by Antonio,

Banlaygas, and Dallo. Published by Rex Book Store, Inc., 2017

6) “Kultura, Kasaysayan, at Kabuhayan” by Agno, Tadena, Balonso, and dela Cruz.

Published by Vibal Group, Inc., 2016

7) “Lahing Pilipino Kaagapay sa Ika-21 Siglo: Batayan at Sanayang Aklat sa Araling

Panlipunan” by Barcelon, Belarde, Concha, Daroni, Fajardo, and Mariano. Published

by Rex Book Store, Inc., 2019

8) “Kayamanan (Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas)” by Antonio, Dallo, Imperial, Samson, and

Soriano. Published by Rex Book Store, Inc., 2010

9) “Kabihasnang Pilipino Kasaysayan at Pamahalaan” by Boncan, Jose, Ong, and

Ponsaran. Published by Vibal Publishing House, Inc., 2010

10) “History of the Philippines Based on Primary Sources” by Columbres, Ferrer,

Hernandez, and Labucay. Published by Vibal Group, Inc., 2014

11) “Turning Points I: Worktext in Philippine History for First Year High School” by

Antonio, Dallo, Imperial, Samson, and Soriano. Published by Rex Book Store, Inc.,

2007

12) “Ang Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas sa Nakalipas at Kasalukuyang Panahon” by Vanessa

Policarpio-Alcantara. Published by CJS Publishing, 2008

13) “Kasaysayan at Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas” by Camagay, Medina, Mateo, Lazaro, and

Mateo. Published by SIBS Publishing House, Inc., 2001

14) “Turning Points I” by Antonio, Dallo, Imperial, Samson, and Soriano. Published by

Rex Book Store, Inc., 2011

15) “Kayamanan (Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas): Workteks sa Araling Panlipunan para sa

Unang Taon sa Sekundarya” by Antonio, Dallo, Imperial, Samson, and Soriano.

Published by Rex Book Store, Inc., 2005

16) “Philippines: History and Government” by Viloria, Dela Cruz, and Legaspi. Published

by Vibal Publishing House, 2005

17) “Pilipinas: Hamon sa pagbabago” by Viloria and De Leon. Published by Vibal

Publishing House, 2003

18) “Mahal kong Pilipinas” by Carandang, Sebastian, Pacaigue, de Jesus, and Galecio.

Published by Educational Resources Corporation, 2008

19) “Philippine History: Celebrate Philippine Achievements” by Leuterio. Published by

Magallanes Publishing House, Inc., 2012

20) “Pilipinas, Isang Sulyap at Pagyakap” by Rama, Rama, Domingo, and Cruz. Published

by EdCrisch International, 2012

21) “Makabayan: Kasaysayan ng Bansa” by Palu-ay, Batac, Rees, and Magtangob.

Published by Vibal Publishing House, Inc., 2003

22) “Isang Bansa, Isang Lahi” by Dimayuga, Batac, Reyes, and Magtangob. Published by

Vibal Publishing House, Inc., 2007.

23) “Kultura, Kasaysayan at Kabuhayan” by Agno, Balonso, Jose, Mateo, and Tadena.

Published by Vibal Publishing House, Inc., 2007

24) “Ang Lahing Pilipino, Dakila at Marangal” by Pelingo and Sablaon. Published by Rex

Book Store, Inc., 2010.

Only six books are used in public schools, and the rest of the books are used in private schools. The books from the public schools were borrowed by the researcher from the respondents, while the books used in the private schools were borrowed by the researcher from acquaintances who study/teach in private schools.

The data matrix below provides a more summarized version of this study’s methodology.

Source of Data Data Needed or Where to find Analysis of Data Ethical Aspects Other comments it To clearly define what Content 1. Discussions historical analysis; on Historical revisionism and Secondary Searching for Acknowledge/site Revisionism and historical materials themes and all sources Historical negationism are; subthemes in the Negationism to point out the materials difference between the two

1. Historical 2. Discussion on account To contextualize how history how textbooks textbooks are 2. Content are revised to Secondary Acknowledge/site revised to analysis; present a truer materials all sources update current Searching for picture of outdated themes and historical information subthemes in the records materials Studying the To contextualize Key Informant responses of the the case of 3. Assessment Interview/In- interviewees; Informed consent history school of history school depth Interview summarizing the form w/ the list textbooks and textbooks used of experts responses; cross- questions to be the situation of in schools in the (teachers, checking with asked how Philippine Philippines authors, the responses of history is taught publishers) other to students interviewees 4. Discussion on how the Marcos- Analysis of the To contextualize era martial law content; fact- how the Marcos- Secondary Acknowledge/site is portrayed in checking and era martial law materials all sources Philippine triangulating is taught in history sources schools textbooks 1. Content analysis; Searching for themes and 5. Discussion on 1. subthemes in the how history 1. Secondary Acknowledge/site materials textbooks used materials all sources in schools are 2. Studying the approved by the 2. Key 2. Informed responses of the Department of Informant interviewees; consent form w/ Education Interview summarizing the the list questions (DepEd) responses; cross- to be asked checking with the responses of other interviewees Table 1. Data Matrix

CHAPTER VI

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

The findings of this study were from the data gathered from secondary sources and from the information shared by all sixteen (16) interviewees – three of whom just chose to answer the questions in written form, and the remaining agreed to one-on-one interviews and focus group discussion. All the respondents were provided with informed consent forms by the researcher and were provided with the questionnaires intended for each of them prior to the date of the actual interview (or, in the case of the three respondents who chose to give written answers, prior to the date when the answers were collected). The respondents were purposely selected because the researcher believes that they have/know information that may be helpful to this study.

The one thing that needed to be clarified first was the difference between textbooks and learner’s manuals. There was, in fact, hardly any difference between the two as per the researcher’s interview with the representative from the Department of Education, at least in usage- wise – these are the references used by teachers and students in schools. But one of the respondents claimed by explaining that textbooks, in general, are the references used by teachers and students in private schools; on the other hand, the guide used by teachers and students in public schools are so-called learner’s manuals. Furthermore, the said respondent explained that in textbooks, the authors have more liberty to express their own opinions to illustrate more clearly the discussions in the books. In the learner’s manuals, however, it is rare for authors to put their own judgements alongside the discussion – this way, the learner’s manuals are more limited.

To organize the discussion of the findings, the researcher divided this portion into five parts: first was the discussion of the respondents’ knowledge about historical negationism; the second part focused on the researcher’s key-informant interview with the Department of

Education; third part revolved around the data gathered from the in-depth interviews with the teachers; next was the discussion about the interviews conducted with the textbooks authors; and the last part was reserved for the discussion on the assessment of the textbooks specified in the first chapter.

For easy reference and navigation through the respondent’s answers, the representative from the Department of Education and the textbook authors were identified by their names since all of them agreed to being named in this paper. Considering the request of some of the teacher- respondents for anonymity, the researcher decided to randomly assign them names; the respondents shall be referred to as Respondent A, Respondent B, Respondent C, Respondent D,

Respondent E, Respondent F, Respondent G, Respondent H, Respondent I, Respondent J,

Respondent K, Respondent L, and Respondent M.

Knowledge on Historical Negationism

Given that the term and phenomenon of historical negationism is one of the primary factors of this study, it was vital to know how it was perceived by the respondents. The difference between historical negationism and historical revisionism had already been stated in the former part of this paper, but to reiterate: historical revisionism refers to the modification/alteration of historical facts so as to account for newly found evidences, confirmed data, or legitimate information that may help draw a truer picture of historical truths. This is mostly done for intellectual purposes and with the intention of straightening out misunderstanding from before. Historical negationism, on the other hand, is an extreme form of revisionism wherein facts are distorted to create a new narrative so as to support some kind of “truth” that may not be true for everyone else. This is often done with ill intentions – to confuse or realign the perspective of the people from what truly happened.

As stated earlier, there were 16 respondents for this study, including teachers, textbook authors, and the representative from the Department of Education. It was worth noticing that, out of these 16 respondents, when asked whether they had any knowledge on the term “historical negationism” prior to the interview that was conducted, thirteen (13) of them said that they had never encountered the term, and so they had no knowledge about it. The remaining three (3), however, claimed that they were familiar with the term in that they have encountered it before through different means, but these three respondents did not exactly know what the term meant.

Some were familiar with the term “historical revisionism” instead, but almost all of them interpreted the term in a negative sense – they confused the term historical revisionism with the actual meaning of historical negationism.

One respondent, however, offered his/her knowledge about the said topics. He/she said that during one lecture or conference that he/she attended, he/she learned that there was only really

“historical revisionism” and that this was divided into two – positive historical revisionism and negative historical revisionism. By this, he/she effectively claimed that there was no such thing as

“historical negationism.”

Positive historical revisionism, as per how he/she explained it, is the revision of the current knowledge in order to incorporate newly found facts or evidences, thus this pertains to what we know in this paper as “historical revisionism.” Negative historical revisionism, on the other hand, is the intentional distortion or reinterpretation of historical facts in order to create a new narrative that will be used to support someone else’s “truth” – this then is what we know in this paper as

“historical negationism.” The researcher decided to stick with the given definitions of the terms

“historical revisionism” and “historical negationism” as per the review of the related literature, and decided to put this specific finding in this chapter and not include it in the first chapter because the

respondent could not provide a tangible study or paper as basis for her claims about the said topics.

The researcher asked the respondent if he/she can substantiate his/her claims with a study or an existing literature, but he/she explained that he/she only heard it from a lecture or conference he/she attended.

The researcher agrees that the term “historical negationism” is not a well-known one, as compared to the term “historical revisionism.” Due to the many issues in the country regarding historical facts (mostly related to the Marcoses – their late patriarch’s regime and their alleged ill- gotten wealth) and fake news, the term historical revisionism surfaced. Although mostly used in a derogatory term, often confusing it with negationism, the term historical revisionism is being used by many people today that it is hard not to encounter it every once in a while.

Some of the respondents’ answers were refreshing in the sense that, at a time wherein the terms are used ubiquitously, they had no prior knowledge about the given concepts. In the case of

Respondent G, Respondent M, and Mr. Emmerson Yang, their knowledge regarding the terms, although limited, were comforting to know, because, even though they gave ambiguous answers to define the terms “historical negationism” and “historical revisionism,” they, at least, were aware of such terms – add to this the fact that they vaguely knew that the two terms are different from each other.

Key-Informant Interview: Department of Education

The researcher found it necessary to conduct an interview with a representative from the

Department of Education since this is the implementing agency that oversees matters regarding the education system in the Philippines, including the development of the curriculum. Prior to the interview with the DepEd, the researcher safely assumed that all the textbooks used in schools in the country undergo the assessment and approval of the said office (yet another reason why it was

necessary to interview them), but as will be discussed later on, this is proven otherwise/false. And to reiterate, the representative of the DepEd for the interview was Mr. Emmerson Yang from the

Curriculum Standards Development Division (CSDD) of the Bureau of Curriculum Development

(BCD). He is one of the senior education program specialists for Araling Panlipunan.

Main agencies responsible for the assessment of textbooks

Firstly, among the numerous divisions in the Department of Education, Mr. Emmerson

Yang clarified that the main office responsible for the assessment of school textbooks is the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR). Together with its inner divisions, the BLR also seeks assistance from the Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD). Mainly, these two divisions have the responsibility to check and determine the books to be used in schools. Mr. Yang further expounded on the mandate of the BCD, saying “Our mandate, basically, is more on the development of standards. So, our function is to make sure that the right learning competencies are in the curriculum.”

Moving on, Mr. Yang clarified the scope of the assessment of textbooks by the Department of Education. He said that the the DepEd does not have the jurisdiction over the textbooks used in private schools in the country. Textbooks used in private schools do not undergo the process of assessment by the DepEd. So, consequently, the authority to choose the textbooks to be used in private schools lies in/on the respective administrations of each private schools. Mr. Yang stated,

“Hindi bahagi ng mandato ng DepEd ang tignan, siyasatin yung mga aklat na ginagamit sa mga pribadong paaralan.” [Translation: It is not part of the mandate of the DepEd to oversee or assess the textbooks used in private schools.]

But he went on to explain that the DepEd is already working on this issue, and that hopefully, in the future, the DepEd would become a major agent in the evaluation of textbooks

used in private schools. Mr. Yang explained that it is important for one specific governing body, in this case the DepEd, to oversee the process of evaluation of textbooks because the observation is that those errors identified in the textbooks which are part of the complaints of the public came from textbooks published by private companies – textbooks that did not undergo the process of assessment of the DepEd.

The same was seen in the process of approval of textbooks – the DepEd does not have the capacity nor even the mandate to approve textbooks for private schools; this responsibility is taken over by their respective school administrations. Mr. Yang said that the only books assessed and chosen by the DepEd are the ones that were submitted to the BLR.

Process of textbook assessment

Now that these have been discussed, we proceed to the discussion regarding the assessment of textbooks by the Department of Education. When asked what are the main features they give importance to in assessing school textbooks, Mr. Yang said that there were several factors that the agency considers. He said during the interview that they are currently reviewing the existing templates used for evaluation of textbooks in order to assure the correct and proper assessment of the said learning materials.

First of the factors that they consider is the compliance of the textbooks to the learning competencies set by the DepEd. Another important factor that they consider, of course, is the content of the textbooks. These two seem to be the most important factors they give importance to when assessing school textbooks. Mr. Yang said that there also sub-factors, yet also vital ones, like the textbooks’ being up-to-date with current issues, the textbooks’ comprehensiveness, their instructional design which includes the layout of the book, the pictures used, and other visual aids incorporated, and the DepEd also considers the textbooks’ pedagogical aspects.

So, to start the process of assessing school textbooks, there is the initiating instruction termed as the “textbook call.” In this textbook call, there is a submission of manuscripts by interested parties like publishing houses and private authors to the BLR. The BLR, then, conducts a preliminary and initial screening for the manuscripts they have received. After this, the BLR calls upon the assistance of different agencies, which may be from just inside the DepEd or outside of the said department, for the evaluation proper.

For the evaluation and assessment of textbooks, the BLR usually invites four (4) area evaluators – each tasked to assess a specific composition of the textbooks. The Area 1 evaluator, firstly, is the one responsible to assess the textbooks with regards to their compliance to the curriculum and to the learning competencies. The Area 1 evaluator usually comes from inside the

DepEd, specifically from the BCD.

Next, we have the Area 2 evaluator whose main function is to check the content of textbooks. Mr. Yang explained that the Area 2 evaluator is usually a representative from the academe – this evaluator assesses the content and depth of the learning resources.

The Area 3 evaluator, however, focuses on assessing the instructional design and organization of the textbooks – included herein are the use of graphic organizers, the layout of the books, the images used, and the way the text are presented. Area 3 evaluator, as explained by Mr.

Yang, may come from outside or inside the DepEd.

And lastly, the Area 4 evaluator focuses on the language of the book – this does not only pertain to what language is used in the textbooks, it also pertains to how easily the text can be understood by the users of the learning materials. Usually, language editors, university professors,

or a representative from the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) are invited to be the evaluators for this area.

When asked by the researcher how the Department of Education ensures the objective assessment of textbooks, Mr. Yang explained that assessors and evaluators mainly depend on the curriculum guide (CG). During the evaluation, from the point of view of any specialist, he said, it is a must that they were well-versed with what was in the CG.

They first check what the specific learning competencies were stated in the CG, and then they match it with the content of the learning material. If the learning competencies from the curriculum guide and the content of the learning materials are aligned, they deem the textbook as good.

At first glance, this process really looks like a fool-proof way to ensure the objective assessment of textbooks, but when one digs deeper, it comes to realization that the problem inherently lies on/in the design of the curriculum guide.

The process of depending on the CG to ensure objectivity is disregarded when the curriculum guide itself already contains certain biases. The “assessment” itself might be deemed objective because the process only requires the evaluators to be guided by the CG, but the products and outcomes of this assessment would mirror the inclinations found in the curriculum guide.

Additionally, when asked how the DepEd evaluates textbooks against personal biases, Mr.

Yang did not exactly answer the question, but, instead, admitted that this is still an area of improvement for the Department of Education and that there are, indeed, various viewpoints and opinions that may affect the assessment of textbooks. He further explained that it is part of the

BCD’s mandate to introduce new policies that will ensure proper evaluation of textbooks.

More than the curtailing of certain biases and the correction of wrong data in textbooks, the assessment of textbooks is important, as Mr. Yang explained, because it “serves as a guarantee for DepEd that we deliver the quality education through the content that can be seen, read by the learners in these learning materials.”

Aside from correcting the errors found in the textbooks and improving the content, the importance of textbook review or evaluation is seen in its capacity to “make sure that the learning resources are responsive to the needs of the society, to the needs of education, [and] the trends.”

The process of assessing textbooks is done to make sure that the learners could apply the theories found in the books to the realities found in their society. But when the problems are inherent in the materials used as basis for the assessment of textbooks, as mentioned earlier, the learners may become more detached from their realities and their history. Instead of helping the learners bridge the gap between theory and reality, these problems regarding biases and certain opinions could push the learners either to understand theories that cannot be applied to their realities, or to realities that are not found in the theories they have learned.

The topic of the Marcos-era martial law

Following the discussion about the assessment of textbooks, it is also important to discuss the topic of the Marcos-era martial law, or at least how and where it is situated in the current educational system of the country. So, before the implementation of the K to 12 program, the subject of Philippine history (including the history of the Marcos-era martial law) was taught at the first-year high school level. Come the implementation of the K to 12 program, Philippine history was displaced, and is now taught at the Grade 6 elementary level.

The discussion on the Marcos-era martial law, in particular, is found at the fourth quarter as a part of the discussion on the Third Republic of the Philippines. Mr. Yang explained that prior to the K to 12 curriculum, there already existed the term “decongesting” of the curriculum.

Through this mechanism, subject matters are either removed or displaced in order to accommodate other relevant disciplines and to incorporate new topics.

As an example of this, we consider the rationale of why the DepEd placed the discussion of Philippine history at the Grade 6 level; Mr. Yang stated that the DepEd did so to accommodate the so-called “contemporary issues” subject in Grade 10 – these topics are prioritized at the Grade

10 level because, as Mr. Yang said, these are more complex matters that may not be easily understood by younger learners. The decision to add the subject of contemporary issues to discuss topics like the LGBTQ+ community, environmentalism, terrorism, etc., is a good move on one hand, but seen from another point of view, this pushes back or may even disregard pressing topics such as the country’s history.

However, Mr. Yang informed the researcher that there is a current effort to review the decision of placing Philippine history at the Grade 6 level. Through the researcher’s interviews with the history teachers, it was found out that most of them preferred Philippine history to be discussed in the first-year high school level because learners at this level can better understand or comprehend the lessons as compared to learners in the Grade 6 level.

In his personal opinion, Mr. Yang said that even though he has not yet encountered studies about the direct relation of the appropriateness of the subject matter to the learners’ age, he agrees with the idea that the topic of Philippine history needs more mature learners for greater appreciation, especially because the subject of Philippine history is more on the building of foundations of citizenship and identity.

In the current curriculum, the extent of the subject matters, specifically the subject of

Philippine history, is more prioritized than the intensiveness of the discussions. Mr. Yang explains,

“Ang curriculum kasi ngayon for Grade 5 and Grade 6 in terms of Philippine history teaching, ay nakatuon sa mga learning competencies, more on the skills, unlike in the undergraduate level [na] more on the intensiveness of the teaching - more on the depth of the content. Pero saamin kasi, sa

DepEd lalo na, we look into the learning competencies, then we make sure na yung mga pedagogies, yung learning content ay aligned dito sa mga nakalagay dito (curriculum guide).”

[Translation: The curriculum for Grade 5 and Grade 6 today, in terms of Philippine history, is focused on the learning competencies and on the skills, unlike in the undergraduate level which is focused on the intensiveness of the teaching or on the depth of the content. What we do in the

DepEd is we look into the learning competencies and then we make sure that the learning contents are aligned with these competencies.]

Because the target are younger learners, the focus is more on instilling the skills set by the learning competencies than the deepening of the discussions regarding the specific subject matters.

Effect(s) of current political atmosphere on curriculum-development

Finally, when the researcher asked whether the current political atmosphere affects the development of the curriculum by the agency, Mr. Yang said that as much as possible they do not let the political environment to influence what they do inside the bureau. He further explained by saying that they try to stick with their given mandate, and that they try to be more objective in drafting the curriculum. He said that their main consideration is that the curriculum must be responsive and relevant to the learners given today’s 21st century.

In-depth Interviews: History Teachers

Moving on, the discussion now focuses on the in-depth interviews with the history teachers.

The researcher found it important to conduct interviews with teachers because they are the ones who are mainly exposed to textbooks, apart from students. Teachers use textbooks not only primarily use textbooks to acquire knowledge, but they also use these to prepare their lessons for classroom discussions. Aside from this, as the teacher plays a major role in the teaching and learning process, with or without the use of textbooks, it is vital to know their insights and opinions.

Just to reiterate, there were 13 teachers from 6 different schools who participated in this study.

Importance of textbooks

Firstly, being the central site of where the phenomena of historical revisionism and historical negationism may or may not exist, school textbooks (and learner’s manuals) and their roles are also given importance to this study’s analysis. Even in today’s modern society wherein computers and other gadgets slowly replace the traditional sources of learning, school textbooks still hold a special role inside the four corners of the classroom – at least in elementary and high school; school textbooks still serve as the basic guide of teachers in teaching and the primary reference of students/learners in learning.

Having emphasized the importance of the role of textbooks, their content must also be scrutinized to ensure accuracy and authenticity of facts. In this study, the researcher focuses on the

Marcos-era martial law in Philippine history. As aptly stated by Altbach (1991), “Textbooks are one of the most important educational inputs: texts reflect basic ideas about a national culture, and

… are often a flashpoint of cultural struggle and controversy.”

All the 13 teacher-respondents of this study agreed that school textbooks/learner’s manuals are important in both teaching and learning. Although this may be the case, they still differed in

weighing how important these materials are. Respondent L, for example, simply consider textbooks/learner’s manuals as the primary tools for learning. Respondent K agreed to this, although in a stronger manner, saying that textbooks/learner’s manuals are “very important” as they serve as the “sources of information, especially in history.” But given that they now have more alternative sources of information and ways of teaching such as Google and the provided

ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) equipment, as stated by Respondent K, he/she said that he/she has become less dependent on textbooks/learner’s manuals as his/her guide in teaching. Still, Respondent K considers textbooks as vital.

Respondent M, on the other hand, has put a more clear-cut distinction as to how important textbooks are in teaching and learning, and how dependent he/she is on these materials. He/she said that these learner’s manuals only account for about 60% of his/her teaching; the remaining

40% is dedicated to the research he/she does for the discussions.

9 out of the 13 respondents explained that they are now hardly dependent on the textbooks provided as they can already access information through more convenient means, like the internet, the media, and other electronic means. Respondent A, however, shared that he/she is still dependent on the textbooks because all the exams and “competencies” that come from the

Department of Education are based on the provided textbooks.

Since all the teachers that were interviewed come from public schools, some of them stated that they often use learning materials from private schools because they find them to be better organized and informative, one of these respondents is Respondent H.

Respondent M explained that the reason behind his/her lessened dependency on the learner’s manuals (the books used in public schools) was due to his/her assumption that the authors

of these manuals are not “100% non-partisan.” Relating this to the topic about historical negationism, Respondent M said that like in denialism, some of the authors of these manuals choose to alter or omit facts if they do not agree with the narrative; “Syempre kapag ayaw nila yung isusulat nila, tulad ng sinabi ko kanina – denialism, papalitan nila yan.” [Translation: Of course, if they do not like what they will write, as I mentioned earlier, they will change it, and denialism will come into play.]

This is the reason, as Respondent M said, why he/she chooses to do his/her own research on the topics discussed in class. Respondents C, D, E, and F also voiced out their lessened dependency on textbooks, saying that they only use it to get the basic facts.

Respondent I, however, said that his/her lessened dependency on textbooks is due to the fact the he/she prefers that students learn more from activities than from the rigid and literal text in the books.

The importance of textbooks/learner’s manuals cannot be denied – they remain as the primary sources of information and guide in teaching and learning in schools. But the merits and demerits of dependency on these materials with regard to teaching or learning remain arguable.

For example, one cannot possibly ascertain if it is entirely good or bad (or how good or bad it is) to depend on a learner’s manual that contains limited content, as it is impossible to say if it is beneficial or disadvantageous (and to what degree) to depend on textbooks that contain the authors’ own points of view.

One contrasting idea from Respondent M is about his/her dependency on textbooks and learner’s manuals. In the earlier part of this chapter, the researcher stated a distinction between textbooks and learner’s manuals, being that textbooks contained more information as their authors

are at more liberty to input their own opinions, and that learner’s manuals were more limited this way as their authors avoid putting their personal perspectives – this distinction was actually offered by Respondent M. A contradiction ensues because, while he/she believes in this logic, he/she still responded that he/she is only partly dependent on learner’s manuals because of their authors’ alleged “non-partisanship,” but at the same time he/she says that he/she uses textbooks (the materials which, by his/her own judgement, contain more of the authors’ own opinions and views) as references in teaching.

Continuing on the importance of textbooks and focusing on the teachers’ ways of teaching, when asked whether they prefer to stick to the discussions in the textbooks/learner’s manuals or they would rather add their personal experiences and opinions, the respondents’ answers varied from one another.

Eight (8) of the respondents said that they prefer mixing in their personal experiences and opinions because they believe that this is a more effective way for the students to learn, in that the students can easily relate to the lessons in the books.

Respondent B, while agreeing that adding in personal opinions in discussions are effective, said that it is also important to see to it that these opinions have legal and factual bases.

Respondent K, however, answered negatively and stated that while opinions and experiences are important, he/she does not want to insist his/her opinions on the students for the fear of affecting the students’ own thinking.

Respondent M, on the other hand, said that sharing experiences and opinions and incorporating them in discussions are dependent on a case-to-case basis. There are more appropriate times, he/she said, wherein adding personal experiences and opinions to the

discussions might aid or amplify the students’ learning, and there are times that it is better to leave the topics as is discussed in the textbook or as specified in the DepEd’s learning competencies. It is not always the case that one should only consider what is written on books, as it is not always the case that one should only rely on his/her own opinions. Respondent M explained, “Hangga’t maaari, para saakin, hindi ako dapat magbibigay ng opinion para ma-brain wash sila o kung ano man yung ma-stock nila (sa isip nila) … Hihintayin ko sila magtanong, o sila yung magbibigay ng opinion. So sa ganyang pagbibigay ng opinion kasi, case to case basis.” [Translation: As much as possible, I do not want to give my opinions because there is a possibility for them to be brainwashed or for my opinions to be stuck in their minds … I will wait for them to give their own opinions, or ask about the topics. Giving out [my] opinions is on a case-to-case basis.] This way,

Respondent M avoids putting loaded meanings on certain topics, as he/she lets the learners, themselves, absorb and interpret the information first. He/she, then, concludes, “Malaki kasi ang impact kapag sa teacher nanggaling na ituturo mo sa bata.” [Translation: There is a great impact when teachers are the ones who impart knowledge to their students.]

In addition, the input of the authors’ own opinions in textbooks/learner’s manuals is likewise essential to be discussed, as it affects the content of the reference materials and, consequently, the students’/learners’ learning process. Respondent M, when asked whether it is more agreeable for authors to put their own opinions and perspectives in the textbooks/learner’s manuals they write or not, said that it would be better not to do so. He/she further adds, although as an answer to a different but related question to this topic, “Doon pa lang sa author, mali na, kasi dapat hindi siya nagbibigay ng sarili niyang opinion since maraming taong makakabasa niyan. Bigay niya lang yung facts – bakit namatay, sino yung mga namatay, bakit hindi nagkaroon ng human rights.” [Translation: The author should not give his/her opinions since there are many

people who would read the text. He/she should just put the facts, like those who died, why they died, or why human rights were not upheld.]

Respondent M then concluded that this is why the Department of Education does not use, or avoids the use of, textbooks in public schools, at least – this is to avoid incorporating the various authors’ own views to the students’ learning. He/she stated that the DepEd would first like to align the students’ views before introducing them to different perspectives; “Kaya, ang DepEd kasi, hangga’t maaari walang textbook dahil gusto nilang i-align muna ano ba yung meron, lalo na kapag Araling Panlipunan, ia-align muna nila yan.” [Translation: For the DepEd, as much as possible, they avoid using textbooks because they first want to align things, especially in Araling

Panlipunan.] What this “alignment” meant was not expounded, but the researcher assumes that it means the DepEd, or more generally the government, wants the students to first have one primary perspective about certain subject matters. Now the merits of this is arguable, because it depends on whether the perspective set by the government to be followed by the students is good or bad, right or wrong, or accurate or questionable.

Now that the influence of textbooks/learner’s manuals (and the different opinions of both teachers and authors) to teaching and learning has been emphasized, it is also important to discuss whether students or learners tend to believe everything written in their books or not. This factor is vital to the study as it will help assess whether or not historical negationism is being enforced through the use of the reference materials.

12 of the respondents affirmatively said that their students easily believe what is written in their textbooks – but all their responses come with reservations. For example, Respondent A answered affirmatively to the question, but he/she clarified that in the special sections, there are stills students who like to question what is written in their textbooks.

Likewise, Respondent B answered the question affirmatively, but he/she offered that students more easily believe what the teachers say or discuss. While Respondents G and I both answered affirmatively, they see the students’ use of the internet and social media differently.

Respondent G said that his/her students easily believe what is written in the textbooks, but, at the same time, they like to question some things too because of what they encounter in the social media. Respondent I, on the other hand, said that while students may easily believe lessons in the textbooks, they are now more dependent on the internet than on books. And because of this, as what Respondent L said, the supervision of teachers is important in guiding the students’ learning process – it is vital for teachers to guide the students in using the textbooks and to align the students’ thoughts about certain subject matters.

In the discussion above, not only the physical presence of textbooks/learner’s manuals has been given weight, but their content, role, and how they are utilized were also given importance.

The opinions of educators who guide learners in learning were also considered as factors that may either amplify or dull the students’ reception of the materials’ content. But most notably, it has been pointed out that the DepEd consciously refrains from procuring textbooks (for public schools) as these materials contain more of their respective authors’ opinions. What is more worth noticing is that the DepEd does this seemingly because they want to “align” the learners’ perspectives first

– whether this is a positive or negative issue, as mentioned earlier, is arguable. But in the case wherein the phenomenon of historical negationism exists, this practice is seen in a bad light because the so-called “alignment of perspective” becomes a dictatorial scheme that translates into forcing the learners to only consider a few aspects of the truth; other perspectives are forced out of the playing field that is why the learners are pressured to face certain societal issues without knowing most of the truth.

Knowledge or reaction to the Marcos-era martial law

Moving on to the primary historical event selected for this study on historical negationism, as it was already discussed that opinions and perspectives matter both in textbooks and in teaching and learning, it is also vital that one knows how educators and learners alike view and react to the

Marcos-era martial law.

Firstly, some things need be put forward first so as to better understand the discussions and the respondents’ answers that come in later. When asked on what grade level is the topic of the

Marcos-era martial law discussed, the respondents gave varied and confusing answers. 9 of them stated that, in the current K to 12 curriculum, the said topic is discussed in the elementary level.

However, 2 of them, both are elementary teachers, stated that the said topic is discussed in the high school level. Another respondent, also a teacher who teaches in the elementary level, stated that the topic of martial law is not at all discussed anymore in the current curriculum. In Chapter 1 of this paper, in the review of related literature, one source stated that Philippine history is usually tackled in Grade 7; one other source (although not included in this study’s RRL), however, stated that Philippine history is discussed in Grade 8 (X. Tongoy, personal communication, November

14, 2018).

Going back to this paper’s RRL, another source provided that since 2014, the education department removed the teaching of Philippine history from the secondary level, and it is only being petitioned back this school year. Contrasting information about the discussion of Philippine history and the current K to 12 curriculum are being provided, but as per the interview with the

Department of Education, it has been clarified that the subject matter regarding the Marcos-era martial law is discussed in the Grade 6 elementary level.

Differing knowledge about this issue becomes a problem because some of the actual educators who are supposed to teach the said topic are not even aware at what grade level it should be taught. Respondent M clarified that discussions regarding martial law in the grade school level are really limited, as they only contain the most basic information. This somehow explains why the discussions in grade school textbooks/learners’ manuals regarding martial law can be deemed as narrow and inadequate.

Now focusing on the respondents’ views regarding the Marcos-era martial law, seven (7) respondents offered rather positive perspectives about it – they believe that during the martial law era, discipline was instilled among the people, and that economic development was very evident.

One of them said that it is important to acknowledge that up until today, the projects of the former

President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. during the martial law years are still seen and are still utilized by the Filipino people. Some of them felt that the declaration of martial law was what the country needed at the time.

Three (3) of the respondents expressed somewhat negative opinions about the Marcos-era martial law – one said so simply because she is from the Bicol region, while the other two explained that the martial law years under Marcos was “like a nightmare for most of the Filipino people.”

The remaining three respondents stood their ground as having neutral viewpoints about the topic, but all had inclinations towards the “good” side of the martial law era.

Respondent B, for example, said that during the martial law years, he/she was a very engaged activist, but through the years he/she had come to realize the “good effects and products” of the martial law era. Responent H likewise said that he/she wants to acknowledge the many projects of President Marcos during the martial law years, while remaining on the neutral side of things. This is also the rationale of Respondent M – he/she sees himself/herself as “non-partisan”

but when asked about the matter, he/she likes to tell people that he/she appreciates the projects of

President Marcos.

Discussion of the Marcos-era martial law in textbooks and in actual teaching

Moving on, according to eight (8) of the teacher-respondents, the discussions regarding the

Marcos-era martial law found in their textbooks are rather limited; the eight of them shared the same view regarding the matter, but they all had different reasons. Respondent A said the discussions were limited in the sense that only the feats or accomplishmetns of President Marcos are discussed, and there are no mention of human rights violations, etc. Respondent B stated,

“Limited lang kasi parang dadaanan lang. Kapiraso, so kung anong sinabi ‘nong teacher, kung ano ‘yung facts sa [libro], ‘yun din ‘yong ituturo ni teacher, so limited." [Translation: It is limited because it is only discussed in passing. Whatever basic facts are in the textbooks, those are the only things taught by the teacher.]

Contrary to what Respondent A said, Respondents C, D, E, and F stated that the discussions were limited in the sense that they were only focused on the negative aspects of the Marcos regime and of the martial law years – there was a limited discussion on the infrastructure projects of

Marcos.

Respondent I, however, justified the narrowness of the discussions regarding the subject matter by saying that these are meant to be introductory since the target learners are still young, so basic facts are the only discussions offered in the books. Respondent M shared the same sentiments as Respondent I, and he/she further clarified that the discussions on the Marcos-era martial law in the elementary level should naturally be just light and limited, and that the “deepening” on these topics should be done in the high school level. Respondent K simply said that the discussions regarding the topic as presented in textbooks are “balanced.”

It was Respondent G who offered a different perspective from the rest; according to him/her the discussions on the textbooks regarding the martial law are not limited, and it depends on the teachers how this topic should be expounded and explained to the students. Respondent G explained, “Every textbook has its limitation because they cannot reprint one major history of events.” He/she, then, suggests “Dapat gumagamit ka ng isa, dalawa, tatlo, o mas marami pang aklat para maituro mo nang ganap yung isang historical event.” [You should use one, two, three, or more books in order to properly teach one historical event.]

Focusing on what Respondent G said, it is indeed not quite possible to incorporate all of our history in one reprinting only – this is already futile for major historical events, and even more so for the parts of history that are only seen in the peripheries. The researcher agrees with this, and in this sense, there ensues a trade-off between learning and understanding our history.

Respondent A expressed his/her opinion that the topic of the Marcos-era martial law can be explained in depth if the DepEd were to limit the competencies given to the teachers and, overall, the curriculum; he/she said, “Siguro mabibigyan ng pagpapalalim itong martial law kung lilimitahan din na naman yung aming competency. Sa dami naman kasi eh. Wala na tuloy pagpapalalim. Kung ano lang yung mga nasa ano.” [Translation: The topic of martial law would be taught more intensively if the competencies given to us were limited. Because of the many lessons that need to be learned, deepening of the topics is disregarded.]

But along with this, he/she expressed her concern that if this were to be the case, much less topics would be disregarded, and other important topics would not be discussed. He/she said,

“Oras din lang siguro. Katulad namin, 50 minutes tapos 3 times a week, so kailangan paspasan mo yun, kasi kailangan masunod mo yung nasa learning competency, kasi magiging cover ng periodical [exam]. Kaya siguro hindi na kami humihiling na dagdagan pa kung ano yung mga ano

diyan.” [Translation: Time is needed. In our case, (the subject is taught for about) 50 minutes, 3 times a week, so we need to speed things up because we need to follow what is in the learning competencies. This is probably why we do not wish for more lessons to be added anymore.]

Respondent A complained that there are already so many topics that need to be discussed, that even when he/she wants or tries to discuss each topic in depth, he/she does not have the liberty to do so because of the time constraints and the directives from the DepEd. However, Respondent

A also said that it would be preferable if the discussions in the textbooks would be more detailed as they use these materials as their references. In relation to this, Respondent A admitted that they depend largely on private school textbooks (like what was mentioned in the former part of this chapter), as the learning modules given to them by the DepEd are really limited.

As the researcher mentioned, a trade-off ensues from this problem and it is this: students either learn more and understand less, or they learn less and understand more. In the scenario wherein more topics are discussed, students learn more in a quantitative sense, but the said topics are not explained in-depth. While in the scenario wherein there are less topics to be discussed, students learn in a more exhaustive sense as the topics can be explained fully. This is a big problem in the discussion of history as it begs the questions “What should be discussed?” and “What are the more important parts of history?” This problem can also be seen from the “decongesting” of the curriculum by the Department of Education.

Learners’ reactions

Not only the educators’ perspectives about the Marcos-era martial law are important, but also the learners’ reactions should also be taken into account. According to the teacher- respondents, their students’ reactions to the discussions about martial law vary from one another

– from those who seem to exhibit no reaction at all to those who are amazed by the said topic, their students’ reactions come in different forms.

According to them, there are students who are really passive about the discussion of martial law, while other already conform to their own negative and positive views on the topic. Other students, however, are shocked when they encounter the discussions that explain about the human rights violations and torture issues during the martial law years; and some, as the respondents stated, got scared.

Respondent M shared that once in his/her journalism class, when they discussed the topic of martial law, the class had varied notions about the topic. The learners, as Respondent M stated, were very curious about this, but they already had prior knowledge about the said topic which came from sources such as their families and friends. “Ako, siguro, ina-align ko lang,” Respondent

M said, explaining that he only “aligns” the learners’ own views into perspective.

Teachers’ reactions

Of course, if students have their own reactions to the said subject matter as discussed in their books, the educators have theirs too. Almost all of the interviewees said that what is written in the textbooks that they read also affects their personal beliefs. They stated that their beliefs are molded whenever they read something from the textbooks that either reinforce their already existing beliefs or those that seem to contradict their opinions.

Respondent B, for example, said that the lessons written in textbooks really affect his/her own perspectives, but it is also important to learn the value of validating facts. It should not be the case, according to him/her, that we should carelessly believe what we read, hear, or learn from different sources – we must learn to validate and triangulate information.

The respondents also stated that the different perspectives of book authors affect the discussion of the Marcos-era martial law as written in the textbooks. The extensiveness or intensiveness of the content of textbooks about the martial law years is dependent on the authors and their perspectives, as a whole, about the said topic. Some of the respondents said that they often notice, in the textbooks, that the authors impart their own opinions and exhibit certain biases.

Respondent E said that it is quite noticeable when authors do this; the simple fact that authors call President Marcos as a “dictator” is already a manifestation that biases are at play.

Respondent F agrees with this by saying that there are more textbook authors who are “anti-

Marcos” that is why there are more books that are biased against the Marcos regime and the martial law years.

Respondent B, however, counters the others’ opinions that authors exhibit biases; he/she said, “Hindi, usually mayroon din silang sources. May legal basis din sila, further explanations siguro siyempre doon na sila nagkakatalo." He further justifies this by saying that when authors do add in their personal opinions, this is done in a limited manner, and they would even cite their references.

In-depth Interviews: Textbook Authors

The discussion now proceeds to the in-depth interviews conducted with textbook authors.

The researcher found it necessary to interview textbook authors as they are the ones who actually write the contents of the textbooks used in schools. The role of textbook authors is vital to this study because they build the learning materials which are the primary sources of both teachers and students. Their perspectives and opinions are important to know in order to further understand the learning process of students and the teaching style of educators with regard to the topic of the

Marcos-era martial law.

There were two authors who agreed to be respondents in this study; the first one is Ms.

Christine Diaz, an editor from Asiaherald, Inc., and the other is Mr. Dexter Ramos from Araullo

High School, an author, consultant, and reviewer for Araling Panlipunan at the DIWA Publishing

Company.

Firstly, the researcher asked the two respondents about what they prioritize the most in writing textbooks. Mr. Dexter Ramos said that he gives importance to the incorporation of the topics specified by the DepEd curriculum; he said that in writing textbooks, it must have all the topics identified by the curriculum guide, and he only adds more topics as allowed by the number of pages allotted for each lesson or discussion.

Ms. Diaz, on the other hand, said that she prioritizes the reporting of the past as accurately as she could. “So when I was writing my book on Philippine History in particular, I––what was foremost in my mind was to be loyal to the truth and to present the truth as best I can, even if I know that it can never be perfect,” Ms. Diaz stated. She further explained that there is really no extremely accurate report of history, because the authors’ own interpretations – or those who are not even authors – of what happened in the past always come into the picture.

When the researcher asked the authors if there is such a thing as being fully objective in writing history books, both respondents expressed that there is no such thing, but they differed in explanation. Mr. Ramos stated that “to be objective is to be detached from what one is writing,” and as history is part of the social sciences, each historian or writer of history depends on their own views, and interprets and discusses historical events from their own perspectives. Ms. Diaz, however, said that in being able to report what really happened as it happened, one can only try; one can be fully objective in writing but this is only with respect to one’s self, and to do this, one

should get rid of all his/her biases, his/her pre-conceived notions, and empty one’s self in terms of that – but this, as we know, is quite impossible to fully achieve.

Having said these, when the researcher asked if they prefer to be “fully objective” in writing the contents of the school textbooks or they would rather include their personal experiences and perspectives, Mr. Ramos said that he tries to be as impartial as possible. “How can I be objective when the curriculum guide, the sources and references used in writing history are made by men with their own ideas, views and perspectives which is not objective at the first place!” Mr. Ramos criticized. This mirrors the earlier discussion about the process of assessing textbooks by the

Department of Education in an objective matter – as it appears, it is impossible to be objective when the primary sources of information are already smeared with biases and personal ideas.

Moving on, the researcher also inquired as to how restricted or unrestricted the authors are in including their personal perspectives in the contents of school textbooks. Mr. Ramos said,

“When authors write history, it must be a descriptive analytical narrative.” In this manner, he expounded, descriptions are based on empirical data, while the analysis of these descriptions differ because authors have their own respective opinions on certain matters. What actually limits Mr.

Ramos in writing, as he said, is the level of understanding of students; “If I am writing for Grade

5 or Grade 6 students, it would be burdensome loading the aralin with so many facts and concepts.

That is why I try to zoom in to understandings that they can grasp and process.”

Ms. Diaz, on the other hand, said that she was fairly free on incorporating her own ideas and perspectives in the books she has written because, while she primarily used the curriculum guide as a basis, she had her own framework that she followed.

Apart from what the teacher-respondents said about how extensive or intensive authors write about the Marcos-era martial law, it is also important to know this matter right from the horse’s mouth. Mr. Ramos said that he was somewhat limited in writing about the Marcos-era martial law because he followed the curriculum guide provided by the DepEd. Even so, he still dedicated 2 lessons for the discussion of the said topic: the first lesson was about the events before the declaration of martial law, and the second lesson was focused on the martial law years, itself, and, later on, the lifting of the military rule.

On the other hand, Ms. Diaz was limited in writing about this topic because she chose to do so. She said that the preferred to focus more on other topics like the pre-colonial history of the

Philippines. She said that she only dedicated one chapter for the Marcos-era martial law topic. Ms.

Diaz added that even though this may be the case, she tried to report it as concisely as she could, without watering down the facts. In other words, as she said, she just provided the general picture of what might have happened during the martial law years, but not the “nitty gritties.”

Finally, in an effort to understand how politics affect what is written in the textbooks, the researcher also asked the respondents if current trends or the political atmosphere in the country affect the way they write the contents of textbooks. Answering this question, Mr. Ramos said, “Not in the text of the aralin but in the component that assess their understanding of the content.” He also said that he finds it necessary to connect previous events with today’s situation.

Ms. Diaz, however, said that she considers being affected by these political trends when writing the contents of the books in order for the readers to better understand and relate to the lessons in the books. She best explained this stance of her as she said, “Naapektuhan ang pagsusulat ko sa paraan na inisip ko kung anong pinakamabuting paraan na isiwalat ko yung alternative facts na nalaman ko na matatanggap nila, o at least man lang pag-isipan nila.”

[Translation: My writing is affected (by this) in that I think of how I can best present the alternative facts that I know, in the manner that they can easily understand.] It is not that she compromises the content of the books by adhering to the current political trends even when they try to distort history, it is just that she keeps in mind how the readers might receive the facts written in the textbooks. Even though this may be the case, both Ramos and Diaz said that, as much as possible, they try to avoid being affected by the political atmosphere. Like what they said, it is vital to connect the realities of today to the rigid facts that are provided in textbooks; after all, history is best understood when readers or students find a certain connection that can help them bridge the theories in the books and the realities of their current society.

Textbook Assessment

The last part of this discussion is reserved for the assessment of textbooks with regard to how they discuss the topic of the Marcos-era martial law. The list of the textbooks used for this study was specified in the first chapter of this paper, under the methodology. But to reiterate, overall, the researcher assessed 24 textbooks – this includes the textbooks already assessed by previous studies as mentioned in this paper’s review of related literature. Moreover, the researcher followed the format of how Hegina (2014) structured his review of the textbooks included in his study. Most of the textbooks are used by private schools; learner’s manuals were hard to find, because, as the teacher-respondents said there has been a delay in procuring the books. It is also important to note that teachers greatly depend on textbooks from private schools, as discussed in the former part of this chapter.

To start, it has been observed by the researcher that almost all of the books that were assessed contained chapters (at least one) specifically dedicated to discussing the martial law years under the Marcos regime.

There were three books, however, that only incorporated the topic of the martial law under the term of President Marcos, in the discussion about the Third Republic presidents (the discussion about martial law served as a prelude to the next chapter which focused on President Corazon

Aquino’s term); these books are: 1) “Mahal Kong Pilipinas” by Carandang, Sebastian, Pacaigue, de Jesus, and Galecio, 2) “HEKASI 6: Sibika at Kultura sa Umuunlad na Pilipinas” by Labrague and Tome, and 3) “Lahing Kayumanggi: HEKASI” by Edgardo B. Fabian.

Most of the books read by the researcher were fairly extensive in the sense that they had covered or discussed the whole era of martial law, and even the eras before and after the declaration of the martial rule. However, the discussions were not intensive in that they were mostly only focused on the narration of events – events which led to the signing of the Proclamation No. 1081

– infrastructure projects of the Marcos administration, the economic problems of the Philippines during that time, and the prominent personalities that tried to oppose the Marcos regime. There were only minimal discussions about the human rights violations, the torture of political prisoners, and why there were student and mass protests.

The discussions about the Marcos-era martial law, as per the textbooks assessed, range from at least four (4) pages to thirty-six (36) pages at the most. One can only imagine how limited the discussions are in the textbooks that only allotted less than 10 pages for the said topic.

However, one can also doubt what are written in those books that allotted more than 20 pages to the said discussion, if most of the books were only focused on discussing about the infrastructure feats of the regime.

As most of the books followed a certain curriculum, their discussion of the martial law era were laid in this format: first, there is a chapter or a lesson allotted to the discussion of the events that precede the declaration of the martial law; immediately following the previous chapter or

lesson is the discussion on the martial law years, itself, and the Philippines under the “Bagong

Republika;” and finally, seeming like the third book to a trilogy, there is a chapter or a lesson allotted to discussing the lifting of the martial law up to the EDSA revolution. Some books, as they follow the same format, closely resemble each other to the point that one may possibly doubt if they indeed have different authors.

The most comprehensive book assessed by the researcher, in terms of its discussion about the Marcos regime and the martial law years, is the textbook “Kabihasnang Pilipino Kasaysayan at Pamahalaan” by Boncan, Jose, Ong, and Ponsaran. In the 20 pages allotted for the discussion of the start of the Marcos administration until the martial law era, it clearly laid out topics that represented both the positive and negative sides of Marcos regime and the military rule. Most of the Aralin 31 of the book focused on the introduction of the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. – it tackled topics like the economic programs and foreign relations of the Marcos administration, but it also hinted on the controversies faced by the administration even before the declaration of martial law.

Aralin 32 zeroed in on the Philippines under the military rule of Marcos – this chapter explored what martial law is, how the declaration of the Presidential Decree 1081 came about, and what were the reasons behind the said declaration. The authors also comprehensively explained what the “Bagong Republika” was and what this entailed. In addition to all of this, unlike some of the books that were assessed, this book, under Aralin 32, discussed the corruption, abuses, and maltreatments during the martial law years; the authors also intensively discussed about the human rights violation during that time, saying that most of the victims were radical students, workers who were part of progressive unions, human rights activists, and the members of the Communist

Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA). Under this chapter, there were

also discussions about the dictatorship, cronyism, the luxurious life of the Marcoses and their ill- gotten wealth, and the radical movements by the communists and the Muslims. The authors also strived to explain why the declaration of martial law was vital to the Marcos regime. And as a conclusion to the chapter, Aralin 32 explored on the glaring and undeniable manipulation and deception of the Filipino people by the Marcos administration. Aralin 33, discussed the lifting of the martial rule and the important events that followed.

Interestingly, there was one book that only focused on or contained so-called “primary resources,” and this book is entitled “History of the Philippines Based on Primary Sources” by

Columbres, Ferrer, Hernandez, and Labucay. Unlike most of the textbooks, this one did not follow the format of a given curriculum from the DepEd. Most of the discussions about the Marcos-era martial law can be seen in Unit: III, Module 15 of the book; but to call it “discussions” would be a stretch, because most of what is included are excerpts from articles, proclamations, reports, and biographies. In a sense, this textbook is objective enough because it primarily lays down the real contents from the past – what was written and read as they were presented by the people who introduced them to the public. The problem is, without much explanation, students from the Grade

6 level or even those from the 1st year high school would have a hard time understanding these as these are complex materials from the past.

Moving on, the books assessed portrayed the CPP-NPA as the enemies of the state. 17 of the books showed great disfavor towards the Communist Party of the Philippines, and most of the books do not properly explain or discuss the ideology of the CPP-NPA. This may be the reason why 8 of the books named the CPP-NPA as “terrorists.” Only 4 books merely acknowledged how the CPP-NPA started; these books are: “Bagong Lakbay ng Lahing Pilipino” by Baisa-Julian and

Lontoc, “Kayamanan (Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas)” by Antonio, Dallo, Imperial, Samson, and

Soriano, “Turning Points I: Worktext in Philippine History for First Year High School” by

Antonio, Dallo, Imperial, Samson, and Soriano, and “Kayamanan (Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas):

Workteks sa Araling Panlipunan para sa Unang Taon sa Sekundarya” by Antonio, Dallo, Imperial,

Samson, and Soriano. And only 1 book discussed about the founding of the party, and this is the textbook “Turning Points I.” What is interesting in this part is that most of the books that discuss about the CPP-NPA in a critical manner have the same book authors.

Next, we focus on the negative portrayal of movements and demonstrations in the textbooks. Like in the findings of Hegina in his study, most of the books assessed by the researcher in this study portrayed the different forms of dissent during the military rule of the Marcos administration in a negative light, except in books like the “Kabihasnang Pilipino Kasaysayan at

Pamahalaan.” Majority of the textbooks discussed protests and movements in a way that the reader will automatically find them as violent acts and practices; some of the textbooks, however, come with the explanation that the reason why these protest events get violent is because of the dispersal methods of the police and the military. Furthermore, more than half of the books that were assessed point out to the growing influence of the CPP-NPA and to the continuous mass movements, especially of students, as the main reasons for the declaration of martial law; some of the books that depicted events in this manner are: “Ang Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas sa Nakalipas at

Kasalukuyang Panahon” by Vanessa Policarpio-Alcantara, “Kasaysayan at Pamahalaan ng

Pilipinas” by Camagay, Medina, Mateo, Lazaro, and Mateo, and “Turning Points I.”

Regarding the issues about the human rights violations, less than half of the books that were assessed tackled this particular topic. And in the textbooks that did incorporate the discussion on human rights violations, the analyses and explanations were not deep and critical enough to truly depict the horrors that many people have gone through in the past. Among the assessed books,

there were some that only allotted 2-3 sentences in describing the violations against human rights, thus, one cannot really call them “discussions” as these topics only appeared in passing.

Oftentimes, in the parts that contain the topic of human rights violations, the only focus of the discussion were the prominent figures who were detained or tortured like Benigno “Ninoy”

Aquino, Jr., Jovito Salonga, and Jose Diokno. The students, workers, and the alleged members of the CPP-NPA who experienced harsher assaults and maltreatments were barely mentioned in most of the textbooks.

Lastly, a common theme among most of the textbooks that were assessed is that they mostly portrayed the martial law years as the “golden age” of the Philippines. All the textbooks never failed to mention and list the economic and infrastructure projects carried out by the Marcos administration – some only mainly focused on this, some discussed this only in passing, and some explained it to contextualize the other proclamations and activities of the regime.

Most of the textbooks, however, portrayed these projects as the needed reforms to “save” the country. Textbooks like “Bayanihan 6: Mga Hamon at Tugon sa Pagkabansa” by Ramos and

De Guzman and “Kayamanan (Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas): Workteks sa Araling Panlipunan para sa

Unang Taon sa Sekundarya” by Antonio, Dallo, Imperial, Samson, and Soriano contained extensive passages about the cultural, educational, and economic reforms made by the Marcos administration during the martial years, so much so that there were not enough pages or discussions to explore the topics of human rights violations, the real political situation of the Philippines during that time, the conditions of the media – be it mainstream or alternative – or even the differences in the living conditions of the Filipino people.

Considering all of these, it really seems that “selective amnesia,” as so-called by Antonio

Go in the former part of this paper, regarding the topic of the Marcos-era martial law may be exhibited in some of the textbooks used in schools.

Synthesis

Now, why is it significant to know the teachers’ and the textbook authors’ take on the

Marcos-era martial law and their knowledge on historical negationism? This is vital to know because when and if books are truly limited as is discussed in this chapter of the study, the differing opinions and perspectives of the sources of information and the mediators of knowledge greatly affect the learners.

Teachers and authors affect the learning process of students, in this case with regard to the military rule under the Marcos regime, by expounding on the limited discussions given in the textbooks, especially when they prefer to add in their personal opinions in the classroom discussions, or their specific biases in the textbooks that they write. In relation to this, textbook assessments and the curriculum guides provided by the Department of Education also play vital roles because they build the overall make-up of the textbooks. These government thrusts can clearly affect the teaching and learning about the Marcos-era martial law because these are the factors which determine the topics that should be focused on. It should also be noted that, as what was mentioned by some of the respondents, these government thrusts affect the learning of history because they may probably embody biases and certain perspectives already.

CHAPTER VII

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

For this chapter, the researcher tries to share some conclusions drawn from the gathered data, and to suggest recommendations to further better this study. To start with, the main question asked in this study is “How do textbooks used in public and private schools exhibit and enforce the phenomenon of historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law?” The researcher provided a tentative answer to this research question: school textbooks exhibit historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law by containing inadequate or distorted information about the topic, and enforce historical negationism by exposing its users – students and educators alike – to the said inadequate or distorted information.

To analyze this study and the respondents’ answers, the researcher made use of Sebastian

Rezat’s Model of Textbook Use. To explain briefly, Rezat’s model follows the Activity Theory which is, as defined by McAvinia (2016), mainly concerned with how tools or certain artefacts are utilized by individuals to accomplish specific things, and, as defined by Engeström (1999), a theory that analyzes “object-oriented, collective, and culturally mediated human activity.” It must be noted, however, that this model was developed to aid the learning and teaching of mathematics.

The final model developed by Rezat comes in the form of a tetrahedron. The tetrahedron model represents the whole activity of textbook use, complete with all the representations of the triad subject – mediating artefact – object. In this model, however, two variables play the role of being the subjects – the student and the teacher. Each triangular side of the tetrahedron represents one aspect of the textbook use activity: 1) Student – Teacher – Textbook triangle, 2) Student –

Textbook – Mathematical Knowledge triangle, 3) Teacher – Textbook – Mathematical Knowledge

(didactical aspect) triangle, and lastly 4) Student – Teacher – Mathematical Knowledge triangle.

As the researcher stipulated earlier, for this framework to fit the study, the researcher replaced the variable “Mathematical Knowledge” with the knowledge about the Marcos-era martial law.

A qualitative research design was applied in this study to understand the subject matters at hand through observation and in-depth analysis. Furthermore, secondary data were utilized in order to broaden the researcher’s knowledge of the study. The researcher had gathered data for this study by reviewing past studies and researches about historical negationism and revisionism, portrayal of the martial law era in textbooks, and approval of school textbooks, and by conducting in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and key-informant interview with history teachers, textbook authors, and a representative from the Department of Education. All participants were provided with Informed Consent Forms and the set of questions to be asked prior to the date of the interviews. The data from the interviewees were analysed by reviewing their answers, summarizing them, categorizing them into different themes, and contrasting them with others’ answers.

Conclusions

Before diving into the main conclusion of this study, there are some useful and informative

“mini-conclusions” that must first be pointed out.

Firstly, it cannot be denied that even in this modern society wherein technology reigns supreme and the use of smartphones, the internet, and social media is inevitable (probably because of the reasons such as convenience and accessibility), textbooks still maintain a position of significance in students’ learning. It cannot be denied that even though there are now a lot of alternative sources of information, educators and learners alike still lean on the information provided for in textbooks. In this day and age, textbooks are still seen as the primary sources of information; even when some teachers find some information lacking in one textbook, they would

still turn to other textbooks for reference. Having textbooks as the traditional sources of information may be a good thing, but what makes it backwards is when the content of these textbooks are compromised – compromised in the sense that they do not reflect reliable and truthful information because they have been altered to present a different narrative altogether.

Secondly, one of the findings of Aries Hegina (2014) in his study is reiterated – government thrusts really do affect and influence the content of school textbooks, and consequently the overall learning experience or education of students/learners. Through the mentioned “learning competencies” and “social content guidelines” provided by the Department of Education, the government of the day controls what information can be included in the published textbooks to be used in schools; add to this the continuous implementation of the 13-year education program that is more geared towards international competitiveness than national appreciation. Respondent M likewise, as mentioned in Chapter 6, confirms this by saying that the government has the tendency to “align” the students’/learners’ perceptions by preferring to procure school textbooks/learner’s manuals that contain limited information – limited in the sense that the authors of these materials do not have the liberty to incorporate their own opinions and perspectives. In today’s political climate wherein a lot of influential people in and outside the government try to alter historical events for the sake of their own interests, these “government thrusts” may just be one of the biggest factors that help impose the phenomenon of historical negationism. Considering the problem of how “those who are seated in power” influence the narrative of history, coupled with the fact that the government controls what information can be exposed to the people, or at least to the students/learners, it is easy to assume how this enforces negationism. If the same people who try to distort the country’s history for personal advantages are the ones who are in the government,

then they can easily either limit the information to be included in textbooks/learner’s manuals or they can create a new narrative entirely.

It must also be emphasized that opinions (of anyone, especially teachers and textbooks authors) play an influential role in teaching and studying history, specifically when these opinions are far-reaching in the sense that they are incorporated in textbooks or used to instill information to other people. Opinions can either be productive or destructive as they do not point out to a certain truth, they just build up a perspective. The government’s move to limit the authors’ or writers’ opinions in textbooks (with the curriculum guides and the learning competencies that they build), then, is still arguable. It is either present every opinion that exists and let the users decide which is which, or just expose the users to limited information so that their own perspectives can be “aligned”.

Through the interviews with the study’s respondents, it can also be concluded that the topic of the Marcos-era martial law is still a relevant topic to discuss as part of the Philippine history.

Considering the present political climate wherein the Marcoses continue to successfully build up their name and regain their fame as if controversies about the martial law years do not exist, most of the respondents felt that the said topic still needs to be discussed not just because the students of today need be reminded of the atrocities done during those years, but also because it is important to acknowledge the “good things” (like infrastructure projects) from that era that we still make use of up until today. While it can be agreed upon that this is still a relevant topic, the problem lies on how extensive or intensive this topic should be discussed or is discussed in schools.

In relation to this, it can also be concluded, through the interviews with the respondents and the assessment of textbooks done by the researcher, that the topic of the Marcos-era martial law is discussed in a limited manner in textbooks and, consequently, in classroom discussions by

the teachers. “Limited” is quite a vague term to describe the discussions about the martial law years, but the interviews and the review of textbooks suggest that it is quite so in the sense that not all aspects about the martial rule is given (either only focused on the good sides or the bad sides of the said era), and this is probably caused by the constraints posed by the curriculum and learning competencies of the Department of Education, the biases of the authors, or the personal disposition of teachers who teach the subject.

The last of these “mini-conclusions” is that, as mentioned in the previous chapter, in this current education system, there ensues a trade-off between learning more and understand less, or learning less and understanding more. As mentioned earlier, every part of history cannot be incorporated in one reprinting alone – the comprehensiveness of one book will always be countered by trying to put every bit of everything in there, and vice versa. Also, the pressures coming from the government to the teachers to follow the learning competencies and encompass all the given topics within a certain timeframe, and the “decongesting” mechanism of the Department of

Education in making the curriculum embody this said trade-off. In this case, as voiced out by the teacher-respondents, even when they wanted to expound on the topics and give deeper explanations, they were not able to do so because of the given restraints.

Moving on, in framing all of these in Rezat’s tetrahedron model of textbook use, there is a focus given to the roles played by the importance of textbooks, the government thrusts, the influence of opinions, the relevance of the topic of the Marcos-era martial law, and the trade-off between learning and understanding as components of the triad subject – mediating artefact – object. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, there are two variables that play the role of being the subjects

– the student and the teacher. The mediating artefact, for the most part, pertains to the textbooks used, but may also pertain to the teacher. The contributing factors such as the government thrusts

(the curriculum, learning competencies, social content guidelines), the approval/assessment of textbooks, and the different perspectives and biases of textbooks authors, as shown in the conceptual framework of this study, serve as some of the components of the textbook (or affect the role of the textbook) as the mediating artefact, and, in one instance, as the object, in the whole activity. Meanwhile, the contributing factor that is the different perspectives and biases of teachers serves as the component of the teacher (or affects the role of the teacher) as the subject or the mediating artefact in the activity of textbook use. Finally, the last variable of the triad that is the object pertains, mostly, to the knowledge of the Marcos-era martial law, but in one triangle of the tetrahedron, pertains to the textbook. This is shown in the figure below:

Figure 6. Tetrahedron model with Knowledge about Martial Law variable Considering all of these, the researcher will explain each triangular face of the tetrahedron to shed light on the final conclusion that will be made later on. In must be noted that, in each triangular face (subsystem) of the tetrahedron, great attention should be aimed at the role of the mediating artefact. Firstly, the triangle ‘Student – Teacher – Textbook’ is seen as the most traditional face wherein the student is the one who uses the textbook to gain knowledge about certain topics through the mediation of the teacher; in this case, the teacher guides the student in

using the textbook. In this subsystem, the main contributing factor which affects the learning of the student is the different perspectives and biases of the teacher who mediates the use of the textbook. Here, it can be observed that how the teacher presents the textbook is vital in the learning process of the student. To go back in the research’s findings, this can be observed in the preference of more than half of the teacher-respondents to depend less on their given textbooks, and instead focus on other sources of information. In this case, the teacher’s perspectives and biases affect the student’s use of the textbook because teacher has the capacity to decide whether or not to fully utilize the learning material. This is shown in the figure below:

Figure 7. First triangle: Student – Teacher - Textbook Secondly, in the ‘Student – Textbook – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law’ triangle, the Teacher is nowhere to be found. In this subsystem, the student remains as the subject, but the textbook now becomes the mediating artefact and the knowledge about martial law is the object.

In this case, the student uses the textbook on his/her own initiative to access knowledge about the

Marcos-era martial law; in other words, the textbook becomes the instrument through which the student gains knowledge about the said topic. Here, the main contributing factors which affect the learning of the student about the Marcos-era martial law are the so-called government thrusts, the

process of approval/assessment of textbooks, and the different perspectives and biases of textbook authors as these are the factors that make-up the textbook. These factors mainly affect the learning process of the student because they dictate what are and what are not included in the textbooks; in one way or another, these factors limit the textbooks (or their content) as concluded earlier and as discussed in the previous chapter of this paper. Going back to the research’s findings, this can be seen in the curriculum and learning competencies (which may already be biased, as some respondents pointed out) developed by the Department of Education and in how they develop it; it can also be seen in the textbook authors’ limited way of writing about the topic as they follow the curriculum guide of the DepEd and as they are fuelled by their own preferences to incorporate their own ideas and opinions. Additionally, this can also be seen in the observation of 12 of the teacher-respondents that their students easily believe what is written in their textbooks. So, in this case, how the topic of the Marcos-era martial law is presented and perceived by the student is dependent on how the said factors frame the discussion(s). This is shown in the figure below:

Figure 8. Second triangle: Student – Textbook – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law The triangle ‘Teacher – Textbook – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law’ is very much like the previous triangle, except now, the subject is the teacher. In this subsystem, the

teacher uses the textbook on his/her own to access knowledge about the Marcos-era martial law, or, at least, how it should be taught. This can be seen in the general assumption that teachers often use textbooks as guides to prepare lesson plans and as bases for their discussions in the classroom.

The same contributing factors are at play, but this time, the target is the teacher. The teacher is affected by these factors as he/she uses the textbook, the same way the student is affected in the previous subsystem. To refer to the findings, this can be seen in the fact that almost all of the teacher-respondents said that what is written in the textbooks affect their personal beliefs too – their perspectives are molded when they read about things in textbooks that either reinforce or counter their beliefs. The difference with the teacher and the student being the subject of the triad is that teachers may probably use the knowledge about the martial law era that they accessed through the textbooks to teach their students (as what will be discussed in the next triangle). So, again, in this case, how the topic of or the knowledge about the Marcos-era martial law is presented, perceived, and, later on, used by the teacher is dependent on how the said factors frame the discussion(s). This is shown in the figure below:

Figure 9. Third triangle: Teacher – Textbook – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law

Finally, the ‘Student – Teacher – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law’ triangle is discussed. As observed, the variable textbook is nowhere to be found; the student becomes the subject again, with the teacher being the mediating artefact and the knowledge about martial law being the object. In this case, the mediation of the teacher is seen as the main factor through which the student acquires knowledge about the Marcos-era martial law; this pertains to the traditional discussion-in-classroom setting wherein the teacher becomes the primary source of information of the student, as the teacher teaches about certain topics (in this case, the topic of martial law). This triangle, as explained by Rezat, is often seen as the complement of the previous triangle (‘Teacher

– Textbook – Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law’), because it shows that “the teacher implements the knowledge that is represented in the textbook without using the textbook overtly in the lesson.”

As in the case of the ‘Student – Teacher – Textbook’ triangle, the main contributing factor that affects the learning process of the student in this subsystem are the different perspectives and biases of the teacher. This means, how the topic of the Marcos-era martial law is learned and understood by the student is dependent on how the teacher discusses or presents the said topic. As we go back to the research’s findings, this can be observed in/on how the teacher-respondents had different conceptions about the topic of martial law, and in/on how 8 of them said that they prefer adding in their own personal opinions and experiences when teaching. As this is a complement of the previous triangle, the role of the textbook still cannot be overlooked because of its effect on the teacher and on how the teacher presents the topic of the Marcos-era martial law. As mentioned in this research’s findings, 8 of the teachers said, but for different reasons, that the discussions about the Marcos-era martial law in textbooks are somewhat limited. So, considering all of these, in this subsystem, the learning of the student about the martial law era is greatly dependent on how

the teacher expounds (or on how the teacher is able to expound) the limited information about the said topic. The teacher’s biases and perspectives come into play because they may or may not restrain the teacher from discussing important aspects of the martial law era. This is show in the figure below:

Figure 10. Fourth triangle: Student - Teacher - Knowledge about Marcos-era martial law Seeing that the whole activity of textbook use is represented by the whole tetrahedron model, the given subsystems above must always be understood as a part of this whole, and not as an activity that exists exclusively. This model of textbook use is appropriate for this study because it does not only explain one side, but it presents the whole thing by showing that all the four triangular faces of the tetrahedron interact with each other, and, consequently, affect each other to represent the whole activity of textbook use. This means, in the overall scheme of things, the mediating artefacts (the teacher and the textbook) with all of the components that come with them, do not affect the learning of the subjects (the student and the teacher) about the Marcos-era martial law in an exclusive manner, but always in a way where one aspect greatly affects the result of the other one.

Having discussed all of these, it is vital to reiterate the significance of opinions and perspectives of teachers and textbook authors about the Marcos-era martial law. Given that it was concluded that almost all of the textbooks assessed in this study and the textbooks read/used by the teacher-respondents contain limited information about the Marcos-era martial law, it is important to know the opinions and perspectives of the main sources of information and the mediators of knowledge because they greatly affect the learning process of students (and in some cases, the learning of teachers too). It should also be noted that government thrusts can clearly affect the teaching and learning about the Marcos-era martial law because these are the factors which determine the topics that should be focused on. As what was mentioned by some of the respondents, these government thrusts affect the learning of history because they may probably embody biases and certain perspectives already. When textbooks are truly limited as is discussed

(as they probably mirror the biases of authors or follow the guidelines set by the government), the discussions about martial law is dependent on how the teacher makes use of this limited information, and, consequently, on how he/she imparts it with his/her students. In the case wherein the teacher prefers to add in his/her personal opinions and experiences in classroom discussions, the limited knowledge about the Marcos-era martial law provided for in the textbooks is broadened but is consequently seen from the narrow, specific lens of the teacher.

Therefore, to finally answer the question “How do textbooks used in public and private schools enforce the phenomenon of historical negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law?”, the researcher stands by the tentative answer already provided by tweaks it a little. Given the data from secondary sources and the data from the respondents, negationism regarding the Marcos-era martial law is exhibited and enforced by exposing textbook users (educators and students alike) to inadequate or possibly distorted information. This happens because factors which cannot be

completely void of bias e.g. government thrusts (curriculum and learning competencies), style of teaching of educators, and the writing of textbooks by authors interact to produce and use the textbook.

The “inadequate” part of the equation can be seen in the assessment of textbooks and in some of testimonies given by the respondents. The researcher provides this conclusion because all the data specified above only really talk about “limited information” as the problem with the textbooks’ content – the limiting of authors’ opinions in textbooks, the limited information about the events during martial law, and the limited time to discuss the said topic. Meanwhile, the

“possibly distorted” part of the equation comes from the biases of the factors stated above. For example, as the researcher mentioned earlier, a lot of the teacher-respondents said that they prefer incorporating their personal opinions in discussions, but the problem is that personal opinions are not valid truths and they may or may not be destructive. Regarding the government thrusts, however, the key-informant interviewee admitted that the incorporation of certain biases in the curriculum, the learning competencies, and in the assessment of textbooks cannot completely be avoided. Additionally, the two textbook authors that were interviewed said that the only thing they can do is to write about the past as accurately as they can, but still considering their own notions.

As the researcher defined historical negationism as “the extreme form of revisionism wherein there is an incomplete or flawed presentation of facts in order to create a new narrative on past events,” the offered conclusion satisfies both the “incomplete” part and the “flawed” part through the given findings and analysis. To reiterate, historical negationism with regard to the

Marcos-era martial law is believed to be exhibited and enforced by exposing textbook users to inadequate and possibly distorted information.

Recommendations

While the research succeeded in finding some insightful information about the topics of historical negationism and how the Marcos-era martial law is portrayed and taught using school textbooks, it must be admitted that it also failed in covering several methodological and theoretical aspects. As such, the researcher would like to offer some suggestions so as to improve the way this study is conducted and to improve the process of assessment and use of school textbooks:

1) Conduct in-depth interviews with private school teachers as they may have different

opinions from that of the public school teachers;

2) Conduct in-depth interviews with more textbook authors and publishers who regularly

work with the Department of Education;

3) Conduct in-depth interviews with students, given that they are a primary factor in the

activity of textbook use;

4) Conduct key-informant interviews with other institutions that may be involved in

producing, reviewing, or assessing school textbooks; and

5) For the DepEd/government: it would be better if more people – from various sectors of

the society – become involved in the development of the curriculum and in the process

of assessing school textbooks. This way, even though the biases cannot completely be

avoided, it would at least be balanced by the biases of other people.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alcober, N. (2017, December 1). Deped urged to strengthen Philippine history education in high school. The Manila Times. Retrieved from https://www.manilatimes.net/deped-urged- strengthen-philippine-history-education-high-school/365963/

Altbach, P. (1991). Textbooks: The international dimension. In: Apple/Christian-Smith, pp. 242-258, quotation p. 257.

Berger, R. (2002). Fathoming the Holocaust: A social problems approach. New York: Walter de Gruyter, Inc.

Bloch, P. (2006). Response to Professor Fronza’s the punishment of negationism. Vermont Law Review, 30(627), 627-643. Retrieved from https://lawreview.vermontlaw.edu/wp- content/uploads/2012/02/blochresponse.pdf

Chevallard, Y. (1991). La transposition didactique. Grenoble: Pensées sauvages. cteal2018. (2017, September 15). Revisionism, denialism, and negationism in history. Retrieved from https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/criticalreading/2017/09/15/revisionism-denialism-and- negationism-in-history/

Engeström, Y. (1999a). Activity theory and individual and social transformation. In Y. Engeström, R. Miettinen & R.-L. Punamäki (Eds.), Perspectives on activity theory (pp. 19-38). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Fronza, E. The punishment of negationism: The difficult dialogue between law and memory. Vermont Law Review, 30(609), 609-626. Retrieved from https://lawreview.vermontlaw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/fronza.pdf

Fuchs, E. (2010). Introduction: Contextualizing school textbook revision. Journal of Educational Media, Memory, and Society, 2(2), 1-12. Doi: 10.3167/jemms.2010.020201

Go, C. (2017, September 17). ‘Kuri-kulam’: Are textbooks sanitizing martial law?. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/931174/history-textbooks- ferdinand-marcos-marcos-martial-law-ferdinand-marcos-jr-bongbong-marcos-millennials- philippine-history

Hegina, A. (2014). Pag-aklas at pagbaklas: Isang pagtatasa sa pagsasalarawan ng panahon ng Batas Militar sa mga piling batayang-aklat sa Araling Panlipunan sa ikalima at ikapitong baitang at ang koneksyon nito sa pambansang pagkakakilanlan ng mga Pilipino. (Unpublished dissertation). University of the Philippines Manila, Manila.

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Official Gazette. (n.d.). What is K to 12 Program? Retrieved from https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/k-12/

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Popper, K. (1945/1947). The Open Society and Its Enemies, 2 vols. London: Routledge & Sons.

Rappler.com. (2013, May 15). Aquino signs K-12 bill into law. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/29249-aquino-signs-k-12-bill-into-law

Rezat, S. (2006). A Model of Textbook Use. In Novotná, J., Moraová, H., Krátká, M. & Stehlíková, N. (Eds.). Proceedings 30th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 4, pp. 409-416. Prague: PME.

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APPENDIX A: Informed Consent Forms

Informed Consent Form for Public School History Teachers This informed consent form is for public school history teachers, whom I am inviting to participate in my study, entitled “The Future of the Past: Historical Negationism in Approved School Textbooks in the Philippines with Regard to the Marcos-era Martial Law.”

Name of Principle Investigator: Czyrah Isabella M. Cordoba Name of Organization: Department of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila Name of Sponsor: Prof. Josefina G. Tayag, DPA

This Informed Consent has two parts:

• Information Sheet (to share information about the study with you) • Certificate of Consent (for signatures if you choose to participate)

You will be given a copy of the full Informed Consent Form

Part I: Information Sheet

Good day!

in the research. Before you decide, you may consult anyone you feel comfortable with or anyone that may enlighten you about the topic of this research; you can also contact/approach me so that I can further discuss what this research is about. If you find any part of this informed consent that needs to be clarified, please do not hesitate to ask me, and I will gladly explain them to you. If you have any concerns or further questions, you can reach me at 0995-768-9810 or e-mail me through [email protected].

The research revolves around the possible existence/materialization of the concept of historical negationism in textbooks approved by the Department of Education and used in schools in the Philippines, especially in relation to how it tackles the Martial Law era during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Historical negationism is an extreme form of historical revisionism wherein there is an incomplete or flawed presentation of facts in order to create a new narrative on past events. The research not only aims to find out if historical negationism is enforced, or how it is enforced, through school textbooks, it also aims to look for the effects of the said concept on the users of textbooks.

You are being invited to be a participant in this study because I believe that you may have one or more, if not all, of the following characteristics: 1) expertise on historical revisionism/negationism in textbooks (the topic of this research); 2) first-hand knowledge and exposure to the contents of history school textbooks; and 3) first-hand knowledge or involvement on how the said textbooks are approved by the government. You are being invited to participate because I also believe that you can help me by sharing your thoughts and recommendations on the subject matter.

Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. It is your choice whether to participate or not. The choice that you make will have no bearing on your job or any work-related evaluations or reports. You may change your mind later and stop participating even if you agreed earlier.

If you agree to be a participant of this study, you will be asked to participate in a one-on- one key-informant interview with me, which may last for about 15-40 minutes. The interview will take place at a location and time of your own choosing; you may contact me to secure the details about this. Furthermore, the data gathered will be recorded with/through a voice recorder with your consent and will be kept safely (three copies will be made: USB copy, soft copy stored in a laptop,

and a printed copy). The information recorded is confidential, and no one else except the researcher will have access to the information documented during your interview. The entire interview will be recorded, but no one will be identified by name on the labelling of these records although being a key-informant, meaning, an expert, I request that you be named with your permission. If you disagree, we can use an alias instead. Rest assured that all data collected from this study will be used for research purposes only. The data collected will be destroyed after the academic year 2018- 2019, on the month of June 2019. This research adheres to the Data Privacy Act of 2018, meaning that the security of your identity and the confidentiality of your answers are of paramount importance; the researcher assures that proper actions and measures will be taken so as to secure your information and the data that you will provide.

After the interview proper, or at the end of this research, I may provide a simple token of appreciation. This token will be given at the end so as to ensure that this will not affect the data that you will provide and the results of this research.

At the end of this research, I may share with you the conclusions I have made and the results that have been reached. This is not a requirement for your participation and you may decline this, but this is necessary so as to check whether or not the data you have provided were used and framed correctly; this may also be an avenue wherein you can share your thoughts and suggestions.

This research will have no direct benefits to you, but your participation is likely to help me find out more about the topic. Your participation may add valuable information and perspective to the existing literature on historical negationism, school textbooks revisions and approval, and the Marcos-era martial law. Your participation may also provide possible suggestions to address the problem of historical negationism in school textbooks.

Once again, you do not have to take part in this research if you do not wish to do so, and choosing to participate or not will not affect your job or job-related evaluations in any way. Should you feel uncomfortable or would like to withdraw from the research for any reason, please do not hesitate to tell me. You are allowed to stop taking part in this research at any point. Should the data gathering method be done and you would like your opinions and views taken out of the data, please contact me so I can remove/delete the information you have given.

Part II: Certificate of Consent

I have read the foregoing information, or it has been read to me. I have had the opportunity to ask questions about it and any questions I have asked have been answered to my satisfaction. I consent voluntarily to be a participant in this study.

Printed Name of Participant: ______

Signature of Participant: ______

Date: ______

Statement by the researcher/person taking consent

I confirm that the participant was given an opportunity to ask questions about the study, and all the questions asked by the participant have been answered correctly and to the best of my ability. I confirm that the individual has not been coerced into giving consent, and the consent has been given freely and voluntarily.

Printed Name of Researcher/Person taking the consent: ______

Signature of Researcher/Person taking the consent: ______

Date: ______

Noted by:

Prof. Josefina G. Tayag, DPA Adviser

Informed Consent Form for Authors or Publishers

This informed consent form is for authors or publishers, whom I am inviting to participate in my study, entitled “The Future of the Past: Historical Negationism in Approved School Textbooks in the Philippines with Regard to the Marcos-era Martial Law.”

Name of Principle Investigator: Czyrah Isabella M. Cordoba Name of Organization: Department of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila Name of Sponsor: Prof. Josefina G. Tayag, DPA

This Informed Consent has two parts:

• Information Sheet (to share information about the study with you) • Certificate of Consent (for signatures if you choose to participate)

You will be given a copy of the full Informed Consent Form

Part I: Information Sheet

Good day!

I am Czyrah Isabella M. Cordoba, a 4th year BA Political Science student of the University of the Philippines Manila. I am presently doing my undergraduate thesis, researching on the topic of historical negationism in school textbooks with regard to specific Philippine historical events. Having said this, I am going to give you information about the research and invite you to be a part of it. It is not necessary, however, for you to decide today on whether or not you will participate in the research. Before you decide, you may consult anyone you feel comfortable with or anyone that may enlighten you about the topic of this research; you can also contact/approach me so that I can further discuss what this research is about. If you find any part of this informed consent that

needs to be clarified, please do not hesitate to ask me, and I will gladly explain them to you. If you have any concerns or further questions, you can reach me at 0995-768-9810 or e-mail me through [email protected].

If you agree to be a participant of this study, you will be asked to participate in a one-on- one key-informant interview with me, which may last for about 15-30 minutes. The interview will take place at a location and time of your own choosing; you may contact me to secure the details about this. Furthermore, the data gathered will be recorded with/through a voice recorder with your consent and will be kept safely (three copies will be made: USB copy, soft copy stored in a laptop, and a printed copy). The information recorded is confidential, and no one else except the researcher will have access to the information documented during your interview. The entire interview will be recorded, but no one will be identified by name on the labelling of these records although being

a key-informant, meaning, an expert, I request that you be named with your permission. If you disagree, we can use an alias instead. Rest assured that all data collected from this study will be used for research purposes only. The data collected will be destroyed after the academic year 2018- 2019, on the month of June 2019. This research adheres to the Data Privacy Act of 2018, meaning that the security of your identity and the confidentiality of your answers are of paramount importance; the researcher assures that proper actions and measures will be taken so as to secure your information and the data that you will provide.

Part II: Certificate of Consent

Printed Name of Participant: ______

Signature of Participant: ______

Date: ______

Statement by the researcher/person taking consent

Printed Name of Researcher/Person taking the consent: ______

Signature of Researcher/Person taking the consent: ______

Date: ______

Noted by:

Prof. Josefina G. Tayag, DPA Adviser

100

Informed Consent Form for the Representative of the Department of Education

This informed consent form is for the representative of the Department of Education, whom I am inviting to participate in my study, entitled “The Future of the Past: Historical Negationism in Approved School Textbooks in the Philippines with Regard to the Marcos-era Martial Law.”

Name of Principle Investigator: Czyrah Isabella M. Cordoba Name of Organization: Department of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila Name of Sponsor: Prof. Josefina G. Tayag, DPA

This Informed Consent has two parts:

• Information Sheet (to share information about the study with you) • Certificate of Consent (for signatures if you choose to participate)

You will be given a copy of the full Informed Consent Form

Part I: Information Sheet

Good day!

101

102

103

Part II: Certificate of Consent

Printed Name of Participant: ______

Signature of Participant: ______

Date: ______

Statement by the researcher/person taking consent

Printed Name of Researcher/Person taking the consent: ______

Signature of Researcher/Person taking the consent: ______

Date: ______

Noted by:

Prof. Josefina G. Tayag, DPA Adviser

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APPENDIX B: Questionnaires For Teachers:

1. What subjects do you teach apart from history, and on what grade level? 2. Prior to this interview, have you had any knowledge about the terms ‘historical revisionism’ and ‘historical negationism’, and the difference between them? 3. How do you usually introduce/teach historical topics, which may be sensitive, to your students? 4. How important are school textbooks to your teaching and to the learning of your students? a. How dependent are you on school textbooks? 5. Do you prefer to stick to the readings/textbooks as you teach, or do you prefer to add your personal experiences and opinions? Why or why not? 6. What do you know or what is your take on the Marcos-era martial law in general? a. In the current curriculum, is the topic of the Martial Law era taught in the grade level you oversee? If yes, how extensive/intensive is the said topic discussed? 7. How would you describe your students’ reaction on and reception of the lessons regarding the Marcos-era martial law as written in their textbooks? 8. As an educator or a teacher who is exposed to textbooks, what is your reaction or your perception towards the discussions regarding martial law? Does it affect your personal views? 9. Based on your observation and assessment, do your students easily believe everything written in their textbooks or do they question some things? 10. How would you describe the discussions regarding the Marcos-era martial law on the textbooks you use in school? a. How extensive or intensive are these discussions in the textbooks? b. How do the authors discuss the said topic? c. Do you notice if the authors of the textbooks give their personal opinions/experiences or show their biases in discussing the said topic? 11. Based on what you know, how are school textbooks for public schools chosen and approved? 12. Why is it important for students to learn about the history of the country?

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For Textbook Authors:

1. Prior to this interview, have you had any knowledge about the terms ‘historical revisionism’ and ‘historical negationism’, and the difference between them? 2. Do you have experience writing a history textbook under a private publishing company? Do you have experience writing a history textbook for the government/Department of Education? If you have experienced both, what were the similarities and differences between the two – focusing on the making or content of the textbook? 3. In writing the contents of textbooks, what do you prioritize the most? 4. Do you think there is such a thing as being fully objective in writing textbooks? a. Do you prefer to be fully objective in writing the contents of the school textbooks you produce, or do you prefer to include your personal experiences and perspectives? 5. Is it important to be fully objective in writing history lessons in school textbooks? Why or why not? 6. How restricted or unrestricted are you in including your personal perspectives in the contents of school textbooks? 7. Are there criteria given to you by a governing agency in writing/producing school textbooks? What are the requirements or criteria? 8. What do you know or what is your take on the Marcos-era martial law in general? 9. How extensive and intensive do you write about the Marcos-era martial law in school textbooks? 10. What are the sources you use in writing the contents of the textbooks you produce? 11. Do current political trends and atmosphere affect the way you write the contents of school textbooks? How? 12. Is it still important the part of Philippine history that tackles the Marcos-era martial law?

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For the Department of Education:

On the Assessment and Approval of Textbooks

1. How are school textbooks chosen and approved? 2. What are the stages or phases of the assessment process of school textbooks? 3. Why is the assessment of school textbooks important? 4. Are the textbooks used in public schools and private schools in the Philippines different even if they follow the same curriculum? Why and how so? 5. Is the selection of textbooks used in private schools also dependent on the approval of the Department of Education? 6. What is the main department/agency within your institution responsible for the assessment of school textbooks? 7. In assessing and approving school textbooks, what are the main features that you give the most importance to? 8. What are the criteria used in assessing school textbooks? 9. What are the requirements given/provided to authors or publishers to be able to join the bidding process? 10. How do you ensure the objective assessment of school textbooks? 11. How do you assess school textbooks against personal biases? On the subject of the Marcos-era Martial Law 1. In the current K-12 curriculum, is History still taught in public and private schools? If yes, at/in what grade level is Philippine history taught? 2. At what grade level is the subject of the Marcos-era martial law discussed?

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APPENDIX C: Transcription of In-depth Interviews with Teachers Respondent A (A – interviewer; B – respondent) A: Ayun po, so, apart from history po, meron po ba kayong ibang tinuturuan or tinuturo pang subject? B: Asian kami ngayon eh. A: Ano pong grade level? B: Grade 7

A: So prior to this interview meron na po ba kayong knowledge about sa concept ng historical negationism or wala po? B: Wala eh A: Historical revisionism po, wala po? Or hindi niyo po ba naririnig sa social media? B: Wala

A: So pag nagtuturo po kayo ng historical topics, kunyari ng mga sensitive topics, paano niyo po siya iniintroduce sa mga students? B: Kapag mga sensitive? A: Opo B: Ah hinahayaan ko lang sila na... Kinukuha ko yung mga opinyon nila A: Sakanila po nanggagaling yung mga [tanong]... B: Sakanila. Ayokong magbigay ng opinyon ko pero hindi ko ini-insist sakanila ito A: Ano po ba yung examples ng mga topics na sensitive, sa tingin niyo po? B: Mga sensitive topics? Halimbawa sa politics, mga ganyan. Hindi ako nag-aano, mga tulad ng eleksyon, mga eleksyon. Inaano ko lang sakanila kung sinong gusto nilang iboto, yung mga ganon-ganon. Kasi syempre bawal saamin.

A: So next po. Gaano po kaimportante yung school textbooks sa teaching niyo and sa pag-aaral ng mga students? B: Napaka-importante yan saamin, katulad sa public school. Napaka-importante lalo na kapag regular, hindi naman sila nakakapag-provide na bumili ng mga libro so napaka-importante yan saamin. A: So learner's manual po ba yung tawag sa mga textbooks niyo dito? B: Oo A: Ah okay po B: Wala naman silang mga internet. Oh doon lang kami nagbe-base - sa textbooks na ginagamit coming from DepEd. A: So sa buong Pilipinas po uniform yung mga binibigay sainyo (na textbooks)? B: Oo, uniform

A: Kayo po, as a teacher, gaano ka-dependent po kayo sa textbooks? Kunyari, yung content po na nasa libro, gaano po kayo ka-dependent doon sa pagtuturo? B: Kasi yung aming mga tests, nanggagaling sa DepEd. Lahat nanggagaling sa textbooks, so doon kami naka-focus sa textbooks. Meron kasi silang competency na binibigay saamin na naka- angkla doon sa textbook.

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A: Okay po, so pag nagtuturo po kayo, mas prefer niyo po bang mag-stick sa textbooks or gusto niyo rin pong nag-aadd ng... B: Meron kaming mga reference. Bumibili kami ng reference galing ng mga private schools. Kasi yung textbook na galing sa private school, mas detalyado... yung mga ginagamit namin. Kaya yung mga activities doon hinahalo na lang namin, kasi parang mas maganda. A: Opo. Pero gusto niyo rin po bang nag-aadd ng personal opinions... B: Oo A: ng personal experiences? B: Lalo na saamin kapag meron kaming mga balitaan, mga ganon. So sinisingit na namin yun.

A: So base po sa observation niyo, mabilis po bang naniniwala or madali po bang naniniwala yung mga students sa sinasabi sa textbooks nila? B: Madali. Mas madali silang... A: Hindi po ba sila matanong? B: Sa regular, ganon, hindi sila matanong. Pero sa special section, may mga nagtatanong. Pero siguro, sa isang section, isa lang yung mga matatanong diyan. Pero sa regular, hindi masyado. A: Ah okay po

A: So next po, tungkol na po ito sa era ng martial law. Kayo po, what do you know or what is your take, personal take niyo po sa Marcos-era martial law? B: Sa... para saakin? A: Opo B: Hindi ba yung ano... Baka mamaya, ano bang tawag doon? Saakin kasi, pag tinuturo ko, binabase ko kung anong nasa textbook pero hindi ako nagsasabi na "ito negative ito," kasi saamin, taga-Bicol kami... Hindi kami... Nasa side kami ng... Diba pagka-taga-Ilocos panay positive kasi; saamin kasi parang negative, part ng region 5, parang ganon. So ayun, hindi ako nag-aano sakanila. A: Pero yung personal take niyo po, hindi masyadong okay about martial law? B: Hindi masyadong okay... A: Okay po

A: So nasabi niyo naman na po, sa current curriculum hindi nadidiscuss yung topic ng martial law sa tinuturuan niyo? B: Hindi masyadong malalim doon sa textbook namin. Parang ang nilalagay lang kasi doon sa textbook na ginagamit, sa naalala ko kasi napakatagal na, kasi hindi na siya tinuturo, yung ano lang, kung parang ano lang yung mga nagawa niya. A: Wala po ba yung tungkol sa mga human rights violations? B: Wala, wala, wala, walang ganon. Hindi dinedetalye doon sa textbook. Basta ano yung mga nagawa ng bawat pangulo. Yun ang mga nilalagay doon eh. A: So wala pong extensive discussion about doon sa era ng Marcos martial law? B: Saamin kasi kapag tinuturo, yung parang nagpapanood muna kami ng video, bahala na sila mag-ano, mag-evaluate - ano ba or sino ba ang negative, ganon; saan namin ilalatag; anu-ano ba yung mga nagawa niya.

A: So paano niyo po madedescribe yung mga reaksyon ng mga estudyante sa discussion ng martial law? Paano po nila tine-take?

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B: Karamihan kasi sakanila, halimbawa, "kung ikaw ay magiging isang pangulo, sinong pipiliin mo?" Parang ano... A: Pinipili po na siya (Marcos)? B: Hindi siya pinipili. Halimbawa, si Magsaysay, mas marami. A: Hindi po ba sila nagkukwento kung meron na silang prior knowledge about sa Marcos era kaya hindi po nila pinipili si Marcos? B: Hindi A: Mga nalalaman po nila from their parents? Or mula po sa media? Lalo na po sa Facebook, sa social media ngayon? B: Wala rin

A: So bilang teacher po na exposed sa textbooks, ano pong yung reaction niyo or perception towards the discussions regading martial law sa textbooks? Nakaka-affect po ba yun sa personal views niyo, kung ano yung mga nakasulat sa textbooks na nababasa niyo? B: Hmm, oo A: Malaki po yung... [inaudible] A: So kunyari po, medyo limited lang po yung mga nakalagay sa textbooks, nakakaaffect po ba yun sa kung anong perception niyo sa Marcos-era? B: Oo, nakakaapekto. Lalong-lalo na doon lang naka-focus, ibig sabihin, marami rin kasing mga, katulad niyan, diba maraming hindi pumipili kay Ferdinand Marcos kasi yung textbook doon lang siya naka-angkla sa mga ano, sa mga gawa. Minsan nagpapalalim kami - may mga reaksyon-reaksyon pero hindi masyadong malawak yung mga sagot nila. Minsan, hanggang doon lang, kung ano yung mga nasa textbook. Kaya, kami naman, gusto namin sana palalimin, kaso lang ang problema saamin, ano, yung parang, meron kami kasing competency na hanggang doon lang. Yung, kailangan matapos mo ito, kasi napakaraming competency - hindi masyadong napapalalim. Pero kung bibigyan siguro kami ng time na "oh itong araw ituro mo yung panahon ni Ferdinand Marcos" or pwede kaming mabigyan ng mga two weeks ganon, siguro matatackle namin yun. Pero kasi naka-focus lang kami. Kung ano yung nandoon sa competency, anu-ano yung kanilang mga nagawa, mga ganon... may pagpapalalim kaming gagawin, pero pahapyaw lang ganon. Kaya naka-angkla lang kami doon. A: So itong competencies po na ito, galing po ito sa DepEd? B: Sa DepEd, oo... A: Sila po yung nagseset? B: Oo, tapos doon sa competency na yun, doon lang manggagaling yung tanong na ibibigay nila.

A: So sa mga nababasa niyo pong mga textbooks, paano niyo po madedescribe yung pagsusulat ng authors. Kunyari po sa learner's manuals po muna - gaano ka-extensive yung pagdidiscuss nila? B: Yung mga authors kasi, depende sakanilang... ano bang tawag doon? A: Opinions po ba or biases? B: Sa perspektibo ng authors eh. Kaya nga minsan, may mga libro na, ito iba, ito sabi... Kaya nga pinapasuri na lang namin sa mga bata, yan ay batay sa perspektibo ng manunulat.

A: Napapansin niyo po ba, kasi po doon po sa dati kong nainterview, sabi niya po sa leaner's manuals mas limited daw po yung opinions ng mga authors kesa po sa textbooks na ginagamit sa private schools? Or hindi naman po?

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B: Mas limited sa textbook natin diba [talking to a co-teacher]? C: [inaudible] A: Hindi po masyadong binibigay ng authors yung opinions nila, ganon? B: Meron, doon sa mga activities, sa mga tanong na binibigay nila, meron din naman. Kaso lang yung detalyado na nilalagay sa ano, wala. [inaudible] B: Dapat talaga sa elementary yan eh A: So ngayon po, sa elem nga po tinuturo? Sa grade 6? B: Oo. Tulad niyan, Asian, pahapyaw lang naman tatalakayin ang Pilipinas pero hindi nakatuon doon sa martial law. A: So wala po talagang extensive na pagtuturo sa part ng history na ito? B: Wala

A: So based on what you know po, how are school textbooks for public schools chosen and approved? Kung ano po yung alam niyo. Paano po sila namimili? B: Base lang sa alam ko, bidding-bidding kasi sila eh, parang ganon. Minsan may mga correction, kahit sabihin namin, next year hindi naman ipapagamit ulit. Kasi ibig sabihin hindi na rin nila na-eevaluate ng maayos. Kasi minsan yung mga words na ginagamit namin, mga dates...

A: So sa tingin niyo po ano yung mga criteria na ginagamit para matukoy nila na, ah ito yung gagamitin... B: Ikaw, ma'am [talking to a co-teacher]. Galing ka sa RPSU, paano ba inaano ng DepEd yung books? C: [inaudible] B: Wala kasi kaming idea kung paano sila nag-aano diyan eh C: Usually kung sinong nananalo sa bidding A: Ah usually po ganon? B: Katulad ng textbook namin, magtataka ka 8 pesos. Ibig sabihin, yung pinaka-mura talaga yung kinukuha nila C: Pero kung sa content-wise, hindi ko sure masyado... [inaudible] B: Katulad yung ginagamit namin ngayon yung private eh C: [inaudible] B: Yung pinakamatipid yung kinukuha nila A: Ah usually po ganon? B: Ayan tignan mo 8 pesos oh. Eh sa private magkano ang mga book?

A: So ito, last na po. Para po sainyo, personal opinion niyo po. Bakit po importante na malaman o ituro sa mga estudyante yung history ng Pilipinas. B: Napaka-- paano mo ituturo yung nationalism sakanila kung hindi mo sisimulan yung history ng sarili mong bansa? Kaya nga siguro binaba yan sa-- grade 1 to 6 dapat kasi napalalim na yan eh, bago mag-Asian eh. Kasi pagdating namin ng Asian, magtanong ko [about] sa Pilipinas, iaano mo yan eh, uulitin mo ulit kasi wala silang idea. Kasi dapat nga grade 1 to 6 tinuturo-- hindi pa rin nila natatandaan. So paano namin ituturo yung nationalism pag dating ng grade 7? Kasi samin pag nagturo kami ng Asian history, lagi naming nirerelate sa Pilipinas. Eh paano namin marerelate, kung minsan wala silang idea? Kaya kailangan talaga maituro ulit yang ano, Philippine history. Kasi sa elementary hindi pa masyadong napalalim.

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A: Okay po. So sa tingin niyo po ba importante pang ituro yung part ng history about sa Martial law? Sa Marcos-era martial law? Importante pa po bang malaman ng mga estudyante yan ngayon? B: Syempre maicocompare din naman dapat talaga nila yung mga bawat presidente. Kasi [hindi] naman napalalim. May mga laging natatatak lang sa isip nila na negative. Kasi yung perspektibo ng manunulat, iba. Pero kung iba ang gagamitin na book, may mga positive din naman. A: So kailangan po talagang compare and contrast? B: Oo yung mga ganon. Kaya nga minsan nagpapanood kami ng mga videos din. Tapos irerelate din nila kung anong nandoon sa book, ganon. Gumagamit kami ng ibang mga references din.

A: So ayun lang naman po. Meron po ba kayong clarifications? B: Anong bang purpose niyo dito? Gusto niyong ibalik? Yung Philippine history? Ano bang purpose mo dito? A: Kung na-eenforce po ba yung idea ng historical negationism-- ah ito po. Yung difference po kasi ng historical revisionism at historical negationism-- B: Ano yun? A: Yung revisionism po kasi ginagawa po talaga ito dahil, nauupdate po, may mga bagong kang nalalaman about sa history, kaya yung revisionism po, ito po yung pag-uupdate sa mga current na data ganon-- inuupdate po kung ano yung mga alam na natin. Yung negationism naman po, ito po yung extreme ng revisionism in the sense na may mga inaalis po or iniibang mga facts para po magkaroon ng bagong narrative. Yung, kumbaga, ang negative po talaga is yung negationism, not necessarily yung revisionism po. Kasi yung revisionism po, ginagawa po talaga siya for academic purposes - para po maupdate kung ano yung alam na natin. B: Pero naka-focus ka lang sa Martial law? A: Opo. Kung paano naeenforce or possible na naeenforce ng textbooks ng DepEd yung idea ng negationism about sa Marcos-era martial law. B: Siguro mabibigyan ng pagpapalalim itong martial law kung lilimitahan din na naman yung aming competency. Sa dami naman kasi eh. Wala na tuloy pagpapalalim. Kung ano lang yung mga nasa ano. A: Ah so yan po yung suggestion niyo? B: Oo. Pero kasi kung lilimitahan din lang, hindi na matatackle lahat - yung mga importante. Oras din lang siguro. Katulad namin, 50 minutes tapos 3 times a week, so kailangan paspasan mo yun, kasi kailangan masunod mo yung nasa learning competency, kasi magiging cover ng periodical. Kaya siguro hindi na kami humihiling na dagdagan pa kung ano yung mga ano diyan A: Masyado na po kasing marami? B: Oo masyado nang marami. Yun ang magiging problema namin. Gustuhin man namin na masyado pang palalimin kung ano pa yung mga kailangan malaman tungkol diyan sa martial law, pero kasi by president yung ginagawa namin - sa dami ng president na yan, ilang araw mo lang siyang ituturo, so papahapyawan mo na lang, diba? Ipapacompare na lang namin kung ano yung mga nagawa nilang mabuti o negatibo. Ano sa palagay nila. Pero yung pagpapalalim na talaga, gustuhin man namin, hindi na namin naaano kasi sobrang limited lang yung araw, oras. Sa dami rin ng content na kailangan mong tapusin, yun ang magiging problema namin. Pero kasi diba sa elementary dapat, grade 1 to 6 dapat ma-perfect na nila.

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A: Ayun po, in relation to that po. Mas gusto niyo rin po bang mas maging detailed pa yung mga facts sa libro - na nakasulat sa libro. Para kunyari po mabasa ng mga estudyante kung hindi man po maituro. Mas gusto niyo po bang mas maging detailed yung mga authors about sa mga binibigay nilang-- B: Sa panig namin gusto namin maging detailed kasi yun ang nagiging reference namin. Pero yung mga bata, mas maraming babasahin, mas tamad. Yun ang magiging problema namin. Kasi ang test namin, talagang mahahaba. Doon bumababa yung mga score nila kasi tamad silang magbasa - yun ang kinatatamaran nila, ang magbasa. Dahil nga sa social media... A: Ah napapansin niyo pong mas dependent na sila... B: Korek. Kaya ang ginagawa namin para mas mamotivate sila, videos na lang. Ginagamitan din namin ng ano, kaysa sa textbook - mas gusto nila yun kesa magbasa. A: Ah okay po. Mas interactive po yung mga-- B: Oo, ganon. Kasi yung mga milennial gusto nila talagang-- boring sakanila yung nakayuko diyan at nagbabasa A: So ayun lang naman po B: May ibang mga ano, nilalagay nila, ano, may mga nakalagay diyan, sa YouTube - nilalagay yun para doon na lang kami magbabase A: Sainyo po ba nanggagaling, kayo po ba yung nagsesearch ng videos, ganon po? B: Oo kami. May mga libro sa private meron silang mga binibigay na ano eh, website, doon sa book meron. A: So nagrerefer din po talaga kayo sa textbooks ng private schools? B: Opo, gumagamit kami. Laging magka-combine yun. Kasi limited din lang talaga. Lalo na yung learning module na binibigay samin, limited na limited lang, so kailangan namin gumamit ng ibang reference.

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Respondent B (I – interviewer; R – respondent) I: Sige po. So prior to this interview po meron na po ba kayong knowledge about sa concepts po ng historical negationism at saka historical revisionism? R: Wala po sir eh. I: Iyong historical revisionism niyo hindi niyo po name-meet sa social media kunwari? R: Hindi na me-meet sa social media. Halos konti lang sa na-memeet sa social media mga news lang, pero from books at saka yung experience, meron. About martial law? I: Yes po. R: Oo I: Iyong concept po ng historical revisionism, iyon po. So explain ko lang po saglit, ‘yung historical revisionism po kasi ‘yung process na ‘to, ito po ‘yung pagpapalit, pagre-revise ng sa current na facts ngayon para po mai-apply yung mga bagong nalaman nga na data kunwari po para maitama ‘yung kung ano po ‘yung mga konting mali sa ano natin ngayon. ‘Yung historical negationism po ito naman po ‘yung extreme form ng revisionism kung saan po sinasadya pong may ibagong facts or baliktarin ‘yung ibang facts para po magkaroon ng bagong narrative. Iyon po ‘yung kakaiba. So para po sa inyo, gaano po ba kaimportante ‘yung kahalagahan ng textbook sa pagtuturo at saka sa pag-aaral po ng estudyante? R: Actually napakahalaga kasi hindi naman ‘yung kunwari ‘yung history, based on history, the history can be traced through books and other references ‘no? Kasi there are readers na hindi naman nila na-experience ‘yung ganon but through books malalaman nila kung anong events, important events and issues ang nangyari before and so parang source of knowledge and information ‘yung libro. Pero ang problema nga if the contents are correct or not. Iyon yung sinasabi mo kanina ano? Puwede mali, puwedeng tama na kung mali man at this point in time, puwedeng i-correct. I: So nagturo po ba kayo dati? R: Sa Economics pero familiar ako sa ano favorite subject ko sa history ganon. I: So sa tingin niyo gaano ka-dependent ‘yung mga teachers sa textbooks sa pagtuturo nila? R: Actually sa DepEd kasi (inaudible 2:30) so ibig sabihin mayroon kang curriculum na to be followed nandoon lahat halos lahat ay idi-discuss mo pati budget, nandoon lahat, pero sinasabi naman doon sa ano that you can enhance, you can use other references, you can use other books just to justify whether ‘yung reference na ginagamit ng DepEd ay tama. So that you can make comparison among books na ginagamit mo. I: So nagre-refer din po sa mga private school textbooks? R: Oo, usually kami dito, kapag nga sa English dito, kapag tiningnan mo ‘yung English ng DepEd, DepEd ‘pag may ganap pero ‘pag sa mga activities sinasabi ko sa mga beadles you can use other books of other publishers, ang ginagamit ng private schools, REX, ‘yung NEO sa Lagro, magaganda kasi ‘yung exercises. Hindi katulad sa ano, hindi katulad sa public schools, makikita mo na, Erne (3:24), limited, pero ‘yung sa ano private schools mga ginagamit ng private schools, may options ‘yung teachers. Pero ganon nga sinasabi, even the activities in the books used by DepEd are limited, puwede kang ano you can utilize other ano other books just to improve the, to enrich the activities of the students. I: Yes po, para ma-aid din po ‘yung teaching ‘no?

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R: Oo. I: So para po sa inyo, ano pong mas okay ‘yung kung mags-stick nalang po ba ‘yung teacher sa textbooks o mas maganda po bang mag-add sila ng sarili nilang opinion? R: Mas maganda. Kaya lang siyempre see to it na ‘yung opinion mo mayroon ka ng legal basis kasi sabi nga nila ‘yung opinion laging tama pero if you don’t have any legal basis naman, hindi rin magandang magbigay ka ng opinion kasi hindi ka puwedeng tumingin sa students na ganon na ‘yon. I: Yes po. So ayon po. Base po sa observation niyo, madali po bang naniniwala ‘yung mga estudyante sa mga nakasulat sa textbooks nila or kung- R: Actually between parents at saka teachers, mas naniniwala ‘yung mga estudyante sa teachers. Pero sa secondary level, kagaya ngayon kasi iba na ang estudyante ngayon ibang klase na ‘no, kung ano sinabi ‘nung teacher, base doon sa lesson, very stick, pero kung kada-run halos karamihan ‘nung sinasabi ‘nung teacher hindi naman natatandaan, maliban sa higher section, hindi natatandaan ng mga bata. Sa higher section puwede ‘yan, pero sa ano very critical na ito ‘yung bigay mo ‘tas mali, iyon ang matatandaan nila. So later on, ‘pag na-tackle na ‘yung the same situation, the same problem or ano, magkakaroon sila ngayon ng comparison. Ayan na ‘yung doubt, made-develop ‘yung doubt. Kung ang estudyante ay magaling, magre-recite siya, pero kung hindi, okay na sa kanya ‘yung kung ano binigay nung teacher. I: So karamihan po ba ng estudyante nagbabasa pa ngayon or naka-depende na po sila sa social media? R: Social media, oo. Napakadali ng social media, pero kaya lang sa social media hindi detalyado. Parang a little of everything. Hindi katulad sa books talagang ano, ‘pag nagbasa ka ng encyclopedia ayon, detalyado talaga, for references, kinuha mo sa iba’t ibang references, puwede rin. Pero sa social media, napakadali kasi isang pindot mo lang nandoon na, may hahanapin ka, nandoon na. I: So itong mga facts po ba na ‘to kinukuwestiyon pa po ba nila? R: Anong facts? I: ‘Yung kunwari po kung anong mga nakalagay sa textbooks. R: Hindi na sila nagkukuwestiyon, bihira ‘yang ano. Pero sa higher section, kaya pag ako nago- observe, very particular ako ‘don sa ano, ‘yung, although ‘yung answer and question technique or open ended ano, very particular ako doon sa estudyante na they can think creatively, they can think critically, with (inaudible 6:22), dapat nandoon sila. Ang bata ngayon ‘pag tinanong mo, may tinanong ka, sagot yes, tama na, so walang justification “why yes?”, “why no?”, “do you have any other ano-?” ganon, wala na limited na hanggang doon lang. Hindi katulad ‘don sa ano ngayon sa (inaudible 6:39) na sinasabi the fathers can give their opinion, base doon sa nabasa nila kung may legal basis, okay lang pero mostly sa higher section puwede ‘yon, pero sa lower hindi. I: So next po. So ito po personal take niyo po, what do you know or what is your personal take on the Marcos era Martial Law in general? R: In general. From the declaration hanggang up to this point in time? I: ‘Yung sa Marcos po. Yes po. R: Oo kasi ang Marcos regimented in 1986, EDSA Revolution. Actually I was an activist 1972, second year high school ako, nakasabay ko si (inaudible 7:26), so ganon sumasama ako sa rally hanggang ano 1986, EDSA Revolution pero definitely nakita ko ‘yung difference. Ako against the ano system of Marcos before pero among the presidents, naging president ng Pilipinas, pagsamasamahin mo ‘yung accomplishment ng lahat ng naging presidente after him, may

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coming difference. Although mayroong cruelty, mayroong violation of human rights, kasi kitang kita naman ito period ‘nong araw, even naman ngayon eh, walang Martial Law, may ganon pa rin, kaya lang minimal lang, but during that time siyempre may nagb-block sa inyo diyan, hindi masyadong lumalabas. Pero ang nakita kong kagandahan ‘non during the declaration, naging disiplinado ang tao kasi whether you like it or not you have to follow kung hindi makukulong ka ‘di ba? So ‘yung mga kalsada ‘nong araw sa Pandakan, Pandakan ako lumaki, tulad ng Malacañang na ‘yan, lahat ‘yan, Manila, makikita mo diyan, lahat ng ano may tanim. Walang jaywalker, drivers disiplinado, siguro dahil nga sa takot, na naging maganda ‘yung epekto ‘non. Base sa experience ko, kahit uma-ano ako sa kaslada, kahit nagr-rally kami ‘non, nakita ‘yung epekto gradually. Pero iyon ‘yung magandang side. Pero ‘yung other side nga ‘yung mga violations of human rights, mga kinikidnap, nawawala, actually hanggang namatay si Ninoy kasama ko nanay ni Jonas Burgos, si Pete at saka si Jo, kasi dahil nagtuturo ako nandoon ako sa publication ng Uforum at saka ng Balayas (9:10). Kami nag-aano ng dyaryo doon eh. So ganon naging ano ko, pero ngayon kung after EDSA parang wala ring ano eh kung meron mang changes, minimal compared to Martial Law. Parang minimal lang, kaya ang tawag ko sa EDSA its an Avenue of Broken Dreams, kasi paulit-ulit ‘yon at ‘yon din kahit sinong administration ‘yun ang nangyayari. Kaya lang ang pagkakaiba lang noon medyo may nab-block sa media, ‘di masyadong nakakalabas during the time of Martial Law. Ngayon nakakalabas kasi open na, may social media na, wala kang maitatago ngayon, iyon ang pagkaka-ano. So generally, sabi ko nga sa’yo kanina, halos lahat ng makikita nating, maski ‘yung mga projects ngayon, ito mga project na ginagawa time pa ‘to ni ano, ni Marcos. Na-reveal ‘yan kasi si John Remuda (10:07) ano ‘yan, ‘yan ‘yung ‘kwan ni Marcos dati, magkaka-close ‘yan, nakikinig ako ng revelation tuwing ano, ewan ko mga 10/8 years ago nagkaroon na talagang plan ‘yan, ‘yung ginagawa ngayon. ‘Yung mga hat center, lahat ‘yan, lahat ng mga center ngayon, walang presidenteng, walang president after him na ‘yon na nga, na nakapagpatayo ng mga ganon na naging identity ng bansa natin. Kasama na noon, ang difference nga ‘yung mga patayan, ‘yung pinapatay, ‘yon yung number one diyan, na hanggang ngayon nangyayari pa rin. Punta ka sa Mindanao, mayroon pa rin. Dinamayan ko ‘yan, kasi ang ideology ng leftist, talagang ‘yun na ‘yon. Kaya lang ang problema ngayon, ‘yung ibang leftist indi na ito ‘yung ideology na ipinaglalaban. Naglalaban lang, nagiging extorcist (11:07) na sila, nagiging kidnappers na sila, ‘yon ang ano kaya nang makita ko nags-switch. Alin sa dulo ang ipinaglalaban na ideology? Ngayon katulad si ano, katulad si (inaudible 11:21) kasama ko si ano Cong. Castro, nasabi ko nga sa kanya “ba’t sumisigaw ka pa ngayon?” nandoon pa ‘yun nagsisigaw pa ‘yun sa kalsada to get support from other ano teachers. Ngayon dapat nandiyan na kayo, we have to make use it to make laws that help the teachers. Hindi ‘yung sisigaw pa tayo, nandiyan na kayo, gawin niyo na ‘yong karapatan niyo sabi ko. So, sabagay tapos na ‘yung Martial Law pero still ‘pag nakita mo ‘yung ano, Martial Law pa rin, babalik at babalik. Sabi nga history repeats itself. Iyon lang po. I: So maco-compare niyo po ba ‘yong Marcos era Martial Law sa Martial Law sa Mindanao ngayon ni Duterte? R: Actually ‘yung Martial Law natin during the time of Marcos hindi naman actually Martial Law ‘yon. Martial Law tinawag, pero ‘pag sinabing Martial Law military ano ‘yan, controlled by military lahat ‘yan, lahat. Pero during that time, hindi. ‘Yung Martial Law sa Mindanao, hindi pa rin. Actually ang pinaka-focus ng Martial Law sa Mindanao is to limit the movement of the extremist, iyon lang naman. Kasi kung wala namang ganon, anytime they can remove Martial Law in Mindanao. I: So sa current curriculum po ba saan po ba itinuturo, dinidiscuss ‘yung Martial Law?

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R: Sa ano, sa AP, Philippine History. I: Sa anong grade school po, anong grade level po? R: Kasi ang ano ngayon, ang curriculum spiral. Parang magtuturo ka ng Science na first grading, General Science, second grading, may Bio ka, third, may Chemistry ka, fourth grading may Physics. Ganoon din Philippine History, tapos ano Economics. So lahat ‘yan sa same grade level, you have to tackle. Kaya ano ka, jack of all trades, master of none. ‘Di katulad ‘nong previous curriculum, ang daming curriculum na nadaanan, ang grade seven, first year ka, Philippine History ka lang, limited ka roon ‘di ba? Tapos ‘pag second year ka, nandoon ka sa Asian History, ‘pag third year mo, Philippine Problems of Economics, fourth year mo World History. So ibig sabihin ‘pag natapos mo ‘yong isang taon, hindi ka nakapagpatuloy, may alam ka sa Philippine History. Hindi katulad ngayon, sabog. I: Sa isang grade level po iyan? R: Sa isang grade level mayroon kang Philippine, Asian, Economic, at saka ano- I: So paano po ‘pag kunwari naging second year na sila? R: Parang ano, chapter one ng ano Philippine History, pagdating mo ng grade eight, kukunin mo ‘yong chapter two. Kaya sabog. I: Oo nga. R: Oo, ganon. Spiral. I: So sa elem po ba dinidiscuss ‘yong Philippine History din po? R: Oo, dinidiscuss din sa elem. I: So gaano po ka-extensive sa tingin niyo ‘yong pagdi-discuss sa Martial Law, limited lang po ba? R: Limited lang kasi ano parang dadaanan lang. Kapiraso, so kung anong sinabi ‘nong teacher, kung ano ‘yung facts sa ano, ‘yun din ‘yong ituturo ni teacher, so limited. I: So parang introduction lang po talaga? R: Oo. Kaya ang bata ngayon, katulad ‘nong three years ago, ‘yung taga-UP nakita niyo ‘yon ‘di ba sa FB, picture naka-black. Mga bata, katulad nung estudyante mga four years ago, tingnan niyo, sinasabi ko sa inyo ‘yung opinion niyo tungkol sa ano sa martial law is limited, you were not yet born before or during the declaration of martial law, ‘yung mga sinasabi niyo ngayon is based from facts, based from books, based from other references pero pagdating sa experiences, magkaiba tayo ng experiences, and mostly writers are getting their articles or creating their articles from by interviewing people kasi they cannot go in two or three face of the same thing so nagi-interview ‘yan so nanggagaling din sa ano ‘yan, nanggagaling sa iba’t ibang tao na kung titingnan mo ‘yung Martial Law dito lang naman sa Metro ‘yan, ‘yung EDSA dito lang sa Metro, wala namang ano sa ibang, sa Mindanao wala naman. And the population of Metro Manila is just a portion of the population of the Philippines. Kung titingnan natin dito lang naman nag- concentrate yung Martial Law, yung EDSA, dito lang sa Metro, pero sa ibang lugar ‘di masyado. Although mayroong mga big cities na kasamang nakikipag-ano diyan, talagang mayroong ding big group of people who are fighting against the government, usually normal naman ‘yun. I: So ayon po, next po. Paano niyo po made-describe ‘yong reaction or reception po ng students sa discussion sa Martial Law sa textbooks nila? Ano po sa tinign niyo ‘yung reaction nila ‘don? R: Ano, high school student ba? I: Opo. R: High school student walang masyadong reaction. Pero sa college, lalo na sa taga-UP, sa inyo, mga PUP mga ganon, makikita mo rin, maganda ‘yung reception nila, hindi maganda ‘yung reception sa Martial Law. Pero sa high school, wala lang parang ano passive lang sila, idi-discuss

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mo, passive lang. Kasi wala silang alam, usually ‘yung nalalaman lang is limited based on the lecture being given by their subject teacher, limited lang. Pero wala silang kusang tao na mag- research or check the background of the history of Martial Law from the declaration in 1972 up to the EDSA revolution in 1986, hindi na nila ano ‘yun eh, hindi. I: Sa tingin niyo po ba wala silang prenotion about that subject mula po sa mga parents nila ganon? R: ‘Yung mga high school, meron pero limited din, ‘di tulad ng ano, siyempre kung ang tatay mo ay aktibista, siyempre ibang feed mo kasi iba iba ang ano ng parents, pero kung ang tatay mo naman ay hindi aktibista, hindi masyado particular sa ganon, ang usual saying iyong naririnig mo sa radyo, ang nababasa mo sa diyaryo. Pero ‘yung experience, siguro mayroon din pero in reality mas nakaka-apekto ‘yung feedback na binibigay ng parent na activist doon sa anak niya. So kumpara mo ‘yung dalawang estudyante, mas maraming alam ito, kung ang tatay niya ay ano ganon. I: So ayon po, so next po, as an educator po na exposed sa textbooks, kayo po ano po ‘yung reaction niyo sa discussions sa textbooks regarding Martial Law? R: Yung discussion regarding Martial Law textbooks kagaya ng sinabi ko, limited. And usually sa libro ang karamihang naf-feature ‘yung negative side ng Martial Law. Kasi nga, bakit dineclare ang Martial Law? Unang una to save Republic and form new government, ‘yon talaga main issues ni Marcos. So ‘yun ‘yon, bakit ganon? What brings me back on kasi dalawa lang ‘yan napag-isipan mo, maaaring gusto ng government to control kasi ang rami ‘non, sinusunog ‘yung sasakyan, talagang bayolente na, so cannot be controlled without Martial Law, kahit military wala hindi kaya. So iyon nga ‘yung ganong sitwasyon medyo mahirap. Pinahirapan na kayo binigyan pa kayo ng Martial Law. Pero yung tanong mo, ganon din. I: So ‘yung mga nababasa niyo po ba ay nakaka-affect po ba sa personal views niyo? R: Sakin? I: Opo. R: Kasi dapat ‘pag nagbasa ka, nakinig ka sa radyo, you have to validate. Iva-validate mo, kasi validation is the one determining whether the issue is correct or not. Kasi usually sabi nga nila “sa sampung news, labing isa ang mali”. ‘Yun ‘yon, ‘yun dati pero ngayon naman, magagaling ang journalists natin. Actually research-based sila tapos talagang laging based sa fact, laging legal ‘yan ‘no? Maaaring on the spot, talagang nasaksihan nila. Maaaring kung hindi man na-ano they further make some investigations to determine whether the issue is correct or not. So sa nababasa ko at sa naa-ano ko, ‘yun nga nire-research ko pa, at saka mahilig din ako making ng mga, sa mga commentators naman normal lang ‘yun ‘no? Ganon din, pero of course ‘yung validation ng issues dapat alam natin. I: So ayun po nasabi niyo nga po na very limited nga lang po yung discussion, so sa tingin niyo po paano dinidiscuss ng authors ‘yung itong topic na ito sa textbooks, naga-add po ba sila ng sarili nilang opinions? R: Hindi, usually mayroon din silang sources, may sources din. May legal basis din sila, further explanations siguro siyempre doon na sila nagkaka-ano, doon na sila nagkakatalo. Pero yung legal basis, yung publisher kasi hindi naman puwede mag-publish ng confidential, ng ‘di talaga totoo ‘no? Kasi meron ng, puwede silang makasuhan niyan. Ganon ‘din ‘yung mga authors, vine-verify ‘yan, vine-verify, so totoo naman ‘yung sinasabi diyan kaya lang siyempre ‘yung pagkaka-describe minsan kasi kahit iyon ‘yung point nung author, ‘yung imagination nung estudyante kung magaling, malawak. So kung lumalawak ‘yan magtatanong nang magtatanong

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so habang nagtatanong ‘yan lumalawak ‘yung ano, may mga ano parang searching for the truth ayon na ‘yon. Talagang hindi naman siya limited, magbabase ‘dun sa facts, paulit ulit. I: So tingin niyo po ba iba ‘yung content sa learner’s manuals sa public school at saka sa textbooks na ginagamit ng private schools? R: Hindi naman, wala. Kasi whether you are doon ka sa private school o public school, we are following the same curriculum, ito pa rin ‘yun. So mayroong tinatawag na guide, mags-stick ka ‘ron. Pero when it comes to presentation parang ano lang kasi ‘yun, parang tini-table of contents, pero alam ninyo doon na magkakaiba, ibig sabihin ‘yung expression ng pagkaka-ano kasi ‘yung sa activities, sa enhancement, sa process ‘dun magkakaiba sa following chapters. I: So ayun po na-notice niyo po ba kung ‘yung authors sa textbooks nagbibigay ng sariling opinyon ganon po ba ‘pag nagbabasa po kayo? R: Mayroon konti, konti lang. They just found their ‘yung ano, ang kadalas isa-site lang nila ‘yung ano eh, isa-site lang. Hindi naman talaga ‘yung opinion ‘yung ano, kundi parang isa-site lang na tamang follow up lang para i-educate ng konti just to justify ‘yung ano statement na ano na-research nila. I: So ito po, based on what you know po paano po ba pumilipi yung DepEd ng mga learner’s manuals? Paano po nila ina-approve? R: Actually ano ‘yan maglalabas ng halimbawa ‘yung curriculum guide, so sa curriculum guide, nagpapa-seminar yan, seminar, oo kailangan nandoon ang curriculum writer tapos ‘pag ganyan haharap ng writer ‘yan, mamimili sila nang mamimili na ano yan edit edit edit edit hahanap ng publisher, so doon galing ang libro. Pero usually ang ano ko lang diyan even ewan ko lang sa ibang ano, ang ano ko lang diyan walang kursong special ‘dun sa micro, oo micro yung mababa, ‘yung nasa field wala masyadong kursong (inaudible 24:20) kasi in most cases kami nakaka- encounter ‘nun tutulungan kasi gumagawa ng (inaudible 24:28) ano ako, Tele (24:30) major ako, vocational, so wala kursong (inaudible 24:35) masyado dun sa ano tas ang gagawa kunwari ang ginagawa ‘dun sa (inaudible 24:40) ginagawa rin ‘to sa Philo maghahanap ka ng ano magta-tap ng mga writers. So papatingnan yung course curriculum guide ‘tas magaano ng sample ‘yun ‘yon, mags-sample tapos mamimili ng pinakamagandang format ‘yan ‘yung format mo. Ang sa workbook ‘yun din format mo pati yung mga presentation, ‘tas gagawa ng teacher’s manual para ‘pag dineliver ni teacher ‘yung lesson, may guide na rin. I: So ito po, last question na po, para po sa inyo bakit po importante pang ituro sa mga estudyante at malaman ng mga estudyante ‘yung history ng Pilipinas? R: Hindi Martial Law, history? Okay napaka-halaga, unang una kasi ‘yung identity natin will be precisely identity history, ‘yung culture natin, history, kasi ako, Filipino ang tawag sakin pero there are indigenous people, meron tayong mga tribes, meron ding ethnic groups na hindi alam, hindi masyadong alam ng mga estduyante kasi hindi sila nakakapunta sa ganong lugar. yung mga places na hindi nila mapuntahan ‘pag itinuro sa history, mga forest area kahit hindi nila napuntahan kapag (inaudible 26:15) matatandaan nila, matatandaan nila ‘yung mga events ano bang nangyari during ano nung dumating si Magellan so thorugh history they can learn, they can learn something ‘yung at this point in time na ito na tayo. Lahat kasi (inaudible 26:35) so importante talaga pa ‘yung history parang to trace saan tayo nanggaling at ano ‘yung mga, ano ‘yung pagkakaiba natin, you can compare Filipinos from other Asian countries. I: So to follow up lang po, sa tingin niyo po ba importante hanggang ngayon na ituro ‘yung history ng Martial Law era? ‘Yung Marcos Martial Law era po. R: Importante po just to correct gaya ng sinabi niyo to correct issues, wrong issues or before ‘no. Kasi maraming wrong notions about Martial Law. Kung ituturo ‘yon, ‘yung corrected na mas

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maganda kasi hindi mags-stick yung bata sa ganong info, ibig sabihin mach-check natin at saka at the same time makikita na ano ba yung Martial Law during the time of Marcos? Ano ba yung Martial Law sa Mindanao? Bakit idineklara ang Martial Law? Ano ang dahilan? Ano ba naging epekto ng Martial Law during that time hanggang ngayon? Sino ba ang naapektuhan ng Martial Law, na negative ba effect sa kanila o positive effect? Sino sino ‘yun at saka sakaling magkaroon ulit ng Martial Law, dahil may mga background na tayo, ano ‘yung gagawin natin? Anong preparasyon ang ia-ano natin?

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Respondent G (A – interviewer; E – respondent) A: Yung katulad nga po ng sinabi ko kanina, para sa akin ay very relevant pa rin ang history ng Martial Law. Lalo na po sa admin ngayon, parang may mga inuulit tulad po ng Martial Law sa Mindanao.

E: Sa Mindanao…

A: Opo. Tsaka po sa issue ng human rights, marami pa ang hindi na-re-resolve na kaso.

E: So, base sa sinabi mo sa akin, ang pagtingin mo sa batas military ay negatibo?

A: Opo.

E: Tama. Hindi ka kasama sa mga millennials na ang tingin sa batas military ay golden years. Dahil para sa iyo negatibo ito. Bakit kinailangan i-declare ni President Duterte na Martial Law sa Mindanao sa panahong mayroong tinatawag na civil unrest. Yung pag-aaklas o ‘di kaya CBIFF or incident ng SAF 44 kay PNoy. So, sasagutin kita. Ako si Mary Rose V. Penalosa, at guro ako sa kasaysayan. 11 taon ako nagturo ng Philippine History noong wala pang K-12, pero ngayong may K-12 na, wala nang Philippine History sa junior high school. Pero may isang eskwelahan na private na hindi inalis ang Philippine History sa curriculum nila. Ang school na ito ay Audi (???) Montesorri.

A: Pero yung ibang private schools po ay tinanggal na nila?

E: Lahat ng private schools ay nagtanggal. Sinunod nila ang order ng Department of Education, pero hindi naman naging issue kasi ipinasok naman nila sa elementary. So, parang nasa elementary siya. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali, particularly, sa grade 4 and 5.

A: Pero may balita po ba kayo kasi may nabasa po ako na nag-pe-petition na ibalik. ]

E: Totoo iyon. Pumirma kami noon, member ako ng Bagong Kasaysayan, isa rin kami sa nagsulong na kailangang ibalik ang Philippine History kasi nakakalimutan ng mga bata ang kasaysayan ng sariling bansa. Kasi ang ginagawa ng mga teachers ay sariling sikap na ma- integrate at maipasok sa bawat paksa, mula Asian history hanggang sa contemporary issues, yung mga nangyayari sa bansa sa kasalukuyan. Tapos, sagutin natin itong nasa questionnaire mo. Ang itinuturo ko ay economics at world history. So, social studies teacher talaga ako. Ang bagong update, para sa number 2 question mo na kino-correct ko kung okay lang, ang historical revisionism ay nahahati sa dalawa. Isang tinatawag na positive revisionism at isang negative revisionism. So, all in all walang historical negation within. Kapag tinignan natin ang bagong prinesent ni Dr. Diokno ng University of the Philippines, Diliman, doon sa seminar ng tulong guro. Ano raw ba ang pagkakaiba ng dalawa? Ang pagkakaiba ng dalawa, sa historical revisionism na positive, ang pagdedetalye ng mgapangyayari sa kasaysayan ay batay sa katotohanan. Ipinapaliwanag ang kasaysayanpara maunawaan ng mambabasa batay sa tunay na nangyari. Kapag sinabi naman daw na historical negative revisionism, may pagtatangkang

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gawing mali ang mga detalye. Pagmukhaing tama ang mga bagay na mali. Ilang beses na raw ito ginawa ng Gazette ng Pilipinas,

(00:05:00)

E: Malacanang, Official Gazette ng Malacanang. Hlaimbawa daw sa mga salitang pinalitan ay ang mga Marcoses ay nagkusang umalkis ng bansa noong panahon ng EDSA revolution.

A: Considered na pong negative revisionism ang ganoon?

E: Negative revisionism siya dahil hindi naman sila kusang umalis eh. Iba ang pinatalsik sa kusang umalis. Nagiging negative revisionism siya kasi ina-alter mo ang daloy ng kasaysayan. Parang pina-package mo in such a way na magmukha siyang nagbigay pa ng parang ang mga Marcosesd ay kuysang loob para wala na lang gulo. So, parang pagmumukhain mo pa siyang bayani o mapagmahal sa bansa para wlang gulo. So ang gusto ng positive revisionism ay eksakto. Umalis sila dahil sa EDSA revolution, sila ay pinaalis ng mga tao sa Malacanang at pinadala ng Amerika sa Guam. Dapat ganoon.

A: Opo. Pwede pong follow-up? Paano niyo po napipi-pin point na ito ang katotohanan dahil mayroon naman pong ibang perspective, parang ganoon po. Paano niyo po mapipi-pin point na ito po ang katotohanan at hindi ito.

E: Trabaho iyan ng mga historians. Iba ang history teacher sa mga historians. Ang trabaho ng mga historians ay magsulat ng libro tungkol sa kasaysayan ang mayroong ginagamit na pamantayan or standard, na tinatawag na pantayong pananaw. Ibig sabihin yung kay Dr, Salazar na mula sa loob ang pagpapaliwanag sa kapwa Pilipino. Kung ang insidente sa kasayasayan ay, sige focus tayo sa mga marcoses, ang sabi ay walang dinakip na iligal, walang pinatay o pinarusahan dahil lang sa pagdedeklara ng Martial law, negative revisionism iyon kasi malakas ang mga datos na nakalagay na maraming pinakuha na walang warrant of arrest, dinakip, pinatay at nawala na lang na parang bula. So parang isang buong generatiuon ang nawalang liders dahil sa pagtutuol nila sa batas militar o kay Marcos. So yun yung papel ng historians, ang papel ng mga teachers ay gumamit ng mas maraming aklat sa kasaysayan para maituro kung ano ang tama. Next tayo, third question: how do you usually introduce/ teach historical topics that may be sensitive to your students? Patas na pag-uulat, para kang nagbabalita at dalawang version o tatlo. Bibigay mo ang una, pangalawa, at pangatlong version tapos pahihintulutan ang mga bata na magkaroon ng sarili nilang conclusion na tukuyin yun. Number fourm, how important are textbooks to your teaching and the learning of your students? Napakahalaga ng textbooks. Hindi ito maaring e-books kasi may kinalaman sa….public school, ang nagsusulat ay mga hina-hire ng DepEd para gawin ito. Ang nakakalungkot lang ay na-iplement ang K-12, hindi pa ganap na okay ang mga libro, parang to follow. Topics muna, to follow ang libro. Pero ngayon okay na. 1:1 na. It took them around 2-3 years, pero inimplement agad ang K-12. So far iyon.

A: Yung tawag na po sa mga textbooks sa public schools is called Learner’s Manual po?

E: Tama iyon. It’s called LM, Learner’s Manual. Sa mga teachers, may tinatawag tayong parang slash module iyan ng mga bata. LKearning Module ng mga bata iyan. Sa teacher, Teacher’s

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Manual. Tapos may tinatawag din ng curriculum guide. Ang school books ay napakahalaga pero importante din na naisasabay ng teacher ang mga nangyari noon sa balitaan. Do you prefer to stick textbooks when you teach or do you add your personal experience and opinions? Why or why not? Mahalaga kasi sa mga bata ngayon na hindi lang nila nai-imagine ang mga nangyari noon. So, ang pagtuturo ng kasaysayan ay batay sa paggamit ng larawan, ng video, karanasan at mga nasusulat sa libro. Hindi mo pwedeng ituro ang history na puro salita lang. kasi ang mga bata ngayon ay millennial, more on things that they can manipulate, So kahit yung poagtuturo ng digmaan, “noong panahon na ito ay nagkaroon ng digmaan” o kaya “si Marcos ay nag-declare ng batas militar noong 1972”—hindi lang ganoon. May picture ni Marcos or powerpoint presentation ng mga nangyari noong Martial Law, at pagpapakilala sa sino ba itong royal family noong panahon ng diktadurya, so ganoon.

A: So sa tingin niyo po ba nakakaapekto ang biases ng mga teacher kapag nagtuturo sila? Kunwari po ang pag-impart din ng karanasan. Nakakaapekto ba ang biases?

E: Personally, hindi nakakaapekto kasi patas. Hindi ako magbubuhat ng bangko pero sa karanasan ko bilang history teacher, hindi ko ini-impose ang aking opinyon sa mga bata perro hindi mo rin kasi pwedeng iwan ng open ended lang. Dapat may posisyon din si teacher tapos sasabihin mo sa kanila na dapat kayo, magsaliksik kayo at tignan niyo rin sa inyong pagtantsa kung alin ang mas tama. Ganoon. Aling question na tayo?

A: 6 po.

E: Based on your own observation and assessment, do your students easily believe everything written on the textbooks or do they ask questions? Maraming mga bata would ask questions. Lalo na sa panahon ngayon, ang millennial ay very active sa mga social media. So, whatever they see sa social media and they check the book, itatanong nila iyan. What is your take on the Marcos era, Martial law in general. Yun sana ang ipapanood ko sa iyo sa IBON facts foundation. IBON is a foundation na hindi nagpapabayad kapag gumagawa sila ng survey.

A: Pwede ko po bang kopyahin?

E: Pwede. Pwede kong i-send or kunin sa YouTube.

A: Mayroon po sa YouTube?

E: Sa YouTube. Nasa file na iyon. In the current curriculum, is the topic of Martial Law taught in the grade level? No. Not anymore, ibanaba kasi nila. Nakakalungkot na UP Diliman na nag- suggest na tanggalin ang history, under Dr. Diokno, and you can write it down. Siya ang hinire ng DepEd para sa K-12. Ang nirecommend niya ay tanggalin ang Philippine history at palitan ng tinatawag nilang…yung mga documents. Pag-aaral ng mga…sorry ang dami ko kasing ginagawa kaya…ang tawag ay Primary Documents. Gusto nila primarying dokumento ang basahin ng first year students.

A: Tungkol saan poi yon?

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E: Halimbawa, sa pamayanan dati, gusto nila ang mga bata yung sinulat pa ng mga banyagang dumating sa Pilipinas. Mali. Bakit mali? Historians ang makakaintindi niyan, hindi mga bata. Tinanggal din iyan ng DepEd, hindi inacknowledge ang kaniyang recommendation/. Pero nakakalungkot. Sana huwag mo na i-quote kasi baka sabihing sinisisi ko siya. Pero na-bring up ko iyan during the seminar dahil pumirma kami ng petition na maibalik.

A: May study po ba si Dr. Diokno about this? Baka may paper po siya?

E: Hindi ko alam eh.

A: Siguro better po if mag-reach out na rin ako sa kaniya.

E: Reach out sa kaniya? Search mo na lang. Huwag mo na lang ako i-quote dito baka mapaharap ako.

A: Opo. Hindi ko naman ilalagay yung name niyo.

E: Okay lang naman na ilagay mo pero ito at ito, i-remove mo na lang iyan.

A: Sige po.

E: How would you describe your student’s reaction per perspective of the lesson learning the Martial law era as written in their textbook? Dahil sa kapalpakan ng mas maraming pinuno simula noong mapalitan si Marcos, ang pananaw ng mga mag-aaral ay golden era ang martial law kahit anong bigay mo sa kanila ng information na masama ang martial law, dahil lang sa wala pang nakakahigit doon sa ipankita nilang performance na isinulat na napapanuod sa social media, ang tingin nila ay mas okay pa ang panahon ni marcos. Totoo iyan and we are trying to break that pero hindi pa kami nagtatagumpay. Number 9. As an educator that is exposed to textbooks, what is your reaction regarding martial law. Ito hindi ko na maasasagot dahil wala nang textbooks. Ilagay mo na lang na not applicable.

A: Sa mga dati pong textbooks?

E: Sa dating textbooks…patas. Maayos.

A: Hindi po ba nila tinatanggal maski human rights violations? Mayroon po bang content na ganoon?

E: Yes. Yung IBON facts has been one of the best. One of the best presentations. Walang sounds yun, walang nagsasalita. Figures. Yung dati, okay naman. No problem. 11 year ko tinuro, wala. How will you describe the discussion regarding the Marcos era/ Martial law on the textbook being used? Hindi siya limited lang. Nasa teacher kung paano palalawakin. Every textbook has its limitation because they cannot reprint one major history of events. So parang yung task ng teacher na pinagdaanan niya naman bilang isang history teacher, itinuro sa kaniya na she should rely on one book alone. Dapat gumagamit ka ng isa, dalawa, tatlo, o mas marami pang aklat para maituro mon ang ganap yung isang historical event. Tapos based on you what you know, how

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are public school textbooks chosen? Yung 11, may criteria ata. May criteria ata. Sa DepEd ka maghanap.

A: Opo. Nag-email po ako sa kanila tapos hiningi ko po iyon.

E: Yung criteria na ginagamit nila para sabihin na itong taong ‘to, dapat magsulat ng textbook for them. Sa kanila ka magtanong.

A: Opo. Nag-email din po ako.

E: Why is it important for the children to know the history of the country? Alam mo ito ang pinakamalungkot na tanong na dapat sagutin ng mga taong nag-alis ng Philippine history. Filipinos in general should always love, care, and be interested in every historical detail/event regarding the Philippines. It is so unfortunate that those in power have decided, ito talaga…, to remove Philippine history as a subject in the junior high school curriculum. How can we promote and instill deep love and appreciation to our mother country. Ayan ayaw ko na nang mas marami dahil baka maghimagsik ako.

A: Follow up ko na lang po, importante po bang mag-(inaudible) sa history ng Martial law?

E: Alam mo kung bakit hindi na, this has been used for 27 years to stop us from moving kung anong naihanda. Matagal nang wala sa kamay ni Marcos ang kapalaran ng Pilipinas, per yung mga pinagkatiwallan natin ay hindi nila ginawa ng mabuti. Tayo na, it is our generation who can do something for this country to develop, improve and to progress. Wala na sa kanila. It was nice meeting you.

A: Thank you po

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Respondent H (I – interviewer; R – respondent) R: I teach English, ESP, Filipino, and AP.

I: Ano pong ESP?

R: Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao. Tapos grade 5. Grade 5 English, Grade 5 Filipino, ESP, atsaka Filipino. Prior to this interview, have you had any knowledge on the terms historic [unintelligible at 00:00:26], so… ah, actually, oo.

I: Meron na po?

R: Meron na.

I: Yung historical revisionism… yung negationism po? Ah, pero po yung historical revisionism, ano pong [unintelligible at 00:00:45]?

R: Yung revisionism sa akin, parang binabago. Nagkakaroon ng… kasi lalo na ngayon, sa books na ginagamit namin, napakadaming––oo, errors. Kaya malalaman mo, ay, ano ba yun!

I: Like yung facts po ba mismo? Kaunting errors po like grammar?

R: Oo, which is natunghayan ko yun, napakaimportante yun, eh. Bilang nagtuturo na [unintelligible at 00:01:21].

I: How about historical negationism po?

R: Ay, wala akong idea nito. Actually, nasabi mo na ‘to sa akin.

I: Opo. Uulitin ko lang po, yung historical revisionism po, binabago po talaga para yun po, ma- correct po yung mga maling facts. Ma-correct po yung maling facts.

R: Meron din naman siya, pero sa ngayon, parang bihira na siya. Bihira, hindi ko na… o pagka- anuhan, kapag merong ano ka… may ano ka, may concern ka doon sa issue na yun, siguro oo, pero kung iilan lang, papakinggan ka ba?

I: So yung negationism naman po, ito talaga yung pinapalitan talaga yung mga facts para magkaroon po ng bagong narrative.

R: Bagong pananaw, yung mga bagong henerasyon ngayon. Maaari!

I: Okay, number three po, paano niyo po usually tinuturo o iniintroduce sa mga pupils niyo po yung mga historical topics?

R: Syempre, yung current events, oo yung mga napapanahong isyu ngayon.

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I: Tulad po ng ano?

R: Halimbawa, may [unintelligible at 00:02:25] sa citizenship, ganoon, anong part, anong nawawala, tapos ano uh, ano pang ano… ah, hindi. Ito, yun ang pinakabago ko, yung doon sa aking… yung pagsakop, yung colonialism.

I: Ah, tinuturo niyo na po yun sa grade 4?

R: Oo! Alam mo ang curriculum ngayon, two steps higher kaysa doon sa dati natin na tinuturo sa mga teachers. Kaya ngayon, ‘pag tinanong yung bata, ano yung three branches of the government, hindi nila alam! Kasi yun ay tinuturo before sa grade 6 at hindi sa ano… hindi siya sa primary, hindi siya sa grade 5.

I: Sa grade 6 na yun.

R: Oo, sa grade 6 na yun. Kaya ‘pag what are the three branches of the government, ano yung mga ano dito? Hindi nila alam yun. So paano mo ituturo ngayon? Syempre tatanungin mo muna, sino ang nakakakilala––sino––ano ang tawag natin sa pinakamaliit na unit ng pamahalaan? Saan nakatira? Kilala mo ba? Sino ang namumuno sa inyo? So tatanungin mo kung sino ang barangay captain nila, bago pa pupunta sa pinakamalawak. Marami sa kanila, hindi nila kilala.

I: So follow-up question lang po: gumagamit po kayo ng mga, kunwari po, videos, para po ma- introduce sa kanila?

R: Oo, definitely.

I: Sariling research niyo po yun?

R: Mhmm. Kailangan yun kasi kung wala silang makikita, hindi ka––hindi… parang wala lang, ano lang sa kanila, pinakinggan ka lang. Pero depende siguro sa ano eh, sa teacher. Kasi pagka- ako, napapansin ko kapag nagkukuwento… ay, ganoon pala yun!

I: Ganoon po ang mga reaction ng estudyante.

R: Oo, parang nagkakaroon sila ng interes. Noong unang panahon ay ganito pala. Kaya pala may plaza, kaya pala may ano, yun pala ay galing sa mga Kastila dahil sa reduccion na pina-iral ng mga Kastila.

I: Next po: gaano po kaimportante para po sa inyo ang importance ng textbooks sa learning ng students at sa pagtuturo niyo?

R: Mahalaga yun. Mahalaga siya.

I: Gaano po kayo ka-dependent sa ano…?

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R: Ay, hindi ako masyado… sa totoo lang. Syempre, hindi ni-isa, madami din yun, atsaka may tax ako na-ano, hindi lang doon. Kasi iba-iba kasi ang mga version ng mga textbooks. Pero ang narerek––

I: So ‘di po kayo nagde-depend sa module na binibigay ng DepEd masyado?

R: Hindi, hindi. Ang… kahit ang supervisor namin, hindi rin. Meron lang siyang nire- recommend na mga authors like Agoncillo, si Zaide… si Sonia Zaide tsaka si… yun talaga sila, tatlo yun, eh. Si ano… basta Agoncillo, yung mag-ama na Zaide, si Sonia at si Gregorio F. Zaide, yan. Yan ang pinaka-reliable namin. Kahit pa noong college ko yun ginagamit. Kaya doon din ako nagre-rely, mostly.

I: Gumagamit po kayo ng textbooks ng private schools?

R: Oo. Kasi mas ano yun, eh. At dahil siguro sa sistema ng education ng public school… masyadong inaano eh, yung books. Magulo.

I: Ah, kaysa po sa books ng private school?

R: Oo.

I: So yun po, do you prefer to stick to the readings or textbooks as you teach, or gusto niyo rin po na mag-add ng personal experiences?

R: Nag-aadd ako. Mas maganda yun, eh. Mas masarap magturo na ikaw yung nandoon, eh. Kaya minsan kailangan ng bata, nilalabas mo sa classroom.

I: Opo.

R: Para ma-experience nila. Halimbawa ako, noong nag-aano ako, nag-aaral ako ng college, tinry ko na sumama doon sa SONA.

I: Opo.

R: Ano ba yun? Ah, ganito pala dito. [laughs] Ta’s mga aktibista lahat ng mga kasama mo doon. Mga kasamahan ko nga, mga aktibista. Sumisigaw, tumatakbo, tapos iba yung sinisigaw.

I: Ah, so kailangan pong ma-experience ng mga bata.

R: In that, hindi naman. Hindi naman kailangan.

I: Pananaw, ibibigay niyo na lang po––

R: Oo.

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I: Pero hindi po ba kayo nagwo-worry, kunwari po, masyadong mali dito––kunwari po, may sari- sarili po tayong bias, ganoon po. Hindi po ba kayo nagwo-worry na mapasa po yun sa estudyante? Or binibigay niyo po lang, ta’s sila na po yung bahala?

R: Oo. Syempre, oo. Kasi kung [unintelligible at 00:07:49] halimbawa, may tagadito pero ang daming hindi pa nakakapunta sa National Museum. Yung ano, for example, ano… um, sa Luneta, ano bang meron doon? Sinabi mo, ay, ano ba yun? Sino nakapunta dito? Marami ring tataas, pero kung sinabi mong MOA, lahat nakataas ng kamay. [laughs]

I: So next po, ano po yung general take niyo sa Marcos, o sa Marcos Era, Martial Law? Sa inyo po, sa opinion niyo po?

R: Kasi ano eh, ano ba ako… 1972 pinanganak. Ay, kailan ang Martial Law? 1980 ako pinanganak. Wala pa, eh.

I: So ano po yung mga nabasa niyo? Or alam niyo po? Yung general notion niyo sa Martial Law, negative po ba, ganoon?

R: Syempre, una munang kilala mo diyan, puro negative. Kasi maraming patayan, [unintelligible at 00:09:00]. May curfew, marami––maraming biktimang tao. Pero, yung iba naman, based doon sa mga nababasa ko sa social media, meron ding [unintelligible at 00:09:22], may nagsasabi na ito, ginawa during Martial Law.

I: Yung mga projects po. So parang po overall po?

R: Sa akin, kasi ang daming version ‘yan, eh. Ang daming version na ang sabi, hindi naman daw talaga si Marcos yung nag-ano diyan, eh, yung pinaka-corrupt sa––[unintelligible at 00:09:50] ng mga nangyayari noon. Actually sa ibang ano, eh. Sa kalabang pulitiko pa nanggaling yun, ‘di ba?

I: Yes po. So parang hindi po reliable?

R: Oo. Parang sa akin, kahit na marami akong naririnig na––hindi naman ako maka-Marcos ah, parang gusto ko––

I: So parang neutral po?

R: Oo, parang gusto ko pa rin na paniwalaan na marami pa ring mga mabuti at magagandang ano, naibigay si Marcos. Kasi marami raw cronies nga, sabi nga nila, eh. ‘Di ba? Kahit naman ngayon, eh. ‘Di ba? Sa kasalukuyang administrasyon, meron? ‘Di nga yung presidente, pero merong gumagalaw, eh, ‘di ba? Politics [laughs], ‘di ba? Kasi ang politics, mahirap.

I: So sa current curriculum po, saan po ba tinuturo usually, yung Philippine History?

R: Ng alin?

I: Philippine History, sa new curriculum po?

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R: Old?

I: Ngayon po.

R: Ah, new. Wala na siya.

I: Maski po sa elementary?

R: Wala siya.

I: Philippine History? So saan po siya tinuturo?

R: [laughs] Gulat ka ‘no?

I: Ah, kasi po yung mga na-interview ko po, sabi nila sa grade 6.

R: Doon pala. Ano… ano ba sa grade 6?

I: Wala na po talaga?

R: Dati. Kasi sa grade 6, wala silang book, so ang ginagamit nilang reference ay yung old.

I: Ah.

R: Kasi wala silang books, eh anong ginagamit nila, edi yung dati nila, so kaya sinasabi nila na meron, pero actually wala na.

I: Sa current curriculum po?

R: Oo. Kaya ini-integrate na lang yun. Wala kasi silang ginagamit na books.

I: Pero po dati, gaano po ka-extensive yung pagdi-discuss ng Martial Law.

R: Ay.

I: Philippine History po, sorry.

R: Noon natutukoy mo pa yung lokasyon, yung eksaktong lokasyon ng bansa… [unintelligible at 00:11:55] [adlib?]

I: So ayun, Philippine History po muna, gaano po siya ka-extensive dini-discuss. ‘Di ba po sa high school?

R: High school ba?

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I: Sa bagong curriculum po.

R: Sa first year. First year. Tapos paano siya… magandang pag-aralan sobra, kasi pati yung roots, paano––saan nagmula ang mga Pilipino. Napaka-ano, yung detalyado. [adlib]

I: So very detailed po ang pag-discuss?

R: Oo.

I: Kasama po ba yung era ng Martial Law?

R: Oo naman. Kasi noon, sa history, sa Philippine History, inaano ang bawat administration ng bawat––

I: Bawat president.

R: Pati yung lahat ng nagawa nila, ano yung mga projects niya during his or her term.

I: So next po, paano niyo po made-describe yung reaction ng students o yung reception po nila sa lessons kapag diniscuss po ang Martial Law?

R: Wala.

I: Wala po silang reaction?

R: Kasi wala silang ano, eh––sa public?

I: Opo, sa public.

R: Ay hindi. Negative. Parang ang sama.

I: Ah, baka po nalalaman nila sa iba.

R: Oo, lalo na sa social media. Kahit yung ano nga, sa [unintelligible at 00:14:25].

I: Negative din po?

R: Oo.

I: So next po, bilang educator or teacher na na-expose sa textbooks, ano po yung reaction niyo towards sa discussions regarding Martial Law, sa context po na nababasa niyo?

R: Ano ang reaction ko?

I: Yes po. Kung paano po siya dini-discuss, ganoon.

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R: Mas madami yung negative kasi, eh.

I: Na dini-discuss po?

R: Oo. Minsan nga, napapalitan pa nga, eh. Napapalitan yung… yung mga facts.

I: Meron po ba kayong nababasa tungkol po sa human rights violations, ganoon?

R: Sa books namin?

I: Opo, sa textbooks.

R: Oo naman. Tulad ng Bombing of Plaza Miranda. Tapos ang sinasabi nilang torture, na walang due process, ‘di ba ano niya, sinuspend niya yung writ of Habeas Corpus.

I: So kung nababasa niyo po ang [unintelligible at 00:15:42], naaapektuhan po ba ang sarili niyo?

R: Pagtuturo?

I: Personal views niyo po. Paano po yung pagtuturo niyo?

R: Sa?

I: ‘Pag nababasa niyo po ito sa mga books.

R: Syempre––

I: Nakaka––[unintelligible at 00:15:57]

R: Oo naman.

I: In what way?

R: Parang paano mo masasabihin sa bata kung ano ang… ito ba ay totoo? Gaano katotoo? Ano ang mga basis ko? Sa dinami-dami ng mga binasa o/at sinabi ko na, “Ayon kay…”, “Mula sa aklat…”, “Mula sa may akda…”, iba-iba. Iba-ibang version, iba-iba din ang sasabihin mo, ang hirap. Which is which?

I: Pero [unintelligible at 00:16:35]?

R: Oo naman. Ngayon ang tanong, which is which, paano sila ano––paano nila tatanggapin na sila––’di ba parang nakakagulo, isa pa ako sa kagulo sa isip nila.

I: So paano po sila nakakaalam, yung thinking po ng students, o binibigay niyo lang po ang lahat ng facts?

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R: Paano naa-align sa…?

I: Yung thinking po nila.

R: Ano, um, sinasabi ko, titingnan––uh, tingnan kung ano [unintelligible at 00:17:07] na sinasabi na epekto ng Martial Law. Tingnan din kung ano naman ang mga magagandang nagawa, ano naman yung magagandang naging epekto nito sa lipunan natin?

I: So next question.

R: Yes, malapit na ba ako? [laughs]

I: Based on your observation or assessment po, naniniwala pa po ba yung students niyo sa mga nakasulat sa mga textbooks nila or [unintelligible at 00:17:38] na po silang mag-question?

R: Ano, most of the time, naniniwala sila.

I: Ah, kaga––[unintelligible at 00:17:44]

R: Oo, kaya ikaw, as a teacher, i-ano mo sila, igu-guide mo talaga sila. Ako kasi, hindi na ‘yan ang binabasa kong books, eh. Kami, mga teachers, lalo na sa AP, hindi na yun ang gamit naming textbook.

I: Pero mahilig po ba sila magbasa?

R: Hindi. Sa ngayon? Hindi. Ikaw naman, hindi [laughs]! So kung itatanong ko sa’yo, ilang hours ka nagse-spend sa pagbabasa.

I: So nakadepend po sa social media?

R: Oo, kaya tingnan mo. Naka-depend sa ano, ‘pag tiningnan mo sila, halimbawa, ‘pag tiningnan mo sila [unintelligible at 00:18:35], alam mo yun, ano na sila, akala mo nabawasan sila ng pagkatao, nananakit––para ba kasing dahil sa social media, parang natural na na manakit. Para bang yung normal na lang, kapagka-ganyan ka lang, [unintelligible at 00:18:54], parang mga ano sa kanila, sa social media. Kaya parang ngayon, oh ganito, si presidente ganito, parang normal lang.

I: So hindi na talaga sila nagdedepende masyado sa books?

R: Ha?

I: Sa books po nila, hindi na masyadong nagde-depend. Mas mahilig po silang makinig sa issues––

R: Mhmm. Tamad lang magbasa ang mga bata ngayon. Isusubo mo na lang lahat-lahat. Isusubo mo na lang lahat-lahat yun.

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I: Pero kapag po merong mga kunwari, interactive po na videos, na-engage naman po sila?

R: Oo. Depende sa nature, depende sa strategy. Kasi used na ang mga tao na [unintelligible at 00:19:45]... meron kaming projector, ayun, ako personally, gumagamit ako ng sarili kong projector.

I: Kayo po ang bumili?

R: Oo. Noong wala pang––kasi nga, 21st century, kailangan [unintelligible at 00:20:08], na wala pa kaming supply. Sarili mong bilhin. Kasi ang hirap. Kasi yung [unintelligible at 00:20:19], kailangan mong isipin. Paano ka magtuturo noon? Blah blah blah ka lang.

I: Hindi kasi mae-engage ‘pag ganoon?

R: Pero hanggang sa––parang, since noong grade 1, ganoon na yun, ganoon na. Grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 5. Wala na! Hindi na. So ano ang gagawin mo? Mag-iisip ka ngayon ng iba, para ma-ano––

I: Makuha yung––

R: Oo. Tapos ang kailangan doon, yung pinapalabas mo, akma doon sa lifestyle. Yung uso.

I: Ah, para po maka-relate sila?

R: Yung iba, nagra-rap. [unintelligible at 00:21:05] ano, hindi lang basta yun [unintelligible at 00:21:13], ‘di ba? Alam na alam yun ng mga bata. Tapos magjo-join sila doon. Tapos kumuha ka ng script from ano, halimbawa, [unintelligible at 00:21:22], depende sa topic. Iga-guide mo lang sila.

I: So next po, how would you describe the discussions regarding the Marcos era Martial Law on the textbooks you use in the school? So gaano po ka-extensive nadi-discuss?

R: Wala naman. Alam mo ba ang topic namin sa grade 5, more on colonialism of the Spanish period. Ulit, ulit, ulit, ulit.

I: Kung sino pa nag-colonize sa Philippines.

R: Nasa Kastila siya.

I: Pero saan niyo po dini-discuss yung mga kunwari, mga naging presidente?

R: Halimbawa, ano bang topic… yung mga programs at projects. Um… halimbawa ano, [unintelligible at 00:22:25]...

I: O sinisiksik mo na lang? Wala pong naka-allot doon?

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R: Wala, eh. Minsan incidental teaching na lang. Pero sa history, meron naman siya siguro, Philippine History. Ano eh, kaya wala nang Martial Law, wala na yun. Pagtukoy ng tiyak na [unintelligible at 00:22:51], kasi [unintelligible at 00:22:54], so dapat ang mapa mo ay (?capitalism?) [00:22:56]. Yung tatakpan nila ay yung pangunahing direksyon... pangalawang direksyon. Yun.

I: So para po––sa opinion niyo po, paano po dini-discuss ng authors ang Martial Law sa textbooks? Kung ibibigay po nila yung mga… ano po yung mga biases nila, mapapansin niyo po ba? Kung saan sila naka-lean towards.

R: Sa ano… kasi nadatnan ko na talaga eh na puro (?tira?) [00:23:44].

I: Opo. Yun po ang mga usual na sinusulat. Pero may nababasa po ba kayo na textbooks na puro project?

R: Meron naman, oo meron naman.

I: Pero usually po, ang mga nababasa niyo po ay tungkol sa violations?

R: Sa ngayon… the Marcoses… which is until now, ‘di ba [unintelligible at 00:24:12]. So papaano mo maaalis sa isip ng bata yun? Kung hanggang ngayon, tinatanong [unintelligible at 00:24:19], ‘di ba parang pinapa-ikot, paulit-ulit-ulit. Sabi nga nila, [unintelligible at 00:24:25].

I: So mapapansin niyo po ba, kunwari, yung author po, binibigay niya yung sarili niyang bias sa libro?

R: Kung binibigay niya ang sarili niyang…?

I: Bias. like, hindi po siya neutral. Ano, yung author po. Kunwari po, ‘di ba, [unintelligible at 00:24:45] textbooks, ta’s makikita niyo na negative lang yung sinasabi. Napapansin niyo po na bias yung author in that sense na hindi niya binibigay yung facts?

R: [unintelligible at 00:25:01].

I: Number 11 po. Based on what you know po, how are school textbooks for public schools chosen, base lang po sa alam niyo.

R: Base sa alam ko… how? Kasi ganito ‘yan. Batay sa akin, sa pagkakaalam ko, yun ay mga aral, aral ‘yan na ano… sabi nga namin, sana yung––sana itong mga gumagawa ng libro ay talagang nasa ano, nasa [unintelligible at 00:25:52], para alam nila papaano, kung papaano sa mga [unintelligible at 00:25:59], kasi ano ‘yan, ngayon, ang dami-daming books, hindi halos mag-ano, parang may [unintelligible at 00:26:09], hindi namin alam kung [unintelligible at 00:26:13], minsan hindi siya aligned doon sa competencies. Hahanapin mo pa. Halimbawa sa Filipino, meron doon, [unintelligible at 00:26:26], wala namang [unintelligible at 00:26:28]. So

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maghahanap ka pa, so anong gagawin [unintelligible at 00:26:34]. Syempre, sabi namin [unintelligible at 00:26:39], gagawa na lang ng sarili nating…

I: Alam niyo po ba, may criteria po kaya sa pag-approve ng mga textbooks, kung paano po sila pinipili?

R: Meron ‘yan, kasi… halimbawa, parang ngayon may nabasa ako na “recruiting”... may mga pinpili, pinipili sila, pero yung mga pinipili sila na pinaa-attend sa ganyan… pero alam mo, I doubt, sa pagkakaalam ko, tapos na ‘yan, eh. Nakuha ng [unintelligible at 00:27:13]. Gawa na ‘yan, eh. Na-approve na ‘yan, eh. Kailangan munang i-validate.

I: So huli na po: bakit po, para po sa inyo, bakit po importante na maturo ito sa estudyante, yung history ng Martial Law?

R: Para mawala na kami sa… [laughs] mapa. Kung ‘di na natin nakilala, saan pa tayo [unintelligible at 00:27:44], ‘di ba? Ngayon… sinasabi, [unintelligible at 00:27:50]. Parang… sa mga bata, hindi talaga––marami sa mga bata na hindi nakakakilala sa mga [unintelligible at 00:28:03]. Tanungin mo, sino si [unintelligible at 00:28:09]. Sino yung mga [unintelligible at 00:28:17], pampagising ng [unintelligible at 00:28:20]. Nakakalungkot. Nakakalungkot.

I: So importante po para malaman po yung roots ng––

R: Oo, syempre. Tsaka malalaman nila eh, [unintelligible at 00:28:36] Espanol, Espanol ka na. So sinu-sino nga ba yung pure na… ‘di mo malalaman kung [unintelligible at 00:28:45], pero ma––[unintelligible at 00:29:00]. Yun.

I: So follow-up question lang po: sa tingin niyo po ba, mahalaga pang i-discuss yung history–– part ng history tungkol sa Martial Law, Marcos era Martial Law?

R: Oo naman.

I: Importante po?

R: Oo. Paano mo sasabihin––bakit nagkaroon ng Martial Law, sino ba si ano.

I: So meron po akong [unintelligible at 00:29:37] group ng teachers na nagpe-petition ng… Philippine History.

R: Tama.

I: Para po sa inyo, [unintelligible at 00:29:45]?

R: Oo naman! Ikaw ba, ayaw mo bang malaman?

I: Gusto ko.

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R: O, ‘di ba! ‘Pag ayaw mong malaman paano ka naging Pilipino?

I: Check ko lang po. Ngayon po talaga, sa new curriculum, (?wala na talagang diniscuss?) [00:29:57].

R: ‘Pag ano lang… by part lang. By topic lang.

I: Tulad ng ano pong topic?

R: Ano, um… kasi sa grade 5, walang masyadong [unintelligible at 00:30:17]––ah hindi, meron naman. Paano nagising sa last part, paano naging––yun, the sense of nationalism. What is the difference between masochism and nationalism?

I: [...] Ayun lang po. Thank you po!

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Respondent K (C – interviewer; I – respondent) C: Okay po, so ilang taon na po kayong nagtuturo? I: Ah ten years na. By the way, ako si [name omitted]. Ang nickname, or tawag nila sakin ay [name omitted] – doon ako kilala. So ten years na akong nagtuturo; 4 years sa private, then 6 six years dito sa public o sa government.

C: Saan po kayo nag-college? I: Philippine Normal University, batch 2008. C: Ah sabi po nila nag-Journalism daw po kayo. I: Sa private, noong nagturo ako, since graduate ako ng Math, so ang hinandle ko ay Math sa private. Dito sa public kasi, kapag sinabing elementary, kahit anong subjects. So unang binigay sakin is Math tapos sumunod ay Araling Panlipunan, na first time kong magturo. Tapos ngayong year – pero six years na akong journalism dito – binibigyan lang kami ng extra load so Filipino and English and journalism ang hawak ko dito; Accelerated 2, Gifted and Talented 5, tsaka Regular grade 5 ang hawak kong mga bata.

C: So how do you like teaching naman po? Okay naman po sainyo? I: Sa generation ngayon – paano ba – habaan ng pasensiya. Unlike sa generation before, madaling matakot ang mga bata sa teacher. Ngayon hindi na eh – habaan mo dapat ang pasenisya mo.

C: So apart po sa ano… diba sinabi niyo na po sa grade level po lahat ng subjects (tinuturo niyo). Grade 5 lang po ba tinuturuan niyo? I: Grade 5, accelerated 2, tsaka gifted and talented 5.

C: Ayun po, so nasagot niyo naman na po ito, yung kung lahat ba ng subjects may textbooks – learners’ manual po pala ang tawag doon. I: Oo, so learners’ manual ang guide ng public school.

C: Prior to this interview po, meron na po ba kayong knowledge about historical revisionism and historical negationism? I: Yung knowledge ko dito nag-start noong college ako, then ni-review ko ulit siya kagabi para hindi ako magkamali. Ah, pinagkaiba nila meron – kasi yung historical revisionism, yun yung, ano yung term ko kahapon, reinterpretation, either positive or negative, nag-interpret ka base sa nakikita mo. Kapag sinabi mo kasing denialism o yung negationism, ayaw mo nung nangyayari, kaya mo siya pinalitan, parang ganon. Yun yung para sakin ha.

C: Paano niyo po usually ini-introduce yung historical topics na medyo sensitive sa mga students? I: Sakanila nanggagaling yung mga tanong, hindi sakin eh. Kasi nanggaling ako sa Muslim school noong high school, so nung nagkaroon kami dito ng circumcision na topic sa history, may estudyante kami ditong Muslim, sabi niya “Sir alam niyo ba kaming mga babae tinutuli?” ganon. So sensitive siya kasi nga naman hindi mo basta-basta pwedeng pag-usapan dito. So nag- research ako bakit siya naging sensitive case, dahil hindi ko pwedeng sabihin na “Okay class ha, ang mga babae tinutuli.” So pumunta ako sa Quiapo, nagtanong ako doon, which is, talagang

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sini-circumcise nga yung mga babae. Isa yun sa mga topics na sensitive. Or yung example ay yung kung paano pinatay yung kapatid ni Andres Bonifacio – kahit sabihin mong tinaga siya sa ulo or pinugutan, sasabihin mo siya in a nice way. Kasi before naman namin siyang ituro, inaaral namin siya – paano naming sasabihin sa level ng grade 5 na ganoon yung karumaldumal na pagkamatay ng bayani.

C: Para po sainyo, gaano ka-important yung learners’ manual, in teaching po, and para sa studying ng students? I: Ulitin ko lang ha, wala kasi kaming textbook na ginagamit. Yung manual kasi, 60% lang yan. Totoo yung sinasabi nila na hindi lahat makikita mo sa book. Kaya ang references namin dito ay books ng private schools – yung mga textbook. Kaya kami may ganoon. Kasi ang mga publisher natin, sa private nagbebenta, hindi naman sa public. So 60%, kung pagbabasehan ko yung leaners’ manual na binigay ng DepEd, 60% lang, then the rest nung 40% kami mismo yung magre-research.

C: Ah so ayun sinabi niyo na po na hindi kayo masyadong dependent (sa textbooks/learners’ manual)… I: Oo, hindi ako dependent. Hindi sa walang tiwala, pero yung mga gumagawa ng mga manual kasi, ano rin yan eh, hindi yan 100% non-partisan. Syempre kapag ayaw nila yung isusulat nila, tulad ng sinabi ko kanina – denialism, papalitan nila yan. So kaya kami nag-reresearch. Yung 40%, nilalaan talaga namin sa research.

C: So pag nagtuturo po kayo, do you prefer na mag-stick sa learners’ manual or gusto niyo rin pong nag-aadd ng personal experiences, anecdotes…? I: Case to case basis. Ah, baka kasi mamaya masagot ko rin kasi yun, pero case to case basis. Like sa martial law, 1987 ako pinanganak pero hindi ko siya naabutan mismo dahil sanggol ako noon. Nag-interview ako. My uncle kasi, yung panganay nila mama, is dean sa PNU, nahuli siya during martial law, kasi nagrarally siya, ganon. Yung step-father ko naman, masaya siya kasi nagkaroon ng martial law. So kapag tinuro mo sa bata, lalo na sa journalism ko, sa editorial, nung pinag-usapan naming yung martial law under ni Duterte, tanong nila (students) “Sir, pabor ka ba sa martial law?” doon ako nagbibigay ng opinion ko. Pero hangga’t maaari, wag ka, para saakin, hindi ako dapat magbibigay ng opinion para ma-brain wash sila o kung ano man yung ma-stock nila (sa isip nila) na “Ay ayaw pa nila ni sir sa martial law kasi…” ganito, ganyan. Hihintayin ko sila magtanong, o sila yung magbibigay ng opinion. So sa ganyang pagbibigay ng opinion kasi, case to case basis. Ayun. Tulad nung sa Marcos as a hero, hindi ko pwedeng sabihin “Class, bayani si Marcos”. Ang itatanong mo doon, “Base sa nabasa niyo, paano niyo siya ilalarawan?” Sa ganoong paraan kasi, hindi mo pwedeng sabihin na “Ilalarawan na natin siya bilang bayani.” Hindi. Kasi sila dapat yung mag-aabsorb, or sila yung mag-iisip na “Ito bang tanong ito, ganito ang pinakita, bayani ba siya para sakin or hindi?” Malaki kasi ang impact kapag sa teacher nanggaling na ituturo mo sa bata.

## C: So ito po yung next. So ano po yung general take niyo about the Marcos-era martial law? I: To be honest talaga, non-partisan ako eh. Pero kapag tinanong ako, ang isasagot ko lang, gusto ko yung mga pinagawa ni Marcos – kung nakaw man yan, or kung saang pera man nanggaling yan, gusto ko yung mga pinagawa niya kasi nakilala ang bansa natin; nakilala yung bansa, ang

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daming bumibisita, which is totoo naman. Pero yung side na may martial law sa panahon ni Marcos, nagagamit yung pangalan niya kahit hindi naman siya yung nagpapapatay. Kasi, sabihin na nating nag-uutos talaga siya ng papatay, pero yung iba ginagamit na lang yung pangalan niya. Same sa pamumuno ngayon ni President Duterte, kahit hindi siya yung nag-utos, alam natin bakit may pinapatay, bakit may binabaril, ganon. So non-partisan talaga ako, so hindi ko masasabi yung side ko. Noong ininterview ko si ate ko kasi Ilokana siya, sa Ilocos daw walang problema ang Marcoses at gusto nila ang martial law. Noong interview ko yung uncle ko, sabi niya, galit na galit siya kasi hindi nila naririnig yung mga pinaglalaban namin sa PNU, so ganon. Iyon lang bale yung nagiging basehan ko, since wala akong makausap na tao na talagang nasa gobyerno noong panahon ng martial law. Kasi kahit interviewhin mo sa TV yan, ineedit yan, binibigyan nila ng mga lapse yan, kaya pati yung mga tao napapa-isip. C: So paano po yung mga take niyo sa mga tanong laging binabato yung issue ng human rights kasi ang dami daw pinatay? Paano po yung take niyo sakanila? I: Ang lagi ko lang sinasabi, hindi naman siguro siya papatayin kung walang ginawang malala na against sa pamumuno ni Marcos. Yung sinasabi kasi nilang freedom of speech, doon nga sa denialism, kaya nila nababago yun, ang lagi nilang nirarason kasi, “Ay may freedom of speech tayo.” Yun kasi yung sakanila; na ang akala nila, kung ikaw ay isang boss at sinabi mong mali ang ginagawa ng pangulo natin, kahit ayaw mong sumama sa rally, mapapasama ka sa rally. Bakit? Kasi si boss ang nagsabi nun. Kaya doon nagkakaroon ng lapses, kasi yung opinion ko nawala na. Ngayon, doon sa mga human rights (issues) kasi or sa mga nakaw na yaman, since hindi ko siya na-experience, hindi ako makapag-react, pero ina-absorb ko yung mga info na binibigay saakin, “Ay pareho ka ng sinabi doon sa isa,” “Ay siguro tama nga iyon,” “Ay mali yun kasi siya lang naman yung nagsabi pero yung iba hindi naman ganon sinabi.”

## C: Yung sa current curriculum po ba, nadidiscuss po ba yung martial law sa grade school? I: Hindi, actually secondary siya. Kung ibe-base natin siya, 3rd year high school and 4th year high school, grades 9 and 10. C: Ah so sa K to 12 po? I: Sa K to 12, pagitan ng 8 to 10. Yung dito (elementary) kasing martial law, hindi siya pulidong tinuturo – kung ano lang yung basic: sa pagitan ng 19ganito hanggang 1987 may martial law, kung saan 3000 something ang namatay, ganoon lang. Hindi pa nilalaliman na, “Bakit sa panahon ni Marcos ang daming namatay? Kumusta ang piso sa panahon ni Marcos?” Hindi. Yung facts lang talaga na kung anong nangyari, ganon, yun lang fine-feed sa grade school. C: Ah kasi po reserved na po siya sa ano (high school)… I: Oo, sa secondary na, sa junior high. C: Ah yun po kasi yung, nung niresearch ko for my RRL, meron nagki-criticize na ganito lang sa grade 6. Ang nakalagay lang sa textbook is mga maikling passages lang. I: Oo, yes. Kaya kapag nag-interview ka ng grade 6, kapag sinabi mong “Ah kumusta ang martial law sayo?” [Ang isasagot nila] “Ay madami pong namatay doon, tapos si Marcos po ang presidente.” Ganoon ka-limitado. Kapag tinanong mo “Kumusta ang piso sa panahon ni Marcos noong martial law?” ano na, blangko na sila. C: Pero wala po bang mention ng mga human rights violations, ganoon? I: Wala talaga. C: Reserved po talaga siya [for high school]…

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I: Reserved talaga siya. Actually pati yung mga pangalan ng tao, na nakikipag-laban or ano during martial law, wala talagang minemention. Ang nasa isip lang nila, “Ay Aquino tsaka Marcos” ganon lang talaga.

C: Since hindi naman po siya natuturo, sa tingin niyo, ano po yung reaction ng students kapag dinidiscuss sakanila yung martial law? I: Sa journalism class ko kasi, noong na-discuss yung martial law, nahati sila, literal na nahati. Sabi nila, “Sir diba ganoon po yung gagawin ni President Duterte dapat? Diba may time siya na ganoon, na magpapa-interview siya?” Tapos sabi ko “Ano bang idea niyo sa martial law? Bakit gusto niyong magkaroon ng martial law?” Ang lagi nilang bukambibig, “Kasi po ang sabi po ni lola, ang tahimik daw po noon kasi po may curfew,” o kaya “Ang sabi po kasi ni tito may mga pinapatay na mga taong nakakainis na ganon,” tapos may nagsabi din na “Ay kasi po hindi ka po pwedeng mag-react kapag martial law, kailangan po tahimik ka lang.” Sa kanila nanggagaling yan. Ako, siguro, ako ina-align ko lang. Sabi ko, hindi naman sa magre-react, pero kung babastusin mo siguro yung pangulo, kahit sino sigurong tao, magagalit sa gagawin mo, lalo na kapag below the belt na. Ngayon yung sa human rights naman na pinapatay, sabi ko sakanila, tignan natin doon sa list, pinapa-research ko sila eh, kung sino yung pinatay. Kasi kapag sinabi mong magtataho yan or ano na binaril lang diyan, mali talaga yun. Pero kapag nakipaglaban siya at meron siyang masamang motibo na pasabugin ang Malacanang, siguro inuunahan na siya ng gobyerno. Fine-feed ko naman sila na maa-align lang sila, kasi ayokong ma-stock sa mind nila na kapag martial law, patayan, ganon. C: So prior to your discussion niyo po pala, may primary source na sila like family? I: Oo. Kapag tinatanong nila ako ng ganon, ang ibabalik ko sakanila “O that would be your assignment. Mag-research kayo. Bukas pag-usapan natin yan,” ganon.

C: So ikaw po, bilang isang teacher na exposed sa mga textbooks, ano po yung reaction niyo or reception towards the discussion sa martial law dito sa books? I: Paano ba? Nung nabasa ko kasi yung sa textbook, na reference namin from private schools, nandodoon na agad yung idea na “Bakit masama ang martial law?” Doon pa lang sa author, mali na, kasi dapat hindi siya nagbibigay ng sarili niyang opinion since maraming taong makakabasa niyan. Bigay niya lang yung facts – bakit namatay, sino yung mga namatay, bakit hindi nagkaroon ng human rights. Hindi kasi sila nagbibigay ng references mismo, yung mga authors. Basta bigla na lang nilang sinabi na “Maraming namatay, at walang human rights na pinakita…” ganyan. Sino nagsabi sakanila? Saan nila kinuha yung facts? Sinabi ba ito mismo; naglabas ba sila ng memo or order na ganito nga yung nangyari? C: So dami nang nabasa niyo na po, nakakaapekto po ba ito sa personal views niyo? I: Sobra. Kasi, kung ako ngang hindi nabuhay noong martial law, paano ko ieexplain sa bata na nagtatanong saakin? To be honest, kapag nakakakita ako ng mga teenager na nagrarally tapos tinatanong ko sila privately, “Bakit sumama ka sa rally nung nalaman niyo na magkakaroon ng martial law?” Parang ang sagot lang nila sakin, “Eh kasi ayaw naming mangyari ulit yung nangyari dati.” Tatanungin ko, “Ano bang nangyari dati?” para magka-idea ako. Mamaya kasi, may alam sila na hindi pa nafe-feed sakin ng professors ko, o ng teachers ko. Ang lagi kasi nilang sinasabi sakin, “Ang dami kasing namatay. Walang human rights noon. Magiging tikom… mawawala ang freedom of speech. Ayaw namin mangyari ulit yun.” So parang ako, wait lang, sumasama ka sa rally na hindi mo alam yung buong konteksto ng martial law? So yung fine-feed saakin ng mga books, actually, nakaka-drain din minsan na, bakit iba yung sinabi

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ni author, si isang author naman ganito. Hahanapin ko tuloy yung background ng mga authors, na ah okay dati pala siyang professor na nagrally kaya ganito ganyan. C: So inaalign niyo na lang din po? Kayo na lang po yung nag-aanalyze? I: Oo, ganon. Halimbawa kung yung author na ito puro negative yung martial law, hahanapin ko talaga yung background niya. Bakit siya ganito magsulat? Meron naman yung sobrang ganda na “Wag niyong pansinin ang martial law, ang importante ang mga Marcos ay nagpatayo ng mga ganito…” Bakit ganito naman yung sinasabi niya? So ako mismong teacher, bombarded na ako ng information, what more pa yung sasabihin namin sa bata? So, kapag tinuturo kasi ang martial law, hindi lang yan overnight bago mo sabihin sa bata. Aaralin mo talaga siya kasi isa yan sa history natin na kumplikado, na pag fineed mo sa bata, hindi nila maaalis yan. Noong namatay si Rizal, okay lang, kasi alam nila yung istorya. Pero yung martial law kasi, ang daming sources na panggagalingan na ano ba yung totoo sa hindi. C: So para po sainyo, mas okay na hindi mag-add yung authors ng sarili nilang opinions? I: Oo. Ang textbooks kasi may mga opinions kasi yan, na, paano ba? Maiinis ka kasi, bakit sila naglalagay ng ganon? Eh okay lang kasi textbook yan na dapat finefeed mo sa bata. Yun yung errors kasi minsan sa textbook, hindi nalilimitahan – ang chinecheck lang kasi sa textbook ay yung grammar, literal, ng mga publishers natin, grammar lang. Pero hindi na nila babasahin yung content, yun lang. So ngayon, ang daming napa-publish na books. Kaya, ang DepEd kasi, hangga’t maaari walang textbook dahil gusto nilang i-align muna ano ba yung meron, lalo na kapag Araling Panlipunan, ia-align muna nila yan. C: Puro learners’ manual po? I: Learners’ manual talaga.

C: So base on your observation or assessment po, do your students easily believe everything written in their textbooks? Or pala-tanong din po sila? I: Mas maraming tanong. Kasi ang learners’ manual kasi, optional yan kung ipapauwi namin sa bata or ididiscuss namin sakanila, bibigyan namin sila ng bagong copy, yung nirevise na. Kasi finifilter din naman yan eh. Halimbawa, kung mali ito, hindi naman talaga Igorot yung nasa Pampanga, mga ganon, kami mismo yung magsasabi “Mali yung nandiyan sa linyang yan ha, so ito dapat…” ganyan. Then ang mga bata hindi na sila nagbabasa ng books. Kapag tinanong mo sakanila, anong nangyari sa books, kung anong itsura ng pagpasok sa bag, yun din ang itsura paglabas dito sa classroom. Yun ang reality na nasa cellphone talaga sila, at na sa social media talaga sila naka-focus. C: Ah doon po sila nagrerely ng information? I: Oo. Kaya kapag sinabi mo ditong, ano, kung naniniwala sila sa mga nakasulat sa books, hindi nila binabasa yan kapag hindi sinabi ni teacher. C: So may individual copies po sila ng learners’ manual? I: Oo, one is to one yan. C: Okay po. I: Pero sa K to 12, delayed sila lagi ng taon. Example, last year, grade 6 ang K to 12, next year pa mabibigay yung manual. So ang magiging basis namin, research talaga, and curriculum guide. May curriculum guide naman na binibigay.

C: So ito po yung number 9, pero parang nasagot niyo na po. Paano niyo po nadedescribe yung discussions regarding martial law sa textbooks? Gaano po ka-extensive?

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I: Sa elem kasi, light lang yan eh. Then sa secondary, may deepening na tinatawag. Pag dating ng college, doon na lahat ilalabas yung info ng martial law. Kami kasi, yung tanong mo kanina tungkol sa sensitive topics, tulad ng sinabi ko, isa yan sa sensitive topics, one of the sensitive topics yang martial law. So hangga’t maaari yung light lang ang sasabihin mo. Bakit may martial law? Bakit nagkaroon ng curfew? Ilan yung namatay? Ilan yung nakipaglaban? Bakit may mga madreng sumasama sa rally? Bakit tayo nagkaroon ng kalayaan? Limited lang muna sa ganoon.

I: Ah ito, sasagutin ko yung number 10. C: Sige po. I: “How are school textbooks for public schools chosen and approved?” Yung sa learners’ module, or sa learners’ manual, ang kinikuha diyan kasi is yung mga nagpapaka-dalubhasa sa subject na iyon. Unlike kasi sa textbook, example ako gumagawa ako ng textbook sa journalism, pero wala talaga akong idea kasi high school ako last nag-journ, wala akong idea, pwede akong gumawa ng textbook for journalism kasi, bakit, ang dami kong references eh. Pero yung learners’ module or yung learners’ manual kasi ng DepEd, kung sino yung nagpapaka-dalubhasa doon, yun lang yung kukunin nila. Example, pwede ba akong gumawa ng journalism book sa DepEd? Hindi. Kasi hindi naman naka-align sayo yan eh. Ang hahanapin nila yung history teacher talaga – yung nag-aral talaga ng college, yung nag-aral talaga ng history, yung background niya doon talaga, yung certificates ng mga inattendan niyang seminars related talaga sa history, yun yung mga gumagawa ng books namin. Unlike sa textbook, kapag may kakayahan ka, maayos ang grammar, pwede mong i-publish yan. Ganoon po yun. C: Pero meron po akong nabasa na may nilalabas daw po yung DepEd na parang criteria po siya para makasali sa bidding yung mga [authors or publishers]. I: Ah yung sa bidding naman, yung mga yan, once na magkaroon na ng mga, paano ba? Yung bidding kasi na sinasabi, yung pinakamurang pwedeng mag-produce nung ginagawa. Example lang ha, yung Phoenix kasama sa bidding tsaka si ganito, since buong Pilipinas ang bibigyan ng libro, sino doon yung pinakamurang pwedeng mag-produce? Labas doon ang mga authors, bakit, kasi sila taga-gawa lang. Unlike kasi sa textbook ng private, kunyari kapag sinabing buong UST kukuha sa Phoenix ng grade 5 Lakbay ng Lahing Pilipino, magpo-produce talaga yan kasi magbabayad ang UST, ganon. Pero ang learners’ manual o yung mga books na gagamitin kasi ng DepEd, naghahanap sila ng pinakamurang pwedeng mag-produce. Kaya nga last time, may balita na nasayang yung worth 75 million dahil nadodoon lang sa bodega, hindi kasi na-release, kasi may mga errors. Yun iyon, kaya naghahanap sila ng bid na mas mura. C: So both po ito, learners’ manuals and textbooks, sumusunod po sila sa learning competencies na sineset ng DepEd? I: Oo, sumusunod sila. Pero may mga private schools kasi na advanced. Na kahit sabihin nating ang curriculum hanggang dito lang sa panahon ng Espanyol sa grade 5, sila naglabas na sila ng may mga presidente na – advanced kasi lagi ang mga private eh, to be honest. Advanced sila mag-discuss. C: Uulitin ko lang po, nagagamit niyo din po itong mga ito (pertaining to private school textbooks)? I: Oo, naka-align. Actually naka-align naman siya sa curriculum ng DepEd. Ififilter lang namin yung mga dapat naming sabihin.

C: So last question na po, so bakit po ba important na for students to learn about history ng country?

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I: First, importante siya kasi, diyan sila magbe-base kung anong culture yung tinatahak nila ngayon. Kaya nga nakakainis nung sinabi nilang yung Panitikan eh tatanggalin sa pagtuturo sa ano… after 20 years siguro, wala nang marunong magsalita ng Filipino. Yung Panitikan, Korean na, yung ituturo na dito Korean ganito, ganyan. Same sa history natin. And to be honest, hindi nila kilala si Macario Sakay. Noong tinanong ko sakanila kung sino nagsabi nung “I shall return,” sabi nila si, sino ito, si Erich Gonzales kasi yun yung sinabi niya sa I Shall Return na, yung tatlo sila, yun. Sabi ko, “Kilala niyo ba si McArthur?” nakikita nila sa book, pero hindi nila kilala. Ang kilala lang nilang bayani ay si Lapu-Lapu, kasi nakikita daw nila doon na mas malaki yung monument nila Lapu-Lapu kaysa kay ganon. So yung history, importante. Hindi dahil kailangan nilang malaman, pero kasi magagamit nila yun. Anong kultura meron ang mga Pilipino? Paano isinalba ang Pilipinas? Paano nakipaglaban ang mga bayani? Kaya maganda rin may mga pelikula ng mga bayani ngayon tulad nina Heneral Luna, yan, maganda rin yung mga ganon. Then, ulitin ko lang, hindi ko kasi sila pinagbe-base sa textbooks nang 100%. Gusto ko nagre-research sila, na interviewhin niyo ang mga lola niyo, bakit mahalaga ang pagtuturo ng history; interviewhin niyo ang mga kaklase niyo kung ano yung natutunan nila sa mga ganito ganyan. Importante siya kasi magagamit nila talaga sa buhay nila yan. And, alam ko ikaw, darating ang panahon na kapag hindi moa lam ang history at ikaw ay magiging lawyer ng Pilipinas, baka ang gagawin mong mga batas eh yung naka-base ka sa America, naka-base ka… then iba naman yung culture natin. Ang mahirap lang din kasi, or sarado lang ang mga isip ng tao, na kapag nag-base tayo sa history, ayaw natin ng changes. Diba? Kahit sabihin natin ngayon na sa history natin, may LGBT community na, pero hindi ganoon nakilala kasi nga hindi siya sikat ng panahon na yun. Ngayon, kahit sabihin nating may LGBT community na, sa history tayo magbe-base, “Walang ganyan dati. Babae’t lalaki lang dati.” Ganon mag-isip ngayon eh, kahit sabihin nating tanggap natin. Ganon na lang sasabihin ng mga matatanda, “Ano ba yan bakla yan. Wala namang mga bakla dati. Kung panahon ng Espanyol yan, papatayin yan,” ganyan. Maganda na alam natin yung history, at importante siya kasi nagkakaroon tayo ng comparison, at doon tayo gagawa ng change, para doon sa mga susunod na generation.

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Respondent L’s written answer

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Respondent M’s written answer

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APPENDIX D: Transcription of Focus Group Discussions with Teachers Respondents C, D, E, F (I – interviewer; A, B, C, D – respondents)

A: Naging masyado siyang magulo. Alam mo yung magaling na pianista?

B: Yes, (?emildefic?) [00:00:07] ang term dun.

A: Pero yung first term ni president from 1965… 1965, siya naging presidente eh. First time niya as president, pinalitan niya si––

B: Diosdado.

A: Macapagal. Yun ang takbo ng kabuhayan. Actually, yung ibang mga projects niya, naisakatuparan panahon ni ano yun, panahon ni… ah, hindi na-stop pala lahat ng project niya.

B: Stop niya lahat ma’am, kasi ayaw nilang may dikit yung pangalan na Marcos.

A: Pero yung iba niyang mga sinimulang proyekto naisakatuparan noon noong sumunod na mga naging presidente. Kumbaga, siya lang ang nag-initiate. Kasi hindi maganda yung mga ano niya, maganda yung… projection niya para sa gobyerno, para sa Pilipinas. Eh, yun nga. May mga factors na nasa paligid. Tulad din ni Duterte, ni president Duterte. Magana ang kanyang aim.

B: Aim para sa bansa natin. Pero maraming factors na na-ano diyan.

A: Oo, kung problema nga ang droga, susuriin mo ang droga, ang mga… tao behind sa pag- ano ng droga, ay hindi ma-[unintelligible at 00:01:32] din ‘yan, ‘di ba sir? Mga namumuno?

B: Tingnan mo ang mga pulis ma’am, mga ano pa.

A: Sila din! Binigyan nga niya ng dagdag na ano para umayos sila sa trabaho. But makikita mo lumalabas yung mga balita na involved sila sa… yun. Corruption. Bakit panahon pa rin ni Jesus Christ may corruption na?

B: Corruption. Graft and corruption.

A: Pero balik tayo sa Martial Law, noon kasi, first year college ko noon noong binaba ang Martial Law. Bawal kang––wala kaming katulad niyong naranasan ng mga bata natin. Yung JS, yung public school [unintelligible at 00:02:21]. Wala kaming mga mingle mingle.

B: Sa gabi, uwi na kami. Wala na yung naglalaro doon sa kalsada.

A: At isa ako sa muntik nang hindi makagraduate ng high school, kasi kasama ako sa (?teach in?) [00:02:36] dito sa Project 7, eh hindi ko kaya. Ah, parang sinabi na yun.

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I: Ano po, asawa po siya ng prof ko sa thesis.

A: Yun, kasama ako sa mga teach in, diyan kami sa San Francisco, dito kami eh. ‘Di ako pumapasok ng klase, kasama ako––sumama din ako sa rally, tatlong beses doon sa Mendiola. Bandang huli, nakita ko na, “Kawawa naman ako dito,” sabi ko. Kawawa yung maliliit kasi sila lang ang malakas noon, tapos kami, mukhang hawa kaming ganoon, [unintelligible at 00:03:17] kami noon, walang nagfi-finance, unlike ngayon may nagfi- finance ng pagkain, tubig. Noong araw, wala.

B: Kami naman doon sa Tarlac, taga-Tarlac kasi ako.

A: Asawa ng [unintelligible at 00:03:30].

I: Prof ko po. Yung thesis adviser ko po.

A: Sa kanya nagsimula yung [unintelligible at 00:03:38]. Hindi makabayan. [...] So yun. To make the story short, ganoon kami noon, aktibista kami noon. Pero ako, hindi ako masyadong nag-ano, bakit daw kasi tatay ko umiyak na sa akin. Pinatawag na siya ng principal, [unintelligible at 00:04:06] principal namin noon. [unintelligible at 00:04:10] sa paggraduate. ‘Yan muna. Ang kakaunti lang ang araw ng first semester after ibaba ang Martial Law, eh. Bawal na ang grupo-grupo. Bawal ang organisasyon.

B: Wala, walang organisasyon. So nabalewala ang karapatan sa pagsalita. Freedom of (?the cross?) [00:04:31] mga yun, wala na. To form an organization, bawal na rin. Ako noong grade 5 ako, eh. Kaya kapag alas-diyes na, malapit nang alas-diyes, kasi naka–– makikipanuod lang ako ng TV sa kapitbahay. Hindi pa masyado sa probinsya noon. Pero kapag sa mga balitang ‘yan, ‘yan ang tinututukan ko, balita.

A: Ano yung ano mo? Ano yung mga question mo?

I: Ayun po.

A: Nakakuha ka ba sa amin ng ano?

I: Yes po, meron na pong nasagot na. So unang question ko po, prior to this interview po, meron na po ba kayong knowledge about po sa concepts po ng historical negationism tsaka historical revisionism po? Meron po ba kayong idea?

A: Historical revision… ano uli?

I: Negationism.

B: Yung nega, (?ideaism?) [00:05:25], maraming nega ngayon, ‘di ba?

I: Yung historical negationism po.

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B: Ah, historical.

C: [unintelligible at 00:05:36].

I: So yung historical revisionism po, ito po yung pagbabago talaga sa history natin dahil po meron tayong nalalaman na bagong facts every day. Ginagawa po siya for academic purposes, hindi po necessary na negative siya tulad ng paggamit po nila sa––kunwari, sa social media po ngayon, lagi nilang sinasabi na ah, historical revisionism ‘to. Hindi po necessarily bad yun kasi ang ginagawa po ng historical revisionism is nire-revise yung history i-incorporate yung mga bagong nalalaman. Yung historical negationism naman po, yun yung may bad connotation dahil ito po yung pagpapalit sa mga pag-aalis o pagpapalit sa mga facts para po magkaroon ng bagong narrative.

A: Example yung sinasabi na ang rice terraces, mga Chinese ang ginawa. Hindi yun totoo!

B: Hindi totoo yun. The Ifugaos!

A: Hindi totoo yun, so yun, isang example na yun.

C: Revisionism yun.

A: Hindi, yung nega, kasi it’s not true!

B: ‘Di naman totoo na yung Chinese ang gumawa noon.

C: [unintelligible at 00:06:55] nilang i-revise, eh.

A: Gusto nilang i-revise pero ang dating is positive sa kanila, nega sa atin.

B: Nega tayo.

A: Which is not true! Pangalawa, another na sa revision… historical revision…

I: Katulad po ‘di ba, kasi po ‘pag may nagra-rally, ang––kunwari sa mga placards po nila, ang nilalagay po nila ay “no to historical revisionism” pero dapat po kasing malaman na yung historical term po ng historical revisionism… very neutral po ‘to in the sense na yun nga, ini-incorporate po lang––yung process po nito, ini-incorporate lang yung bagong facts para po mas support po yung mga facts na alam na natin ngayon. Yung historical revisionism. So prior to this interview po, medyo may idea po ba kayo sa concepts nito, or ngayon niyo lang po na-clarify yung meaning po?

C: [unintelligible at 00:08:07] namin yun.

B: Oo, kasi lagi kaming nagbabasa ng news.

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C: Pero depende rin kung sinu-sino ang gumagawa ng revision, eh.

I: Opo.

C: Kung [unintelligible at 00:08:20] siyang pananaw niya in favor sa Martial Law, edi yung mga facts na lumalabas, eh ‘di pabor lagi. Ngayon kung anti-Marcos siya, natural yung kanyang revisionism ay against.

A&B: Against, yes.

C: Kung nagpo-produce siya ng mga facts, against doon sa Marcos era.

A: Example kay Gregorio Zaide. Maraming hindi medyo tama sa facts na inano niya. Yung pananaw niya ay… ano nga yung kay Zaide? Based doon sa mga ano niya––

B: [unintelligible at 00:09:02]

A: Tsaka hindi, [unintelligible at 00:09:05].

B: Amerikano, oo.

A: Eh syempre, more on.

C: Kasi ang mga authors naman ng history books may kanya-kanyang––

B: Interpretation.

C: Interpretation tsaka biases.

B: Palaging merong anti at pro. Kagaya rin dito, may pro, may anti din. Pero ‘pag sasamahin mo lahat ng ano ni Marcos during Martial Law, maraming nega. Ang sinasabi kasi yung mga balita tulad ng pagpatay, tulad ng mga estudyante na lumalaban sa kanya, yung drop out na sinasabi… oo nga ma’am, ang nagiging ano, masama ang kanyang ano, imahe bilang pangulo ng… ating bansa.

A: Meron pang ano eh, naalala mo yung kailan yun, mga [unintelligible at 00:10:00] pinatay niya. Na [unintelligible at 00:10:08] yung pinalundas sana pinatay niya na siya mismo ang nagtanggol sa sarili niya, si President Marcos.

I: Yun po ba yung high school?

A: Hindi, college na.

B: Anong ginawa niya, ma’am?

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A: Pinagtanggol niya ang sarili niya as lawyer. Yung history, ia-apply mo na ngayon, hindi tama.

I: So next question po: kayo po, ‘pag nagtuturo po kayo, paano niyo po iniintroduce or tinuturo yung mga sensitive historical talks doon sa mga estudyante?

A: Paano iniintroduce yung mga sensitive fact? More on contemporary issues ang (?letter?) ko, eh. So nakabase yung aming teaching sa tinatawag na mga issue. At yung mga issues, provided na rin nila. Example, sa––

I: Ng DepEd po?

A: Ng DepEd.

C: Wala kaming [unintelligible at 00:11:11]. Sa grade 10, dalawa kaming textbook. May manual. Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa nare-revise. 3 years na.

B: 3 years na sir.

C: Hindi pa naano rin, walang update.

B: Kaya more on situational yung kwan ng mga bata, kasi wala pa kaming libro.

A: Tapos ang lesson pa natin is, sa first grading, more on environment. So yung pangangalaga nun, tapos yung…

B: Kalikasan. Solid waste.

A: Tapos sa second grading naman is––

B: Globalization.

A: Globalization.

B: Paano pa kay makakaano sa globalization na ‘yan.

A: Kumbaga, doon nakaangkla ang aming lesson. Tapos––

B: Third grading, gender equality.

A: Gender development. Tapos sa fourth grading is about politics na.

B: Pakikilahok ng mamamayan.

A: Political, civil.

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B: Civil rights.

A: So medyo yung history, malalayo, eh.

B: Oo, doon lang naka-focus.

A: Yung nababanggit, banggit lang. Siguro sa third year kasi, more on economics basics. Second year, yun ang world history. Wala na kaming Philippine history, eh.

I: Sa high school po?

A: Sa high school. Ang first––ang grade 7 is about Asia.

B: Pero noon ma’am, bago ako magturo dito, Philippine history ako.

A: Oo, noong una. Unang curriculum.

I: So nabago po siya noong pag-implement po ng K-12?

A&B: Oo.

A: Kaya kumbaga, maraming gusto na ibalik ang Philippine history sa secondary.

B: Kasi hindi alam ng mga bata.

A: And then process (?maya pa?) [00:13:15]. Kaya parang ‘pag titingnan mo, napag- iwananan, eh. Parang naka-focus ang Philippine history sa elementary. Walang follow up sa second––ah, sa high school.

I: Doon po kasi may na-interview po ako last sem po, may na-interview po akong teacher from elem, tapos sabi niya po, hindi po sa elem tinuturo ang Philippine history, sa high school daw po mas deepening.

A: Wala na ngayon, baka yung dating curriculum yun. Ngayon sa bagong curriculum, ‘pag grade 7––

B: HEKASI ata ma’am, ano nga po ang ano nila, Philippine history sa grade 6, grade 5? HEKASI or––

A: HEKASI. Sila yun. Pagdating ng grade 7, Asian. Second, world history. Now, which is dati noong araw, world history tinuturo sa fourth year. Inabot ang world––

I: Ang inabot ko po noong first year, may Philippine history po.

A: Bagong curriculum na, eh. Basic education curriculum. [unintelligible at 00:14:30] ang mga tema ng DepEd, ‘di ba?

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I: So next question po, gaano po ka-important––’di ba, Learner’s Manual po ba ang tawag sa––?

A&B: Oo.

I: Hindi po textbooks?

A: Hindi. Actually wala kami sa grade 10 na learner’s manual. Parang draft, hanggang ngayon––

B: Hanggang ngayon––

A: Draft lang yun, wala pa tayong talagang pinaano––

B: Ito ang mga supplementary… reading namin.

A: Then newspaper.

B: Kung ano ang common issues na pinag-ano, yun.

I: So having said that po, gaano ka-importante sa teaching niyo saka sa learning ng students yung learning manuals, tsaka yung textbook? How important po yung paggamit po?

A: Sa amin, importante, sana. Pero kasi since contemporary issues kami, so wala kaming textbook.

B: Atsaka yung mga bata. Aware naman sila sa mga [unintelligible at 00:015:31].

A: Social media, gamit siya. Kaya lang kailangan mo rin talagang ano… since kami ay contemporary issue, more on recent, mga current issue ang mga pinag-uusapan. Kung merong nasa learner’s manual, kukuha lang kami doon ng basic info based sa binigay nilang facts, and then pagpapalalim ng aming lesson, kukha kami sa paper.

B: Sa newspaper, sa news, ‘yan.

I: So hindi po kayo masyadong dependent sa learner’s manuals po?

A: Hindi. 50/50 lang. 50%, kasi doon kami kukuha ng basic facts.

B: Para lawakin naman.

I: Gumagamit po ba kayo ng––nagre-refer din po ba kayo sa textbooks ng private schools?

B: Hindi.

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A: Kaming mga contemporary issues, hindi. Ewan ko lang sa mga iba naming kapatid. Lalo na ang––

C: Pwede rin namang mag-report, kung ano…

A: Pwede naman, kukuha sila.

C: Oo naman.

B: Parang nag-research sila.

A: Oo research, pero hindi naman siya obligatory.

I: So ‘pag nagtuturo po kayo, do you prefer to stick sa mga sinasabi sa textbook, or mas gusto niyo rin po naga-add ng mga personal opinions, ganoon po? Ano po ang sa tingin niyong mas maganda?

B: Yung doon sa text?

I: Opo.

B: Mas maganda, papaliwanag mo ang nasa text, and you must also [unintelligible at 00:017:06].

A: Sa akin naman––sa inyo sir?

C: Napakalimitado lang ang may nasa textbook? Martial Law, hanggang ganito lang ang Martial Law. ‘Yan.

B: Kaunti lang.

C: Paano nangyari? Kailangan mo nang magdagdag.

B: Tsaka ganito pa, bakit ganito ang nakalagay sa libro? Ang lawak––ang dating diktador, pangulo, which is very––sa akin ha, sa akin…

I: Dapat po binigay ng connotation.

B: Oo, kung sino siya. Diktador. Kaya kino-correct ko ma’am, ‘pag may tinutu––kinokorek ko ‘yan.

A: Siguro kasi nababasa nila yun bilang dictatorial form of government ni President Marcos before. Kasi tulad ng sinabi, kung ang binasa ng bata ay again, “Martial Law”, dictatorial talaga ‘yan.

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B: Sabi niya, “Ma’am (?ba’t ang?) [00:18:07] diktador?” Si Duterte, halimbawa lang, anong katangian niya na matawag mong ganoon? “Ma’am, matapong.” Ganoon. “Ma’am, ‘pag sinabihan papatayin ka, papatayin ka.” Si Marcos… meron ding ganoon, syempre as a leader, meron din siyang––gamitin niya ang kanyang kamay na bakal.

A: Noong time ng Martial Law, walang writ of Habeas, ‘di ba? Ano ba ang term na ginamit? ‘Di na-exercise ng mga tao yun, tinanggal. So ang mga tao, ‘pag nasa [unintelligible at 00:18:45] na-involve pa sa mga ano, kami ring mga estudyante before na mga aktibista sa UP… wala na silang freedom na ipagtanggol, kasi nga suspended ang writ of Habeas, nawawala na sila, kaya siguro ganoon, naging ano sa kanya, kay President Marcos, naging [unintelligible at 00:19:13]. Dictatorial form of government noong time ng Martial Law. 10 years yun, eh. [unintelligible at 00:19:23], ng ‘82… pero ‘81 siya, I think ng January, January 17.

B: Oo, ni-lift din niya.

A: After [unintelligible at 00:019:36].

B: Kasi okay naman na. Talagang magulo noon ma’am, kasi.

I: So ang next question ko: based on your assessment po, madali po bang naniniwala ang students sa nakasulat sa textbooks?

B: Sa grade 7, para sa akin, ang year level atsaka turo ko, naniniwala sila doon.

A: Maya-maya na lang. I-[unintelligible at 00:20:06].

B: Naniniwala sila, lalo na itong year level, sasabi niyang––

C: Most of them, they don’t care anong content ng libro. Hindi nila binabasa. [laughs]

B: Oo.

A: Tingnan mo, iba ang bata. Kung ikukumpara mo ang student ngayon, public school, at students before, medyo malaking diperensiya. Napakalimited yung kanilang oras para sa pagbasa. Actually, during the exam, kasi kami, na-experience namin, examination namin, social studies, AP, mahahaba ang mga style na ano… parang analytical, so kailangan intindihin. Usually ang mga bata, tamad magbasa, kaya magkopya-kopya sila. Hindi sila nag-iisip, napakalimted ng kanilang style of reading comprehension. Pangalawa, siguro dahil na rin sa impluwensiya ng social media. Yung mga Mobile Legends, mga ganoon, malaki ang impluwensiya. Although sa isang bagay, nakakatulong naman siya sa kahit anong paraan. Halimbawa, yung mga… katulad ng nangyaring [unintelligible at 00:21:32] sa mga… yung nag-asawang nasa motor, [unintelligible at 00:21:40] tumulong… kung wala yung media, wala yung… ano yun, CCTV? Hindi maso-solve yung case. May mga ganoon ‘di ba? Kaya lang minsan, inaano ng mga bata ‘yan, nago-over sila sa paggamit to the point na hindi na sila nakikinig sa amin. Isa naming problema yung laging may

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earphones. Ako, ilang beses ako nag-explain, kaya lang maging curious ka rin sa sarili mo, aware ka rin sa sarili mo, basta mag-confiscate. Why? Pwede kang baliktarin ng bata.

B: Basta sinasabi lang alisin, ganoon lang.

A: Yun, meron na ditong ibang cases na nangyari, kinunan ng picture, kinunan ng bata, pakita sa magulang, naanuhan si teacher, so [unintelligible at 00:22:39] tumahimik na lang, umayos na, nagkakaroon ng settlement. Syempre, ayaw mo rin ng gulo sa student. Kaya wala kaming proteksyon masyado, more on sa bata. Child protection policies. Maka-ano sa mga bata yun. Kawawa ang teacher, kasi masyadong (?nasaktan?) [00:22:59].

B: Mapicturan ka lang, verbal or ginanoon mo lang, nako.

A: Delikado.

B: Delikado.

A: May mga magulang din na they’re making money out of these things. Ito namang magulang, meron dito, [unintelligible at 00:23:16]... na may ano yata yun… may [unintelligible at 00:23:23] sa sariling [unintelligible at 00:23:26]. Pagpapa-[unintelligible at 00:23:32]... tendency na mag-[unintelligible at 00:23:40].

B: ‘Pag pinagbayad si teacher…

A: Oo. Mga ganoon.

I: So okay, going back po, mas dependent po sila sa social media ngayon kesa sa textbooks?

ABC: Oo.

I: Pero po yung sa mga––

A: [unintelligible at 00:23:56] nagbabasa ng textbook, ‘di ba, sir?

C: Siya na ang nagbabasa ng textbook.

A: Ito nga, yung journal namin, napaka-[unintelligible at 00:24:03]. Magbigay ka ng assignment, ‘pag dating ng ano, wala na. Unlike before, yung bata bago pumasok…

B: Gagawin na niya ang assignment niya pagkatapos.

A: Ang assignment, doon na rin sa loob ng room. Pag-copy this, copy this, kopyahan na sila.

I: Pero po sa mga nababasa nila sa mga kapag may nababasa, mahilig po ba silang i-question po ang mga things, ng mga bagay na nandoon?

156

C: No.

B: Hindi naman.

A: The higher, kasi ikaw, higher section.

C: Kahit sa higher.

B: Nagtatanong din ang mga––

C: Minsan, pero madalang na.

B: [adlib]

I: So very briefly po: ang general take niyo po sa Martial Law, isa-isa po?

A: General take namin? General ano?

I: Yung perception niyo po sa Martial Law?

C: Yung kay Marcos.

I: Yes po.

C: Nagbago ang perception ko diyan, eh. Kasi during my college days, si Marcos pa kasi, ‘di ba? More on civil ako. Pero habang tumatagal, nagkakaedad ako, parang nagbabago na ang mga ano eh, yung paninindigan ko. Kasi noon, bata ka pa, more on idealistic ka pa, ‘di ba, [unintelligible at 00:25:49]... nare-realize mo na wala, eh. Parang maraming mga binabato sa [unintelligible at 00:26:01] Marcos na hindi naman totoo. Ito nga lang, eh. Cory, 6 years. PNoy, 6 years. Kung hanggang ngayon, hindi na nila mapinpoint kasi––

B: Oo, it’s the murder of Ninoy. Yun nga ang sinasabi ko sa’yo.

C: The people, the Filipino people needs to know––they need to know kung sino ba. Bakit wala silang ma-deduce kung sinong pumatay?

B: ‘Yan nga ang sinabi sa ak––sa mga bata, maski sa akin na. I cannot give you the right answer, who killed Ninoy? And who is the matermind, kako. That is a very delicate situation.

C: Term ni Cory, term ni Ninoy, dapat na-ano nila, kung sino man ang salarin diyan, talagang– –

B: Dapat alam na nila.

C: Hindi lang alam, talagang dapat napata––death penalty.

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B: Para sa akin, Marcos pa rin ako. Marcos pa rin ako.

A: Hindi, Martial Law.

B: Martial Law? Akala ko si Marcos.

A: Ano yung perception mo.

C: Ako naman, hindi Marcos or Cory or what. I want truth, ano ba talaga ang nangyari diyan? Yun lang naman ang ano ko, I want the truth.

B: Martial Law, you can lead them naman kaagad kapag the situation is already ano––

C: Kasi parang may tinatago sila, eh. Cory, may tinatago sila tungkol sa Martial Law, PNoy may tinatawag tungkol sa Martial Law.

B: Pinag-[unintelligible at 00:27:49] yung kayamanan nila, sir.

C: Hanggang ngayon, parang mahiwaga pa rin.

B: Pero ang sabi ng nanay ko noon, kasi grade 5 ako, napakagaan ang buhay noong Martial Law.

A: Sa inyo?

B: Oo, sa amin. Ang mga binibili, mura lang kasi sa probinsya naman yun, eh. Talagang ano…

A: Ang napansin ko lang diyan, yung mga cronies niya.

B: Oo, ‘yan. Maraming adviser, mga cronies-cronies ‘yan. Sila yung mga ano, nagpapa–– sinisira kay ano, kay Marcos noon.

A: Pero okay pa rin si president. Why? Kung gugustuhin niya, maraming namamatay noong kayna [unintelligible at 00:28:39].

B: (?Ibaban?) [00:28:40].

A: Noong ibagsak niya noon, doon sa mga taong nag-aano, eh.

B: Pero yun din.

A: Nagra-rally. Pero hindi niya ginawa. Pero kung gustuhin niya yun, isang ano lang yun, maraming mamamatay.

158

B: Compare ko diyan, sabi nila si Marcos lang mamamatay-tao. During the time of Cory, ang ginawa ni Cory diyan sa Mendiola, yung mga farmers, ‘di ba? Sa Hacienda Luisita, hindi ba pinagpapatay? Oh. Sabi nila si Marcos lang ang ano. Meron man siguro, pero news block out na rin. ‘Pag sinabing news block out, wala kang malalaman.

A: At walang pwedeng kumontra sa kanya before, noong time ni Marcos.

B: Korek. Walang dapat na kumontra.

A: Oo, walang pwedeng magsabi na mali ang ginawa mo, unlike ngayon, masyadong maano ang freedom of speech ngayon, ‘di ba? Noong time ni Marcos, [unintelligible at 00:29:39]. TV4 tsaka TV9, channel 9 lang ang nag-aano ng news about President Marcos noon.

B: Channel 2 pinasara nga niya, eh. Bulletin. Talagang pinasara niya.

A: Oh ‘di ba? Freedom naman ng mga tao, freedom of speech, freedom sa pagsusulat, eh ‘pag natulugan ‘yan na against ka, bukas akala mo wala ka na, kaya nakakaalam kung nasaan ka. Totoo yun!

B: Yung mga aktibista na ano––noon, nandyan na sila, nag-uumpugan na. Anko.

A: Si [unintelligible at 00:30:14] na dating Queen of the Pacific, aktibista yun. Namundok, kasi aktibista siya noong panahon ni Marcos, namundok sila. Kailan siya bumaba, sino ang presidente noon? [unintelligible at 00:30:33]

B: Talaga, mahirap ang buhay.

A: Marami talagang namatay na aktibista noong time na ‘yan.

B: Limited lang, eh. Itong new generation, limited lang ang alam nila tungkol kay Marcos. Sino si President Marcos? “Ma’am, corrupt! Ma’am, corrupt! Mamamatay-tao!” yun lang ang sinasabi.

I: Baka kasi yun kasi ang heated discussion.

B: Oo, ang sabi ko naman, prove na ba ‘yan? Tapos sinasabi na, “Eh ma’am, sinasabi ko lang kasi binasa ko, eh.”

I: So ayun, next po: paano niyo po made-describe yung mga estudyante sa lesson po tungkol sa Martial Law?

A: Relate?

I: Yung mga reaction ng students ‘pag naririnig––’pag dinidiscuss sa kanila ang Martial Law. Ano sa tingin niyo ang reaction nila?

159

B: Na wala silang alam. Yung EDSA revolution, yun na ang huling panahon ni FVR. Within yun, pagkakaisa. Ginaganoon ko para sa kanila, eh.

I: So yun po, yung wala silang masyadong alam?

A: Kasi itong new generation––

B: New generation. Ano yun ma’am? Tatanungin nila. Pero ‘pag sinabi mong EDSA, “Ah, yung pinababa si Ferdinand Marcos. Si Cory yung pangulo natin.”

A: Per actually noong panahon ni Cory, hirap naman.

B: Hirap ng buhay.

A: Ilang (?attempts?) [00:32:17] ang nangyari?

B: Walo.

A: Kasi nga, [unintelligible at 00:32:20]. Hindi niya alam ang takbo, kaya nagpapatakbo ang mga tao sa paligid niya. Para rin ‘yang si Leni Robredo. Sabi niya, dapat hindi pwedeng umalis sa ICC kasi umalis tayo, hindi na tayo kasali. Kung ‘di na tayo kasali, hindi tayo dapat umalis, kasi ‘pag umalis tayo, wala na tayo doon. Ano ba naman yun?

B: Oo nga, lawyer pa ‘yan.

A: Ganoon din si Cory.

B: Si Cory nga, dinemanda niya si Honasan, noong nag-attempt si ano––nagtago sa mesa. Idedemanda niya, sinabi lang niya na nagtago sa mesa.

A: Kawawa si Beltran.

B: Oo, si Beltran yun. Kaya sabi ko, kasi kinoverage niya yun.

A: Louie Beltran.

B: Yun, kung alam ng mga bata yun. “Ma’am, magnanakaw!” Edi [unintelligible at 00:33:19]... paano natin iti-twist yun?

A: Ayan tanong niya. Paano––

I: So meron na silang pre-conceived notion about Martial Law? So um, bilang exposed po kayo sa textbooks, ano po, ano po yung perception niyo sa mga discussions sa textbooks about––

160

A: Sabi ni sir, limited na. Kasi sa amin, sa case namin, more on current issues. So hindi kami nakadepende sa textbook. Actually, wala kaming textbook ng grade 10. 3 years na kami nag-training noon sa Olongapo, Zambales, after this time, 3 taon na, magre-retire na ako, eh. Wala kaming textbook.

B: Sabi nila “to follow”.

A: Kami sa grade 10 na lahat ‘yan, all over the Philippines, wala kaming textbook ng grade 10, so sariling sikap ang ginagawa ng mga teachers. Although nagbigay sila ng draft, which is draft pa naman yun, so kami, kaming mga teachers––

B: Kaming mga teachers, binabasa namin.

A: Babasahin namin and then una kaming gagawa ng sistema para ma-[unintelligible at 00:34:37] ang lesson [unintelligible at 00:34:40], interview, ano pa ang mga ginagawa namin, ‘cher?

B: Reporting.

A: Reporting. Kasi more on research ako, eh. Interview, say mag-interview ng barangay captain, itong mga… sinasalihan ng mga kabataan, organisasyon, makakatulong ‘yan sa community, wala kaming textbooks na talagang… ang department––siya nga yung ano… [adlib]

I: Meron pa po kaming tatlong questions. Okay lang po ba?

A: Okay!

I: So ayun po, pero yung mga nababasa niyo po sa textbooks, nakaka-affect din po ba ‘yan sa mga personal views niyo?

A: Ako, tatanungin, sa mga nababasa namin, nakakaapekto siya, sa views, ginagamit lang namin silang guide. Guide kasi actually, wala nga kaming prescribed na textbook. So yung binigay nilang draft na pinakatextbook namin, ginagamit namin siya as guide lang. Kasi ang nangyayari kasi [unintelligible at 00:36:36] hindi namin pwedeng iwanan ang binigay nila. Nagkaroon ng exam galing sa division office, noong nakadepende.

I: So centralized po kayo in terms of textbook? [adlib] So kayo po, sir? Nakakaapekto po?

C: Hindi nakakaapekto yung third quarter, gender identity. Ang dami diyan na talagang inaayawan ko tungkol sa LGBT. Mga extremes, talagang lumalakas ang pwersa ng LGBT. Gumagaya tayo sa ibang bansa, na ginigiit ang same sex marriage. Tapos yung mga bago na ano ngayon na bata, siya dapat ang mag-determine kung anong gender niya. Anong klase yun? Bakit daw didiktahan ang bata kung anong gusto niyang gender? Tapos siya daw ang mag-aano, mag-didictate ng sarili niyang gender.

161

A: Siguro rin kasi depende, kung (?unity?) [00:37:41] ang ginagalawan ng mga nakaka- [unintelligible at 00:37:47].

B: Sa kanyang kapaligiran.

C: May isang teacher, sinipa sa [unintelligible at 00:37:55], kasi isang bata na lalaki, gumamit siya ng pronoun na “he”, nagreklamo ang bata, hindi raw siya “he”, “she” daw siya, sinumbong sa principal. Kaya [unintelligible at 00:38:06].

B: Yung teacher?

C: Oo.

B: Ah?

A: Meron somewhere in Bicol na ganoon.

C: Ang nangyayari ngayon, tama ang sinasabi ng [unintelligible at 00:38:16], eh. People will [unintelligible at 00:38:20], nakalagay ng ano… yung truth, uh, yung good nagiging evil and evil nagiging good. We call good, evil, and we call evil, good. That is exactly what is happening right now.

B: Nakalagay sa kwan natin ‘yan, kaya nga dumadami ano, kasi may batas daw para sa [unintelligible at 00:38:44]. Sabi ko, pasalamat daw na hindi pa applied sa Pilipinas ang batas na ‘yan. Sa ibang bansa, yun, pero dito, hindi. Kaya kayo magpakalalaki, babae, kayo.

A: Hindi. Meron kami kasing current grading (?period?) [00:39:01] na dinidiscuss yun. LGBT. Kasi alangan naman sa high school, maraming [unintelligible at 00:39:10], marami. Even mga teachers, celebrities. Kung titingnan mo sa mga director, at magbibigay pa sila ng exam, na katulad ni Joel Cruz, si Vice Ganda na yumaman, mayaman––

B: Because of the pabango.

A: Kasi nga, yung mga example ‘yan ng LGBT. Si Charisse, si Aiza––

B: Lesbian naman.

A: Meron pang isa, yung si Geraldine Roman na transgender.

B: Transgender, kauna-unahang naging pulitiko. Representative ng Bataan.

A: Ginamit nilang example yung Ms. Spain na transgender, sumali sa Ms. Universe. Yung taga-Ateneo na professor, si… letter D.

B: Remoto.

162

A: Si Remoto, isa sa mga founder ng organisasyon––

B: Diyan sa UP, ay Ateneo.

A: Ano doon––sa pagiging bakla nila, kasi nakakatulong daw sa society, katulad ng ginamit naming example, although siguro sa isang bagay, kasi biblically thinking, bawal. Hindi tama, kasi babae-lalaki lang ang ginawa ng Diyos, eh. But naghihingi sila ng example na hindi naman pwedeng patubalian, kasi totoo naman, tulad ni Danton Remoto na isang professor pero nakakatulong sa mga tao na… kasi professor siya, eh. Mga founder ng isang organisasyong pang-LGBT. Yung dito sa UP, napakarami ang kanilang organisasyon.

B: Ladlad, UP Ladlad.

A: Ladlad, kailan lang ‘di tinanggap ng COMELEC pero later on––

B: Tinanggap din.

A: Kasi hindi naman sila nakakasira, nakakatulong nga. [adlib]

I: So ayun po [...] para po sa inyo, dapat talagang i-guide pa ang students about these topics po?

A: Nang maingat. Kasi talagang ang kanilang––

B: Mind, senses.

A: … ay… masyadong ano… delikado kung mabalita yung napatay…

B: Kailangan dahan-dahan para mailagay sa kaisipan ng mga bata kung ano ang mga pangyayari na naganap noong Martial Law para mas maunawaan. Kasi, sino si Marcos?

A: Hindi lang siya negativities.

B: Yung maganda rin.

A: Meron din namang maganda.

B: Magandang sign ‘yan.

I: Dapat po binibigay yung [unintelligible at 00:43:11].

C: Most of the authors nagsasabing dictator siya [unintelligible at 00:43:14]. Sila yung mga opposition doon. Tingnan mo, mga aktibista. Syempre magre-reflect din yung worldliness when they write their books.

163

I: So ayun po, next. Napapansin niyo po ba sa mga authors ng mga libro kung nagbibigay sila ng mga––napapansin niyo po ba kung binibigay nila ang sarili nilang biases, ganoon po? Kasi sabi niyo nga po, limited, tapos sa limited na binigay pong discussion sa Martial Law, nakikita niyo po ba na lumalabas yung mga personal biases ng authors, kung meron man?

A: Oo.

C: Oo, yung pagsabing dictator, ‘di ba? Bias na yun, eh.

B: Kaya yung [unintelligible at 00:43:59] question ko ay sino ang author dito.

A: Depende nga sa author. Kapag ang author ay… anti, ganoon talaga, eh. Pero kung siya naman ay maka-Marcos, paborable ang ilalagay niya. Pero lumalabas sa kanyang views.

I: Mas marami po ba kayong nababasa na against? Or against po sa… kunwari po, against kay Marcos, mas marami po ba kayong nababasang ganoon sa textbooks?

A: Oo.

B: Yung libro lang na… isang “diktador”.

I: Wala po ba kayong napansin na neutral magbigay? Kunwari po––

B: Neutral sa?

I: Ano po usually dini-discuss lang sa limited na, yung mga ginawa niya, like mga projects?

B: Ah! Wala sa mga projects. Ikaw na teacher ang nagsabi sa mga projects niya.

C: More on [unintelligible at 00:45:03] violated ang human rights, mga ganoon.

B: Yung mga ganoon lang. [adlib]

I: So base po sa alam niyo, paano po ba ina-approve, o paano po pumipili ang DepEd ng mga libro, mga learner’s manuals?

A: Maraming proseso yun. Actually, based doon sa mahabang pag-aaral nila niyan bago ‘yan na-approve, tapos nga hanggang ngayon, wala pa.

C: Itong habang pag-aaral, bakit may mga textbook? Hindi, eh. I’m not requiring social studies to… sayang. Yung mga inconsistencies, may mga mali, wrong grammar, mga ganoon. Mahabang pag-aaral pero ang daming mali.

B: Yung si Dep noon, maraming mali.

164

A: Kasi depende kung sino yung nanalo sa bidding.

B: Sa bidding.

A: Isa yun. Kung sinong nanalo sa bidding, siya na yung may pinakamalapit na ano doon, author na ano––

C: Mga koneksyon koneksyon din yun, eh.

A: ‘Di pa rin nawawala yun. Siguro ngayon, kaya wala pa kaming talagang textbook, contemporary issues. Question mark para sa akin para makapag-retire na.

B: Yung mga bidder namin.

A: Kaya example na lang ‘yang K-12 na ‘yan. Alam mo ba na ang ano niyan ay Australian, parang [unintelligible at 00:47:05] ng Australian? Na kailangan i-ano, kasi nga malaking pera na ang binitawan, ‘di ba? Malaki ang binitawan na pera diyan, na kahit hindi pa raw ready, actually sabi nga ni Congressman (?Gregologo?) kahapon, “Kami naman!” 4 years na ang ano, napag-alangan pa namin. Countries na lang ang hindi, Malta ba yun? O Mali? Tapos Philippines, kaya tayo’y 8th sa flow na kumuha ng additional 2 years. Pero [unintelligible at 00:47:40]... foundation, Handaba, ang mga bata [unintelligible at 00:47:47], tapos naka-focus sa technical na which is yun ang kailangan ng approach, so hindi natin––abroad ang nangangailangan, nakaka-(?runny?) [00:47:57]. Parang ganoon.

I: So sa tingin niyo po, mas nakakaapekto yung factors ng kunwari, presyo po ng writer kesa po sa doon sa content mismo? Sa pag-approve nila, sa pagpili?

A: Kasi depende sa bidding, eh. Nakakaapekto sa presyo.

I: Yung sa bidding nga po.

A: Kasi [unintelligible at 00:48:21] doon, eh. ‘Di ba? It’s a matter of who you know.

B: Kagaya ng ito lang, ano? It’s a matter whom you know.

C: Kaya ang mga authors diyan, mga supervisors.

A: Wala kaming choice.

B: Wala kaming choice kasi––

A: Since wala kaming textbook, pwedeng makatulong ito. Limited nga lang. Kailangan mo itong i-explore [unintelligible at 00:48:52] through research, through review, reporting, but titingnan mo ang mga author dito––

B: Yung nasa… central––

165

A: Connection. Ayun.

I: Okay so, last question na po, for everyone po: bakit po importante pang ituro sa mga estudyante yung history?

A: Bakit importante?

B: Dapat talaga ang kasaysayan mga hinandy pack sa––para sa mga susunod na generation, mga bata.para mamila kung ano ang pinaglaban ng mga Pilipino doon.

A: Syempre, paano kung maipapaliwanag ang kasalukuyan kung wala yung nakaraan? Tapos makikita mong may comparison. Ano pa? Paghahambing, ano pa? Paano mo––bahagi ang kasaysayan sa pag-unlad ng kasalukuyan at kung ano ang nakaligtaan noong nakaraan, pwedeng i-ano sa kasalukuyan sa mga ay… [unintelligible at 00:50:16]. Kung may mali, kung may mali sa nakaraan, i-correct sa kasalukuyan. Tsaka ano pa, importansya ng history?

C: Sa akin, importante ay identity natin as a Pilipino. Makikita lang natin ang identity natin if we’ve studied the past.

A: Parang din ‘yan sa family tree. Paano mo makikita ang pinagdaanan mo, paano ka naging ganyan? Malaman mo ang pinanggalingan mo. ‘Yan ang ibig sabihin ng history.

B: From correletion, from past to present.

I: So follow-up lang po, mabilis lang po, so tingin niyo po ba, importante pang i-discuss yung part ng history tungkol sa Martial Law, Marcos era?

A: Gaano ka-importante… [unintelligible at 00:51:16] Asian history din naman, eh.

I: Tingin niyo po ba, mahalaga po bang i-discuss pa hanggang ngayon ang part ng history tungkol sa Marcos era, Martial law?

B: … yung tama. Yun talagang ano, eh. Para mai-correct na ang kabataan ngayon.

D: Hindi one-sided yung nakikita ng mga bata, so nangyari, about [unintelligible at 00:51:45].

A: Sa akin kasi, kapag nag-aano yung Martial––ay, tapos na po kayo ma’am? Sa akin kasi, yung magagandang nangyari, kasi syempre halimbawa, what is Martial Law? So ano yun, ma’am? So ipaliwanag ko, ano ba ang (?relevance?) [00:52:09]. Tapos, bakit nagkaroon ng Martial Law sa Pilipinas? Yung mga guro, kasi sila ang may experience, kung may experience… mostly, most of the time, ang sinasabi ko, although na-suppress ang freedom natin, may mga magagandang naidulot sa [unintelligible at 00:52:35]. Una, parang naging lesson sa mga tao noong panahon yung pangyayari. Naging aware sila sa (?panggugumo?) [00:52:51], hindi ko sinasabi na nauuhaw ako.

166

B: Dapat ‘wag munang sabihin yung masasama, na pinatay niya si ganito.

A: Projects natin sa pagdudutong ng Visayas.

B: Visayas, oo! Atsaka Luzon.

A: Yung mahabang tulay na nagdadala ng––kasi more on economics kami, napadali ang transpo, ang paghahatid ng mga kalakal. So maganda ang epekto sa kalakalan. Although marami ngang namatay, okay, tama yun, hindi maiwasan, pero magagandang pangyayari. Hindi pa masyadong… sa akin, ha.

B: Tsaka makikita rin nila, mga ano, Heart Center, Lung, Kidney, PICC, mga roads, construction of roads and bridges, ang gaganda kasi.

A: Ang PICC, dating dagat lang ‘yan. Pumasok na yung reclamation. Time ni President Marcos yun. So meron [unintelligible at 00:54:02]. May pinakikinabangan ang tao, ganoon.

B: More jobs for the Filipino.

I: So ayun po, okay na po. Meron pa po kayong gustong i-clarify na last?

A: Ang gusto lang namin, totoong alamin.

B: Oo, gusto lang ang totoo na ginawa ni Marcos. Eh bakit sila, yung sinabi mo ma’am, naging president si Cory, naging president si PNoy, but until now, question mark pa rin: who killed NInoy? ‘Di ba?

A: [unintelligible at 00:54:47]

B: Action, solution.

C: Sa akin, okay, turo natin ang Martial Law, pero mas important sa akin ang present.

A: Kasi nga, yun ang––

B: Oo, ganoon talaga. Present talaga.

C: We have to move on, hindi pwedeng manatili doon sa past.

B: Oo, nako, ‘wag nakakulong doon.

D: … Martial Law, lalo na ang political color ‘di ba? Ginagamit nila ang Martial Law para sa sarili nila. Lagi na lang––yung masasama. Talagang [unintelligible at 00:55:21] yung Martial Law, if ever, alam mo namang may sarili silang interes, bakit nila ginagalaw yun. Hindi ganoon ang naging pokus ng pagiging [unintelligible at 00:55:32].

167

C: Tingnan mo ang pulitiko ngayon, [unintelligible at 00:55:35] magagandang pangganoon, nag-delcare ng martial law si ano sa Marawi, parang nagsulputan na, nakakita sila ng multo ng Martial Law. Hindi dapat yun, past na yun, eh.

B: Ibig-sabihin, kaya dine-declare ang Martial Law, para ano, i––

D: Ayos.

B: Iayos ang mga problema doon sa lugar na yun. Hindi yung, “Ay martial law! Military form of government, kagaya ni Marcos!” ganoon na naman sila. Palaging nakadikit ang pangalan ni Marcos. [unintelligible at 00:56:15]. Kaya, ang tanong ko sa kanila, takot sila kay Marcos. The Aquino are afraid of the Marcos.

A: Actually, ‘di ba kanina, eh ‘di ba, isang communist?

B: Communist!

A: Alam ba ‘yan ng tao ‘yan?

B: Hindi alam ng tao. Even ang lolo niya, NPA.

A: Komunista si Ninoy, at kung ‘yan ay hindi rin namatay, ano na ang nangyari?

B: Kasi meron siyang vested interest ma’am in running for presidency before Martial Law, kasi nga hindi in-approve-an ng ano, ng World Bank na papautangin uli si Ferdinand Marcos. Ngayon, siya ang may peak na kalaban. Nag-usap pa ‘yan! Brad ang usap nila, brad. Eh, ayaw niya. Noong ano, ‘wag ka nang lumaban, sabi niya. Noong sinabi niya yun, bigyan mo ako ng permit para doon ako sa Amerika magpapagamot ng aking sakit sa puso, binigyan pa siya. Tapos sinabihan niya, ‘wag kang uuwi. Papatayin ka nila. Binigyan ng babala. Pero nga, siya, hero nga siya, eh.

A: Naging hero.

B: Naging hero kasi––

A: Akala ng nakakarami.

B: Ang nakararami. Pero anong nagawa niya?

D: Tsaka ang mga alam niyang ganyan ma’am, personal ano, walang nakalagay sa libro niyan.

D: Oo, walang nakalagay sa libro…

B: Ang ano ng mga bata, mag-iinterview sa mga nakakatanda, magsasabi––yung naka- experience talaga, [unintelligible at 00:58:02] walang lalabas sa gabi, wala na rin

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masyadong naka-shorts, nasa labas, kasi nagkaroon tayo ng [unintelligible at 00:58:13] kasi, eh. Inabuso ang [unintelligible at 00:58:16] natin.

B: Demokrasya.

D: Kasi may sarili silang interes. May political interes sila, gusto nila, sila ang nandoon. So ang democracy, [unintelligible at 00:58:28] hayaan muna natin, tapos sila, nasa pwesto. So ang nangyari, ang mahihirap, lalong mahirap. So sila yung mga nasa [unintelligible at 00:58:39]. Yun yung sana na––

B: Mailagay sa utak.

D: (?Kasi maayos yung mga bata ngayon?) [00:58:45], na hindi tama, hindi tama yung [unintelligible at 00:58:51] maalis sa ganoong [unintelligible at 00:58:55]... kahit sa tahanan, sa bahay, dapat meron silang sinusunod. ‘Di ba, ‘pag sinabi, “Upo ka!” ganyan, meron talagang [unintelligible at 00:59:11] bakal na kamay, eh, na dapat sundin. So sana talaga ganoon. Sabi nga ni [unintelligible at 00:59:17], idol niya ang Pilipinas. Bakit ganoon, anong nangyari sa Pilipinas? Bakit ganoon? Kasi too much democracy.

B: Nasobrahan ng mga Aquino ang demokrasya. Palaging sila ang tama.

D: Ang hirap sa aming mga teacher kasi nga, limited kami, paano namin ia-agree sa bata? Kaya ang nangyayari, sa discussion, lagi ang personal ano lang––

B: Oo, personal views mo.

D: Sige, magtanong kayo sa lolo niyo, [unintelligible at 00:59:46] pero ‘pag bata na pabata, [unintelligible at 00:59:48]

B: Hindi nila alam.

D: Hindi nila alam, nawawala. Kung ano yung sinasabi ng media, kung ano yung––yun na lang. [unintelligible at 01:00:02] sa Martial Law. Martial Law baby. [laughs]

B: Kailangan dahan-dahanin nilang ilagay sa libro ‘yan. Yung talagang history ‘yan talaga, na wala silang kinikilingan

I: So masu-suggest niyo po ba na mas maganda po ba kung sa libro, mas magbigay sila ng mga balance na facts, ganoon?

B: Oo.

A: Sana.

B: Sana.

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A: Kaya lang, ang [unintelligible at 01:00:35] mga depende sa author, eh.

B: May personal views ang author, eh.

D: Kahit saan mo pa [unintelligible at 01:00:43] ang Pilipinas, hawak ng mga dayuhan. Sila ang nag––

B: Sila! Kung sino ang pangulo diyan, may koneksyon ang isang mayaman sa––

D: O businessman. [unintelligible at 01:00:58]... yung pagtataas ng presyo, parang sina- sabotage tayo, eh. [unintelligible at 01:01:08].

I: Okay na po, thank you po!

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Respondents I and J (I – interviewer; R and R2 – respondents)

I: BA Political Science po, fourth year. So yung thesis ko po, about po siya sa historical negationism sa approved textbooks ng DepEd tungkol po sa Marcos era. Ayun lang po. So okay lang po ba na umpisahan?

R: Okay, no problem.

I: So ano po ang tinuturo niyo dito at what grade?

R: [...] Uh, nagtuturo ako ng English sa grade 4. So pati um, ako rin nagtuturo ng Values Ed, pero ang hawak ko lang doon ay yung klase ko. Yung English, I handle 6 sections for that. So yung Values, yung sa advisory ko lang.

I: Nakapagturo na po kayo ng History or AP po?

R: Uh, unfortunately, no. Never pa ako na-ano.

I: Mm, pero okay lang po sagutin?

R: Mm, okay!

I: So prior to this interview po, meron na po ba kayong knowledge about historical revisionism or historical negationism?

R: Siguro ano, uh, I heard about it, pero yung term itself, hindi ako familiar. Siguro yun yung ano nila, siguro––kasi I think yun yung… kasi never ko pang na-handle ang history as a subject, so baka hindi ko lang alam yung terms na involved doon.

I: So clarify ko lang po: ang historical revisionism kasi po, madalas nagagamit siya sa mga rallies ngayon. Yung historical revisionism, ito po yung pagpapalit ng history ngayon para mai- incorporate yung mga bago nating nalalaman, data, ganoon po. Kasi everything may nalalaman… para po uh, mas… mas ma-certify? Para pong ganoon yung mga facts na nalalaman natin ngayon. Yung historical negationism naman po, ito po yung extreme form ng historical revisionism, kung saan pinapalitan po talaga yung facts para magkaroon po ng bagong narrative para doon sa isang tao, para sa benefit.

R: So parang sine-skew nila yung––?

I: Yes po.

R: Sige.

I: So para po sa inyo, how do you usually teach po topics na medyo sensitive sa mga estudyante?

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R: Siguro yun yung pwede sa values, ‘di ba? May mga––kaming ganoon. So as much as possible, kahit na nagpres––kasi in-incorporate rin namin yung newspaper, yung current events, sa lesson namin. So parang ang ginagawa ko, I present both sides of the story, tapos pinapa- research ko rin sila, kahit paano, incorporated pa rin yun sa lesson namin na mag-research. Yun sila, so what we do is as much as––um, activity ko, nagde-debate kami, para ma-open yung minds nila na hindi lang ito yung pananaw, kasi syempre mahirap sa kanila, syempre bata sila, eh, madali silang ma-mold na ito lang ang tamang pag-iisip. So as much as possible, ino-open ko, tapos nagtatanong din ako para, paano kung ganito? You give it (?kahit patas sila?) [00:03:19]. Respetuhin mo na may pag-iisip sila na pwede nilang i-ano yun, hanapin yung reasons behind.

I: So para po sa inyo, gaano po ka-importante yung role ng textbooks sa learning ng students and sa pagtuturo niyo po?

R: Yun, very important ang textbook kasi unang-una, yun yung primary ano nila, ginagamit sa pag-aaral. Yun nga lang, syempre given na yun nga, ang dami kong bata, yung iba kasi nahihirapan mag-comprehend. Yun yung basics. So doon. Kaya ‘pag nagbabasa kami, chino- chop-chop ko rin kasi para ma-explain namin. Or kaya hingi rin ako ng ideas sa classmates, para ma-check ko rin kung naintindihan ng mga bata. Tsaka baka mas lalong maintindihan ng mga bata ‘pag [unintelligible at 00:04:11] ng classmate nila ang mag-explain.

I: Follow-up ko lang po. May maituturing pa rin po bang super––primary yung textbook kahit na sa ibang… uh, time po ng social media, sa e-books, ganoon?

R: Mm, oo. Kasi especially mga students ko, hindi lahat may kakayahan mag-internet, so although I use the––may, lahat ng classrooms dito sa Manila may projector, ano yun, parang aid lang namin siya, kasi mas gusto pa rin naming nagbabasa yung bata, kasi it’s very––yun yung basic skill na kailangan nila ma-master, yung comprehension, kasi ang dali kasing ma-influence kapag hindi mo maintindihan mabuti yung nababasa mo.

I: So sa pagtuturo niyo po, gaano po kayo ka-dependent sa textbook?

R: Um, uh, ako naman, as much as possible, I do more sa activities, pero yung––pinababasa ko na rin sa mga bata, pero more on ina-apply na namin siya, kasi gusto ko rin makita, kasi ayaw ko yung mababa yung pagbabasa nila na basa lang, tapos walang application.

I: Ayun po. So ‘pag nagtuturo po kayo, mas prefer niyo po bang naga-add ng personal experiences, or nagsi-stick lang po talaga kayo sa textbooks?

R: Ah, um, as much as possible, kung––naga-ask ako sa experiences o kaya yung something that they can relate to, para mas maintindihan ng bata, kasi mostly kasi ‘pag yun sa books, kasi dahil nga gawa ng DepEd, very broad siya, so baka hindi ma-apply masyado. So yun din yung ginagawa rin namin. Mino-modify din namin minsan pag-ano. Yun tinatawag namin na “localization”, para mas maintindihan ng bata.

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I: So ito po: sa personal niyo pong take, ano po yung um, para sa inyo, ano po yung take niyo or general notion sa Marcos era po?

R: Uh, okay. Sa akin, very much okay yun sa akin, kasi nakikita naman hanggang ngayon, yung effect ng mga Marcoses. Yung mga nangyaring mga projects nila. Tapos um, kahit papaano, for some reason, ‘di ba, after all these years, magtataka ka rin, eh. Ang dami pa ring very loyal sa kanila na ano, so um, I guess as much––lahat naman, may good and bad side, so para sa akin, marami siyang good na nadala rin, eh. Although hindi rin ma-ano yung mga human rights violations dahil very ano naman ‘yan, especially to us na exposed sa culture na ganoon, so um, I became––it––may mga good and bad sides pa rin doon sa ano na yun. They had their good, marami silang influences sa technology, sa infrastructures natin, sa health, sa education, pero you cannot deny din yung mga victims nila noong panahon na iyon.

I: So alam niyo po ba kung sa current curriculum, saan po dini-discuss yung topic ng Philippine History, specifically Martial Law?

R: Martial Law is in grade 6. Kasi hinati nila sa grade 5 tsaka grade 6 ang history. So yung grade 5, hanggang American ata or yung… so from American to present yung sa grade 6.

I: So wala na po talaga siya sa high school?

R: I think meron sa high school, pero mas––kasi mas familiar ako sa elem, so…

I: So tingin niyo po ba, gaano po ka-extensive… alam niyo po ba kung gaano ka-extensive or extensive yung pagdi-discuss about that topic?

R: Hmm… no idea, pero based sa ginagawa naming mga lessons kapag ganyan, kasi I think more or less…

I: Parang introductory lang po ba?

R: Oo, kasi elem, so hindi siya ganoon kalalim katulad ng what we deal with ‘pag kunwari, tayong mga––syempre yung mga higher na mga ano, so feeling ko very basic lang. Ano yung effects, tapos ano yung contributions, um, sino yung presidente; yung mga––kumbaga yung mga knowledge questions na very––yung analysis, hindi ganoon ka-deep masyado, dahil given the age na tinuturuan.

I: So paano niyo po made-describe yung reaction ng students kapag dini-discuss po sa kanila yung topic ng Marcos Era, Martial Law?

R: I think, sa given… ayan! Si sir, the best person to discuss you with that. Si sir ay [unintelligible at 00:09:18] ng AP. Martial Law, sir. Yung––magdi-discuss siya.

R2: Kailan?

R: Ngayon. Na-interview pa––

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R2: Saan magdi-discuss?

R: Ah, hindi iniinterview kasi ni ano siya. Thesis siya tungkol sa––

R2: Martial Law.

R: Oo, yung pagtuturo ng Martial Law sa bata. Edi ba grade 6 pa? Tapos yung mga…

R2: Oo, may part din na last part, yung fourth quarter tungkol kay ano… tungkol sa ikaapat na republika. Ikaapat na republika, may tatlong republika si Marcos, tapos na-elect siya uli. Siya yung huling pangulo sa ikatlong republika, ta’s sa ikaapat na republika, siya lang ang naging presidente. Siya yun, yung pagtatag niya ng Batas Militar.

I: Kasama po doon sa discussions na yun––ay, yun po ang Batas Militar?

R2: Oo, yun ang Martial Law.

I: Pero hindi po naka…?

R2: Hindi, nandoon na rin yung mga torture, yung mga tinorture na mga––halimbawa, yung mga ano nila… yung dyaryo, si Roces. Tapos merong senador na si Diokno, ikunulong na kasi kinawalang bisa yung Habeas Corpus. [unintelligible at 00:10:29] taon na walang kinaso sa kanya, kasi kaibigan yun ni Ninoy. May mga biktima ng ano––mga torture, meron ding mga video kami niyan kapag ano, ‘pag may mga (?topic?) [00:10:42].

I: Sa textbooks po ba na ginagamit niyo––

R2: Meron, meron. Sa Kayamanan. Private ‘yang Kayamanan, kasi sa ano, sa… K-12 na public, wala pang may issue na libro sa grade 6. Kaya ang ginagamit namin is yung private, yung Kayamanan. Kaya pala hinahanap si ma’am ng [unintelligible at 00:11:05]. Kasi nasa inventory ako, eh.

R: Oo nga, ‘pag (?MP?) kasi namin, ngayon kasi, nagche-check sila ng inventory ng ibang schools, so ayan.

R2: Saang school ka?

I: UP Manila po, sir.

R2: Baka aktibista ‘yan! UP Diliman. [laughs]

I: Ayun, so okay lang po ba na interviewhin ko na rin po kayo?

R2: Sa ano na lang, kasi mag-aano ako, magi-issue ako. Mga 12.

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I: Ayun, kaya pa sir.

R: 11 pa naman.

R2: [adlib]

I: So ayun po, paano niyo po made-describe yung mga reactions ng students ‘pag dini- discuss po sa kanila yung Martial Law era?

R2: Syempre wala naman kasi sa panahon ng nangyari, kaya medyo nagugulat sila na ganoon pala, na si Marcos ay madaming… kina-ano… torture. Kasi kapag tinanong mo sa kanila, pati ibang uri ng torture, tinalakay. Yung electric, kinokuryente, tinatanggal yung kuko, tapos yung iba, pinainom ng tubig, tapos pinagulpi.

R: Water torture.

R2: Pure water ang tinatawag. Sa marami, madaming klaseng torture ang ginawa. Sa [unintelligible at 00:12:33] ginagawa ng mga ano, kapag hindi ka ano kay Marcos, hindi ka pabor. Hinuhuli. Wala na yung ano, nilalagay sa ano––wala nang warrant of arrest. Habeas Corpus ba ang tawag doon? Tapos yung ginagawa, pinahirapan yung ano, tapos ilang tanong kinukulong. Ganoon yung ano, discussion. Minsan may video kami, may video naman sa Youtube, eh.

I: Pinapakita niyo po?

R2: Oo, yung uri ng mga torture. Tapos meron ding nasa video, na meron knug saan doon kinukulong ang mga dinadakot. Nakalagay doon sa ano, hindi ko na alam––’di ko na matandaan. Basta na dito nilalagay yung mga [unintelligible at 00:13:24] ni Marcos, diayn tino-torture.

I: Okay po. So next question po: bilang teacher po na exposed sa textbooks, ano po yung reaction niyo or perception niyo towards the discussions regarding Marcos era Martial Law sa mga textbooks po na binabasa.

R2: Yung ano?

I: Reactions.

R2: Yung reactions ng teachers?

I: Opo, sa mga discussions po sa textbooks tungkol dito.

R2: Kasi medyo naabutan ko siya, kasi 1972. Kaya naging ano siguro, may mabuti at tsaka ‘di mabuti yung epekto ng Martial Law. Ang mabuti doon, tumahimik, kasi may curfew noon. Walang ano, bata’t matanda. Pagdating ng 12 o’clock, wala nang gumagala. Kasi ‘pag nahuli ka o ‘pag [unintelligible at 00:14:17] ka, dadalhin ka sa ano, sa [unintelligible at 00:14:22] Camp Aguinaldo. Yung mga parusa, pinaglilihim ‘yan, so pinagbubunutang-damo.

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R: Community Service.

R2: Pagkatapos, pauuwiin din. Yun yung ano doon, naging tahimik talaga. Wala, eh. Tahimik talaga, kasi merong hinuhuli ‘pag dating ng ano. Atsaka nabawasan ng krimen. Nabawasan ng krimen sa panahon na yun. Kasi dapat ang (?krimen?) nagaganap ng madaling araw. Eh dahil sa ganyan, merong pinatupad na mga ganyan, mga militar ang nagte-take orders. Kaya nabawasan, unless sa mga probinsya, yung mga panahon ninanakaw doon. Eh dahil merong ganoon nga, Martial Law, yung pagnanakaw sa kalabaw, nabawasan. Yun yung ano.

R: Yung textbook ba sir, fair ba ang depiction sa Martial Law o masyadong mild yung…?

R2: Pinakita din yung ano eh, yung mga pinag-gulpi ni Marcos, eh. Kaya parang [unintelligible at 00:15:28], pero ewan ko, kung nabigay lahat doon, kasi merong part doon na talagang hinuli tapos walang warrant of arrest yung krimen.

I: Sa mga nagamit niyo po dating textbooks, paano po dine-depict yung Marcos administration?

R2: Kasi yung ano, yung iba dito, yung walang ganoon masyado, kaysa, ta’s maano naman yun, eh. Yung sa libro na ginagamit, sa private yung Kayamanan. Nakalagay doon. Pero yung ano, yung ibang libro na… hindi pa masyado. Meron ding ano… pero hindi masyado yung parang binigyan ng…

R: Parang (?pakyaw?) [00:16:10] lang; cinite lang, pero hindi masyadong detailed.

I: So may pagkakaiba po talaga sa textbooks na ginagamit sa private tsaka sa public po?

R2: Hindi, wala pa kasing libro na nai-issue sa public na K-12. Walang libro pa kasi, ‘di ba kulang ang mga libro sa K-12, kaya wala pa akong nababasa.

R: Kasi yun ang problem sa K-12 ngayon. Sila, pangalawang taon na sa K-12, wala pa rin silang (?room?) [unintelligible at 00:16:42].

R2: ‘Di ko pa masyadong nababasa yung galing sa public na gawa ng ano, pero yung sa… private, yung Kayamanan na ginagamit, talagang merong––talagang pinakikita yung nangyari noong panahon ng Batas Militar.

I: So based po sa observation po niyo, madali po bang naniniwala yung students sa mga nababasa nila sa libro? Or mahilig din po sila mag-question?

R2: Siguro maaaring [unintelligible at 00:17:11] nakikita sa Youtube, eh. Sabi, ‘pag pina- assign ko ‘to, eh. Kasi dahil nga wala kaming libro o references, sabi ko mag-search kayo sa internet. Internet mag-search. Syempre, ‘yang mga bata, very techy. Kahit na wala kaming computer ano dito, ang bata, mas magaling pa sa’yo, eh. Kaya maaring ‘pag binigay mo yung assignment, ano ‘yan, magse-search sila nang maigi kung ano yung mga kaganapan ng panahon

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ng Batas Militar, kahit na hindi [unintelligible at 00:17:40] panahon yun. Kaya yung ano diyan, kasi yung sa Youtube, mabilis lang mag-ano. [unintelligible at 00:17:46], ‘pag binuksan mo yun, andoon na, labas na lahat yun tungkol sa Batas Militar.

I: Kayo po, ma’am?

R: Yun nga, sa pag-research mo ang bata na very… yung mga ganoon ang topic, excited sila, eh. Parang ito ang mga… yung mga hindi nila––kakaiba sa kanila. Bakit siya issued, bakit ano? Yun, excited sila diyan. Kahit magtatanong sa magulang ‘yan, okay lang sa kanila, eh.

R2: Syempre yung mga magulang, minsan, hindi rin naabutan.

R: Yung mga lola, lolo, magtatanong sila.

R2: Lalo na ‘pag dadating yung September, yung pagtatagtag ng Batas Militar [laughs].

R: Oo, big deal yun, eh.

R2: Alam nila September 21 ito, anong nangyari dito? [laughs]

R: Bakit nangyari ito––

R2: Then yung nakikita nila sa TV, mga ganoon, ‘di ba? Syempre yung mga bata, yung mga youth, titingnan ‘yan sa ano.

R: Kumbaga teachable moment namin ‘yan, eh. Kahit hindi namin ‘yan lesson, tatanungin ‘yan ng bata. So kaila––so yun ang moment na mae-explain mo.

R2: Yung panahon ni Ninoy, affected siya sa ano––yung August.

R: ‘Pag walang pasok, magtatanong sila.

R2: Sino si Ninoy na ‘yan? Nakita sa time na [unintelligible at 00:19:13], tapos sa panahon ng ano… kasi may part din diyan ang EDSA revolution, kung bakit [unintelligible at 00:19:19] si Marcos, nagkaroon ng extra election, yung sunud-sunod na rally, tapos yung mahalaga na ano na yun, naging ugat yung pagkamatay nga ni Ninoy sa ano… doon nagsimula, eh. Sa bata. Bakit nagpatalsik si Marcos ng Batas Militar, sa mga naging ugat, yung pagkamatay rin nila, lalo naging magulo, naging magulo yung lipunan. Namatay si Ninoy, tapos sunud-sunod na rally, araw-araw, rally. So ganoon. So para malaman ni Marcos na gusto pa ng taong-bayan, nagpatawag siya ng snap election. Kasama sa lesson namin yun. Snap election, tapos yung naging kalaban ni ano… syempre walang opposition na magaling laban ni Marcos. Ang talagang ilalaban nila, si Ninoy, eh namatay si Ninoy. Kaya ang ginawa, kinumbinse nila yung asawa, si Cory. Tapos doon nagsimula, sa snap election, tapos doon nagsimula, yung snap election, tapos dala-dalawa yung presidente. Doon din na-[unintelligible at 00:20:13]. Doon din naitatag, [unintelligible at 00:20:7], isang number atsaka isang COMELEC, so iba yung resulta ng

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COMELEC, iba rin ang resulta ng NAMFREL. So doon nagkaroon ng kahiyaan, kasi lumabas na sa PICC yung nagbibilang sa ano.

R: Iba yung results.

R2: Iba yung latag niya doon sa labas, doon sa labas ng PICC. Iba yun, kaya nagkaroon ng malawak na dayaan doon. Dalawa ang presidente, si Marcos at si Cory, kasi si Cory, dito siya nanumpa sa San Juan.

R: Oo, sa Club Filipino.

R2: Tapos si Marcos, sa Batasan o sa Malacanang. So doon nagkaroon ng ano, ta’s nagkaroon ng mga ilang araw ang SNAP election, tapos (?tumiwanag?) na si Ramos atsaka si Enrile. 26… February 26. Lumiwanag siya kasi alam niya na ano sila, eh… sila yung nagsiwalag na nagkaroon nga daw ng dayaan. Silang dalawa, kaya ang ginawa, may balak na [unintelligible at 00:21:25] paatrasin––[unintelligible at 00:21:29] sa dalawa, yung dalawang kampo diyan sa Quezon City. Eh (?napapan?) nilang maghiwalay si Enrile atsaka si Ramos. Tapos si ano, nagpatawag ng (?Heswita?), nagpatawag si Cardinal Sin. Ah, si ano ata muna, si Aquino. Kaya basta nanawagan si Cardinal Sin na tulungan yung dalawa. Noon yun [unintelligible at 00:21:57] tao sa EDSA.

R: Parang human barrier.

R2: ‘Yan ang part namin na lesson sa grade 6, ‘yan. Kaya yung––

I: Ganoon po pala ka-extensive yung nadi-discuss, kasi ano eh, talagang mula sa ano, magmula sa si Marcos, kung bakit siya naging matagal sa pamumuno, umabot ng 20 years, ‘di ba, siya lang ang presidente na na-elect nang dalawang beses. Sa ano, sa ikatlong republika, siya lang, kasi lahat ng mga ano, puro ano––

R: Either namatay or ganoon.

R2: Oo, siya lang ang na-elect nang dalawang beses. Tapos kaya humaba, binago niya yung saligang batas ng 1973 constitution. So binago yung sistema ng gobyerno, magamula sa democrat––mula sa presidential, ginawa niyang parliamentary. Kailangan siya maging makapangyarihan, si Marcos. Iaano ‘yan sa bata. Kasi sa… presidencia, tatlo ang sangay ng gobyerno, doon nagkakahiwalay. Yung tagapagbatas––

R: Executive, Legislative.

R2: Sa panahon ng ano, noong binago niya yung ano, naging makapangyarihan siya doon. [unintelligible at 00:23:16] batas na rin siya doon. Ganoon ang nangyari. So inaano yun sa lesson, sa bata.

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I: So bukod po sa problems doon sa, sa libro na wala pa, wala pa pong libro, tingin niyo po ba, hindi na masyadong dependent yung mga bata sa libro, sa mga libro ngayon? Hindi na po sila masyadong nagbabasa?

R2: Mas maigi na may libro ang bata, kasi may ibang bata na sa bahay, wala naman silang computer. Walang internet.

R: Tsaka walang wala talaga.

R2: Oo, kasi sa public ganoon, eh. Hindi man lahat ng bata dito, can afford lahat.

R: Kasi kaya nga sila public, kasi hindi nila ano…

R2: Kaya yung ano, mas maigi na may libro sa ano… kaya hinahanap ng principal yung AP teacher, [laughs] kaya ang pupunta kay ma’am… [adlib: phone call]

I: So sa mga ginagamit niyo pong reference books ngayon, dahil wala nga po kayong libro, made-describe mo bang… um, yun nga, extensive yung pagdi-discuss ng authors doon sa Martial Law?

R2: Oo, medyo ano… doon sa author ng Kayamanan, nandoon din lahat ng ano… pero kung ano, kung para sa pulbic, [unintelligible at 00:25:44] kasi private yun. Kasi iba-iba ang ano nito, iba-iba ang paraan.

R: May certain standards kasi. Rex ba yun, sir?

R2: Oo, yung Kayamanan.

R: Kasi hanggang ngayon, wala kasing ano, eh.

R2: Mahal kasi ang iba, 600, 700 ganyan. Kaya ginagawa ko na lang, ‘pag may assignment kami, ina-ano [unintelligible at 00:26:12] sa internet. Kasi mas mabilis yun kaysa mag-library ka, eh.

R: Tsaka yung mga bata namin, ‘pag [unintelligible at 00:26:21] uwian na, uwian na, eh. Hindi na yun sunod sa [unintelligible at 00:26:25].

R2: Oo, hindi na sila nag-aano, kasi sa dati, yung mga––obsolete na rin yung mga libro.

I: Nano-notice niyo po ba kapag binabasa niyo po yung mga libro, kung binibigay ng mga authors yung mga sarili nilang biases or personal opinions? Napapansin niyo po ba yun sa pagsusulat nila?

R2: Siguro inaano nila, kung anong naging karanasan nila, o kaya naka––baka nakabasa din nila sa ano. Minsan, ganoon eh. Minsan nabasa lang nila sa mga ibang ano, ibang nagsusulat, lagay nila doon, kung ano ang mga alam nila, na nababasa din.

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I: Nakakaapekto po ba yung mga nagbabasa niyo doon sa personal ways niyo po?

R2: Yung nababasa mo?

I: Opo.

R2: Kesa doon sa?

I: Sa––kung nakakaapekto po yung mga nababasa niyo sa personal niyo pong––

R2: Syempre, kapag nabasa ganoon––minsan, hindi mo alam yung nangyari. Syempre, ‘pag binasa mo, ay, ganito pala ito. Pati maski teacher ka, na ‘di mo man lang nabasa mo lang ‘to sa libro, ah ganito pala ang nangyari. Ganito pala ang ibang uri ng torture. Kasi ang alam ko lang na torture ang kinukuryente, eh noong [unintelligible at 00:27:36] wala doon sa libro, doon sa video lang, kasi nalaman ko sa video, marami palang torture ang ginamit. Hindi lang pala inaano yung kinukuryente. [adlib]

I: Kayo po ma’am? ‘Pag may nababasa po kayo, nakakaapekto ba sa personal views?

R: Oo, kasi syempre, kahit papaano, mag-iisip ka rin, dahil ano, dahil yun nga, although very… parang kasing… Filipinos kasi, very forgiving. Yun yung ano natin, so yung––kaya mag- iisip ka rin bakit some people are still fighting, ‘di ba? So yun yung maganda. Tsaka at least nakikita hanggang ngayon, very appropriate din siya, kasi ‘di ba, kakaano lang ng batas niya–– [adlib] bibigyan ng reward yung mga… hindi na ma––bibigyan ng mga pera yung mga victims, so nauungkat at nauungkat na rin. Kaya nagiging very relevant pa rin yung lesson.

I: Ayun po. ‘Pag nagbabasa po kayo ng libro, napapansin niyo po ba kung binibigay ng mga authors yung sarili nilang experiences or biases nila sa pagsulat nila?

R: Hmm… oo naman, kasi makikita mo rin na medyo––yung pagsusulat nila, kung mas skewed dito, kasi binibigyan nila, or less ang important sa mga good things about it, so yun. Pero kasi yun nga, ang problem niya sa kanila, ang kumpleto kasing libro from grade 1 to 4 pa lang. So yung 5 and 6, hanggang ngayon, nahihirapan pa rin sila sa libro.

I: So para po ba sa inyo, dapat po ba ganoon na mas na pinapakita ng mga authors yung biases nila?

R: Ah, hindi. Dapat balanced pa rin sila, kasi as authors, kailangan pakita nila na yung kumbaga kasi, sila yung magbibigay ng––yung parang ano lang sila, eh, parang vessel lang sila para mag-judge yung tao kung tama ba or… yung nangyari sa Martial Law, kasi mahirap ding i- sway mo rin kasi hindi natin nabibigay yung tamang… yung pag-iisip na yun, hindi ka na rerespetuhin ‘pag ano mo, yung marunong ka nang mag-judge, mag-critical thinking.

I: So next po, based on what you know po, paano po ba napipili o naaapprove yung textbooks for use?

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R: Alam ko, it takes a lot, kasi ano ‘yan, eh. Una, bibigyan ka ng parang outline ng isusulat, tapos… tapos per part ina-approve, chine-check, edit nang edit. Hindi siya yung ‘pag natapos, check. Kasi ano ‘yan, eh, it takes time din. So normally… ano ‘yan, it’s a process, so hindi naman madalian ang pagsusulat ng libro. Kahit yung K-12 na ‘yan. Yung mga nainvite na magsulat, ano ‘yan, their house, tapos parang ano ‘yan, oh yung Manila, ito sa inyo. Yung uh, tapos hahati-hatiin. So chinecheck, double-check ‘yan. So they do get to write, as much as possible, talagang unbiased siya, kasi syempre, you are presenting to little kids who are very ano, eh, madali silang ma-sway. So kailangan mong ipakita pa rin yung…

I: So according to sa mga past ko pong na-interview, marami daw pong mga errors ang mga books.

R: Oo, may mga errors. Ako nga, kahit sa English, may nakikita kami, kahit sa math, may nakikita kami.

I: Parang grammatical errors lang po or hindi naman?

R: Oo, grammatical. Tapos meron rin parang kami noon, ay, mali. Parang walang tamang sagot. So yun. Yun yung mahirap, kasi syempre, katulad yun sa akin, hinabol talaga yun para matapos. Kasi parang um, parang July na grade 3 na ang nagke-K-12. Yun yung ginagawa nila yung math ng grade 4, so parang minamadali, kasi just in time, say syempre, imagine mo, buong Pilipinas, bibigyan mo ng [unintelligible at 00:32:24], so kaya medyo namadali. Kaya chinecheck din. Um, ang ginagawa kasi sa amin noon, pagdating ng libro, [unintelligible at 00:32:35] naman, parang after a year ng paggamit, ano yung mga napansin mong mali, so they ask our opinions din and our yung mga reports namin tungkol sa maling textbook.

I: So last question na po: para po sa inyo, bakit po importante po idiscuss ang Philippine History sa mga estudyante?

R: So we don’t repeat the same mistakes. Also para maging proud sa pagiging Filipino kasi we’ve been––we reached this kind of freedom, without many sacrifices. Tapos to appreciate din natin ang paghihirap din ng ibang tao para sa atin. So we know na kaya sila’y heroes, kasi ito ang ginawa nila para sa bansa.

I: Follow up lang po: para po ba sa inyo, importante––dapat pa ba o importante pa bang idiscuss ang part ng history tungkol sa Martial Law? R: Oo, kasi kahit papaano, [unintelligible at 00:33:34] find an era, find certain types of people, tsaka without Martial Law, yung mga things na––kasi yun yung, hanggang ngayon affected pa rin tayo, may mga wounds, may mga ano pa rin ang tao na hindi pa rin––tsaka yun yung na-appreciate din yung tao ang rights nila. Kasi noong nawala siya, doon nila naano na, ang hirap pala walang ganito. Ganoon. So natuto tayo na we didn’t need––for the first time kasi, Pilipino ang kalaban, so parang natuto rin sila na hindi lang foreign entity ang kailangan, ‘pag yung rights mo kasi inaano, kahit [unintelligible at 00:34:15] you have to fight for it. Although there were some good, kaya lang (?checkpoint?), you have to understand the people themselves. I: Ayun, okay na po. Thank you!

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APPENDIX E: Transcription of In-depth Interview with Author Christine Diaz (I – interviewer; R – respondent)

I: Introduce ko lang po uli ang self ko. [...] Ako po si Czyrah Cordoba, 4th year BA Political Science po. So yung research ko po is about historical negationism sa textbooks na ginagamit sa public schools, especially with regards sa Marcos Era Martial Law. So um, can you introduce yourself muna po?

R: Okay. Well, there are many ways of introducing myself, but because this is about history, maybe I should focus on that. I actually taught history for so many years, basic education in different schools. At dahil doon, I can say that although I did not really graduated a degree in history but in philosophy, I am knowledgeable naman about history, and because of my love for it also. And so my experience in teaching history and my love for this particular field pushed me to write books, actually a book on Philippine History, another one in World History. The Philippine History comes in two volumes and is published by Anvil Publishing.

I: Sa public and private school po kayo nagturo?

R: Ah, no. Sa private lang.

I: So first question po: prior to this interview po ba, meron na po ba kayong knowledge about the concepts of historical negationism and historical revisionism?

R: Historical revisionism, yes, because sinisigaw ‘yan ng mga aktibista lagi. And I also taught in UP for 2 years, and every time I pass by the AS steps, lagi ‘yang may mga banner na “no to historical revisionism”. Even in front of the college of education where I taught, ‘yan meron ‘yan, historical revisionism. But historical negationism, I must admit it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.

I: So ano po yung alam niyong meaning ng historical revisionism?

R: Well, it’s the process of––well, as the term says itself, revising history. It’s like those who, you know, are against historical revisionism say that we shouldn’t really modify what happened, something like that. And if you do, then you’re revising history, which is a no- no. Yun, yun ang understanding lang, ha.

I: So explain ko lang po.

R: Yes, please.

I: So according to sa RL ko, yung historical revisionism po is done for academic purposes, para po we can incorporate in new facts that we discover every day para po ma- incorporate siya sa existing facts para mas maging valid siya. And then yung historical

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negationism naman po, it’s the extreme form of historical revisionism, wherein binabago po talaga yung facts, replace po ng bagong narrative, para po magkaroon ng bagong story, ganoon po, for personal purposes.

R: Okay, regardless of what really happens?

I: Yes po. Yun po talaga yung dinidistort yung…

R: Okay, so what I can understand from your definitions is that those who have been rallying against historical revisionism are actually referring to historical negationism and not revisionism.

I: Yes po.

R: And because historical revisionism is perfectly okay; in fact, that’s supposed to be done by historians.

I: Yes po.

R: Okay, that’s good.

I: So next question po, in writing the contents for your textbooks po, ano po yung––what do you prioritize most? Yung books po.

R: Ah, okay. Of course, because i’ts a history book, my main concern was to report the incidents that happened in the past in our country as accurately as I could. I have to say, of course, that there is no extremely adequate report of what happened in the past, because whatever happens, uh, it––your own interpretation of what happened comes in to the picture, all the time. Kahit hindi ka historian, eh. Kahit na tayo lang, ‘di ba? May nangyaring isang bagay, iba-iba yung iniisip natin, yung interpretation natin sa bagay na yun. So when I was writing my book on Philippine History in particular, I––what was foremost in my mind was to be loyal to the truth and to present the truth as best I can, even if I know that it can never be perfect.

I: So do you think po there’s such a thing po as being fully objective when writing textbooks?

R: Yeah, as I said a while ago, you can be fully objective in terms of your own attitude. It’s like you will try to rid yourself of all your biases. You rid yourself of all your preconceived notions of what really happened, and to yourself in terms of that. But to be very objective in a sense of being able to report what really, really happened, as it happened, you can only try. But you know, you don’t really know if you succeeded or if you didn’t.

I: So um, do you prefer po to be fully objective or do you add your personal experiences din po or perspectives in writing?

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R: Yeah, I’m glad you asked that because that’s really the main issue of some people with regard to my books. My––by the way, I say books because they come in two volumes, eh, but siguro I should say book because they’re actually just one book. Um, some people have this notion that a history book should be completely factual and objective in a sense that you shouldn’t incorporate your own stories, even valuing, you know, just stick to the facts, report the facts. Just like a lot of the textbooks that are being used in schools nowadays. And I think that’s one of the reasons that some people do not want to adapt my books as a textbook in their schools. But when I was typing my book, I made it a point to stick to––I mean, to report the facts as they really happened, but then after having reported such facts to the best of my knowledge, that’s when I tried to relate them to personal experiences, experiences of other people, and to try to draw out values from them. Kasi nga, sa palagay ko, ang nagiging malaking problema sa pagtuturo ng kasaysayan sa Pilipinas ay parang piname-memorize lang sa mga bata ang mga facts, kung anong nangyari doon sa kasaysayan natin. At ang mga bata ay hindi naman nila maintindihan kung bakit kailangan nilang gawin iyon. Bakit kailangan nila mag-aksaya ng panahon na pag-aralan kung anong ang nangyari doon sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, eh matagal nang patay yung mga tao doon, at matagal nang tapos yung mga pangyayaring iyon. Hindi nila naiintindihan na kung ano tayo ngayon ay bunga ng nangyari sa kasaysayan natin. Kaya kung gusto nating ligtasin yung mga problema natin ngayon bilang isang lipunan, bilang isang bansa, hindi pwedeng mangyari yun kung nakatuon lang ang tingin natin doon sa ngayon. Kailangan maintindihan natin kung bakit nagkaganito tayo ngayon. At iyon, sa pag-aral ng kasaysayan. Ganoon ang ginawa ko sa libro ko para matulungan yung mga guro, kasi hindi lahat ng guro naiintindihan yun. Marami ngang nagsasabi sa akin na mga bata na talagang wala silang nakikitang kagandahan o kahalagahan sa pag-aaral ng kasaysayan kasi nga puro ganoon nga. Puro memorization lang ang pinapagawa sa kanila. In fact, dati, noong panahon ko, pinakaayaw na subject ng mga bata ay math. Ngayon, kasaysayan na daw, history, kasi nga wala silang nakikitang kahalagahan. So yun, ganoon naman. Wala akong nakikitang problema doon, dahil hindi ko naman ginalaw yung mga facts ng kasaysayan. I tried to report them, in fact, much better than a lot of the other textbooks I’ve seen in the market. Some of them already being used, hindi ko na sasabihin kung ano yun. Pero––tapos naglagay pa ako ng mga sources para you know, it’s like telling my readers, don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself. And when I wasn’t sure of something because you know, there are no factual reports about it, I presented all the sides that could be presented about it, and I made it explicit in my book, that we cannot arrive at any conclusion, definitive conclusion regarding this matter, because it’s still being studied. Yung ganoon.

I: So follow-up lang po: do you think textbook authors should do this, incorporate their personal experiences when they write?

R: Well, uh, I really won’t say that they should. As far as I’m concerned, that’s my personal desire. What I can say is that they can, of course, first and foremost, they should be very factual in their reporting of what happened in the past, admitting that they can’t be sure all

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the time. If they want to leave it to the teachers to do, you know, the linkage between the past and the present, that’s their call. I mean, the history textbook writers. But if they want to help the teachers by, you know, showing them the way, how to do it, how they can draw values from these, how they can relate these historical events to the personal lives of their students, then they’re also free to do that, and that’s what I really opted to do in my books. Kaya nga ngayon, nabalitaan ko sa publisher ko, na although my book was not adapted as a textbook, it’s actually being used by a lot of history teachers as reference. Their personal reference, so hindi na sila nag-iisip ng, “Paano ko kaya ito ire-relate sa buhay ng mga bata, paano magiging relevant ito sa buhay nila?” Nakita na nila sa libro, eh. “Paano ko kaya ito mare-relate sa current events sa Pilipinas? Paano ko kaya magagawa itong very relevant at mahalaga?” At nakikita nila sa libro, kaya nga ginagawa nilang personal reference yung books.

I: Ano rin kasi, yung problem din po kasi, kaya gumagamit din po ang teachers ng ibang references, is may delay po sa pagbibigay ng lib––dalawang––

R: Ah, sa DepEd?

I: Yes po.

R: Talaga?

I: Sa senior high and sa grade 6 daw po.

R: Ano ba ngayon ang textbook ng approved na…

I: Iba-iba po.

R: Ah, iba-iba ba?

I: Yes po, sa private po iba-iba, pero sa public––

R: Hindi, sa public?

I: Hindi ko po alam. Mga module lang po.

R: Dati yata, Zaide, ‘no?

I: Opo, yun po ang sinabi ng mga na-interview ko na po.

R: Ayun, okay.

I: Yung next question po: para po sa inyo, is it important to be fully objective when writing?

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R: Of course! When writing especially about history. Of course, because you’re talking about– –you’re saying, you’re telling the readers of your book, this is what happened. Yun pala hindi yun. Tapos sasabihin mo na ganito talaga nangyari, sigurado ako ganito nangyari. Hindi ka naman pala sigurado, ‘di ba? Kailangan sigurado ka. I mean, kailangan ‘pag sinabi mong ito talaga nangyari, sigurado ka. ‘Pag ‘di ka sigurado, sabihin mo. At ‘wag mong sabihin sa kanila na ito talaga nangyari, na alam mo namang hindi, hindi totoo, ‘di ba? Naglolokohan kayo, hindi pwede yun. Ayun.

I: So next po, when you wrote your book po, how free or restricted were you in writing the book?

R: I actually wrote my book, uh, my two books, actually, Philippine and World History, when I was social studies area editor of C&E Publishing. I was in charge of producing and coming up with conceptual frameworks and then producing a textbook series for history and basic ed, when I was with C&E. Um, well, I saw––I came up with the conceptual framework, which is more or less the conceptual framework of the book that I eventually wrote. But at that time, I did not have any idea––I did not have any idea that I’d end up writing the book itself; I mean, myself, because that was not part of my role. My role was to scout around for authors to write those books from first to fourth year high. But there were very few um, teachers that I knew of at that time who could write the book based on that conceptual framework. Ganoon talaga ang slant na they don’t focus just on the facts they want to, you know, relate the facts to the current events and to the personal lives of students. Uh, and those few teachers whom I know could do that were very busy and declined. So sabi ko sa sarili ko isang gabi, uh so should I shelf this project? Kakalimutan ko na lang ‘to, balik na lang tayo doon sa dati na puro facts. Hindi ako makatulog, so sabi ko, “Kailangan matuloy ‘to.” So I asked permission to write the book myself, and I was allowed. So in response to your answer, I feel what degree of freedom was I given while writing the book; I could write. I was allowed to write anything I could, anything I wanted to, and that’s it.

I: Okay po. So walang governing din nagbigay sa’yo ng criteria on what to write?

R: Wala. Kasi nga, yung libro naman ay hindi naman talaga nila inisip na ipa-approve sa DepEd para sa public schools. Ang gusto nila noon, although ang idea ng C&E noon ay maging textbook siya para sa private schools. So wala namang masyadong hold ang DepEd noon kung private schools, ‘di ba? So yun. Kasi ang alam ko sa publishing, kung may––kung gusto niyong gumawa ng textbook para sa public schools, talagang umpisa pa lang, yun ang nasa isip niyo, tapos talagang kukunin niyo ang criteria ng DepEd for a history textbook, talagang yun ang pagbabasihan niyo at alam ng [unintelligible at 00:16:06] authors niyo. Sana hindi ganoon.

I: So um, do you happen to know po, kung alam niyo lang naman po, kung anuman ang criteria na binibigay sa authors na…?

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R: Hindi ko alam lahat kasi nga I have never been involved in such a project. Pero syempre ang sigurado ko, kailangan accurate ang facts. Although ang problema nga diyan, hindi ko rin maintindihan kung bakit hindi naman talaga nagiging accurate ang facts sa mga public schools textbooks na ina-approve ng DepEd, in spite of the fact that they actually have evaluators who have PhDs in history and have been teaching for a long time and are even administrators of history in departments of schools. Ayaw ko naman silang sisihin pero because I’m also an editor, alam ko mahirap talaga na mag-fact check. Pero siguro nga, ayun, marami siguro pa kailangang gawin sa bagay na iyon.

I: Nag-interview po ako sa DepEd kahapon, and yun po, tungkol po doon sa private (?fund?) [00:17:15] yung jurisdiction nila on private schools paggamit ng textbooks sa private schools. Sinabi po nila, I think, they’re going that way na po, na they’re trying to um, evaluate books na rin papunta na––

R: That’s good, that’s good.

I: Tinanong ko rin po kasi––maraming teachers na na-interview ko, napansin po nila na maraming mga errors sa mga books na ginagamit na ni-release ng DepEd. Sabi po nila, they’re still trying to remedy that problem. So next po. Um, para po sa inyo, what do you know or what is your take generally on the Marcos Era, Martial Law?

R: Ah, okay. I’m glad you asked me that because I was just asked by my publisher to revise my book, because it’s been a long time, 2011 pa yun pinublish. And the first (?batch of trends?) [00:18:08] has been sold out, so bago daw sila mag-reprint, gusto nila i-revise na muna. And then so I did. And one of the major revisions had to do with the Martial Law chapter, kasi from that time that I first published this book, I came across several new resources on the Martial Law era that um, well, presented alternatively of Martial Law. So as of now, ‘di ba, doon muna tayo sa you know, accepted story about Martial Law na the past president Marcos declared Martial Law because he wanted to perpetuate his power. And true enough, that’s what happened, he was dictator because when you declare Martial Law, you’re a dictator. He was dictator for more than 20 years, and the old story goes, that he did that only for very selfish reasons, that he really wanted to perpetuate his power, he wanted to be president for life, in fact, and he wanted to amass so much wealth for himself and his family. And that’s what he did, according to the reports. And that he ordered the killing of so many innocent people, and so that’s why he is one of the most hated, if not, the most hated leaders, national leaders of our country to the present time. So yun yung traditional story ng Martial Law. And in fact, that’s what I wrote in my book, but after some––some years after that, maraming lumabas na alternative reports, for most of which are the reports of Rigoberto Tiglao. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Bobby Tiglao; he’s now a columnist of the Manila Times, and he used to be with the government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as spokesman, then eventually ambassador, and so on and so forth. He’s very revered former politician and now journalist. The thing about Bobby Tiglao is that he professes, and I suppose it’s true, because no one has contested it, that he used to be with the CPP NPA. He was head of the Rizal chapter, when he was a

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student at Ateneo. He was a student activist, and he was, yun na nga, um, he was made head of the Rizal chapter, CPP NPA. And he had personal knowledge, he said of the fact that at that time, they were waging a war against the national government, because they wanted to topple the government, and of course, take over the reigns of government as communists. And so he said that at about the 1971, they were well on their way to accomplishing their goal. In fact, of course, I didn’t take––ang dami niyang articles sa Manila Times about it, series of articles. And of course, I took everything with a grain of salt, because you know, I’m trained with that, I’m a history book writer. Hindi lahat papaniwalaan mo agad. So I took it with a grain of salt, although of course, I was amazed at all the facts that he revealed. Even names of persons involved, actual dates, and a very uh, you know, credible string of events that coincided with everything that was happening else at that time. And then he said some things that I was able to corroborate with true later research. For instance, sabi niya there was in fact––the CPP NPA at that time was receiving help from the People’s Republic of China, the communist party in particularly, at that time, in the 1970s, which was the hayday of course, of the People’s Republic of––the communist party. In fact, there was this MV Karagatan, I think, if I’m not mistaken that’s the name of the ship, that was supposed to be a shipment of arms and ammunitions from the People’s Republic of China, the communist party there, to the CPP NPA in the Philippines. And it––except that it––all the armaments that were supposed to be delivered via MV Karagatan were supposed to be delivered to the coast of Isabela up north, and of course everything was hush hushed. Except that, someone from the military got to know about it, and so the whole business was terminated. It was stopped by the military. And then… but according to––and then I saw a video of Howie Severino sa I-Witness yata yun, if I’m not mistaken. Naka-upload siya sa Youtube. That episode was devoted to diving underneath the shores of ano, the waters of the Isabela area to look for that ship, kasi lumubog daw after a storm. So nakita niya yung ship. Yung arms, ewan ko kung nandoon pa, kasi ang tagal na nun, baka ano na, pero nandoon yung ship, lumubog nga, as reported by Victor Corpuz, who used to be with the military and defected to the CPP NPA in another video that I saw, and as reported by yung mga katutubo, the natives in the area. Nandoon nga yung ship, and it was reported by others na ganoon nga daw talaga ang nangyari, they confirmed it. So kapag nga… you know, I got interested in the matter, sabi ko, ang claim ni Tiglao is that Marcos did the right thing by declaring Martial Law because it was his responsibility as head of the government and of the state, because the state was really under siege by the communists, and they were practically knocking on the doors of Malacanang already and in Manila at that time, there were student rallies occurring left and right, and there were grenades exploding, and there were a lot of people losing their lives because of––kasi ganoon ang ginagawa ng komunista, ‘di ba? That’s part of their whole system, world view. Kailangan magkaroon ng kaguluhan at dahil diyan sa kaguluhan na ‘yan, we can take over the reigns of the government. So nandoon na ang kaguluhan noong oras na yun. And so according to Tiglao, Marcos really just responded to you know, the––what was happening at that time, and it was in the constitution as it is in the constitution now, that when the state is under siege, when there’s danger of invasion or rebellion, and this was rebellion, the head of state can declare martial law to save the republic. And then, another thing that he said, Tiglao also said, because he was, you know,

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a top official of CPP NPA, he was also arrested and detained. Sinabi niya lahat ng details, kung saan siya na-detain, kung gaano katagal siya na-detain, sino yung mga kasama niya doon, sino ang nag-aresto, pangalan ‘yan. Mga pangalan ‘yan, kasi nga he was personally involved. Sabi niya, he had personal knowledge of the fact that the ones who were arrested were only the ones who were part of the CPP NPA and those who were suspected to be, you know, supporters of CPP NPA, and a lot of them are students. Marami, eh. Ngayon naman, ‘di ba, maraming student activist na talagang komunista, hindi lang nila sinasabi, syempre. Syempre, ayaw ng––atsaka syempre, kailangan sikreto ‘yan, kundi, you cannot take over. So ayun, so sabi niya, wala siyang kilalang mga private individuals na not in any way related to the communist movement who were arrested and then, while he attests to the fact that there was torture, even he was subjected to a bit of torture, he said, what he knows, personally knows, is that there’s no evidence whatsoever that it aws Marcos who ordered the torture. In fact, sabi niya, he has every reason to believe, kasi daw ang nag-aresto sa kanya ay ang yung PNP ngayon na… ano ngang tawag niya doon dati? Uh, basta it’s ano, policemen sila. I forgot the term that they used, pero it was under Ramos, Fidel Ramos. Siya yung in charge doon dati. PC: Philippine Constabulary. Siya yung head ng Philippine Constabulary, and it was the unit of the government that was doing all the arresting. And the administrator of the Martial Law was the National Defense Minister at that time, who was Enrile. And Tiglao said, he didn’t even––he didn’t have a single shred of evidence that Marcos even had a list of the names of the people who are to be arrested, and that he personally ordered that they be arrested, I mean, each one of those, and that he ordered that they be tortured. Sabi ni Tiglao, kasi he’s very learned, si Tiglao, even in the history of other countries, he’s an academic, a scholar. Sabi niya, sa lahat ng rule, military rule in different areas, in different countries in the world, there’s always bound to be a group of rogue military men who abuse their powers. And that maybe well what happened in the Philippines at that time. Merong nag- abuso dahil sila ang makapangyarihan, military, dahil martial law ‘yan. So sila ang nag- abuso. And sabi ni Tiglao, something that has not been reported so many times, I don’t think it has ever been reported, except for Tiglao himself, that Marcos actually ordered the court marshall; inalis sila, pagka-militar, and the imprisonment of some of those soldiers who were found to have been guilty of torturing the ones who were arrested, the detainees. So yun, dahil doon sa lahat ng mga––tapos meron pang––hindi lang si Tiglao. Meron ding si Mauro Gia Samonte of uh, he’s also a writer now, [unintelligible at 00:30:19] columnist. Dati rin siyang taga-CPP NPA. In fact, he attests to the fact that he was given a grenade by his superior in the CPP NPA that he was supposed to use in a student rally. But he didn’t have the heart to do it, so he didn’t use it, and so many years later, long after he left CPP NPA, he went back to his former superior to finally have closure and to return the grenade. And so the superior accepted it, looked at him and said, by the way, just for trivia, are you interested to know who gave me this? It was Ninoy Aquino, who was even at that time, reputed to be a supporter of CPP NPA. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Jovito Salonga. Jovito Salonga himself, who was a stalwart of the Liberal Party at that time, of which Ninoy Aquino is also a prominent member, lost one eye, eh. Artificial eye na lang ang isang eye niya ngayon dahil nasabugan siya doon sa Plaza Miranda, sa Miting de Avance ng Liberal Party. And Ninoy Aquino was not there when he was supposed to be there because he

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was the superstar of the Liberal Party. He was––basta may mga alibi siyang sinabi kung ba’t wala siya doon, that were all not acceptable dahil superstar ka, miting de avance ‘to, wala ka. And si Jovito Salonga, before he died, actually admitted that he believes that Ninoy had something to do with it. Kasi si Ninoy daw ang nag-broker meeting between the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army. At yung meeting na yun, sa Hacienda Luisita, that’s when they decided to join us. Kaya naging CPP NPA. So since then, supporter daw si Ninoy. Of course, these are reports, but no one has denied it, no one has categorically denied it, even from the camp of the Aquinos, so ang sinulat ko doon sa libro ko ay yung––sinulat ko ‘yan, but I didn’t say that this is what really happened, because to this day, no one really knows what happened. Kumbaga, I just introduced an alternative possibility na posible naman talaga na ganoon ang nangyari. But what I eventually concluded in the chapter of my book on Martial Law was the only thing that’s apparent that cannot be denied at this point is that a further, in-depth studied of what really happened in the Martial Law era should be conducted. Ganoon.

I: So follow-up question lang, kasi interested po ako doon sa kwento, yung si Tiglao po and Samonte, why do you think nagbago po yung perspective nila? Or ideologies?

R: Alam mo, may sinabi si Tiglao na I don’t think was original, although I cannot remember who said it. Sabi niya, not exactly in these terms, but this was the essence of it: if you’re already… 21 and you’re not yet a communist, there’s something wrong with you. But if you’re already 35 and you’re still a communist, there’s something wrong with you as well. In other words, if you’re familiar with communism, ako personally, I believe that almost all– –especially young people ha, students, who join the communist movement join because of idealist reasons, idealism. Gusto nilang tulungan ang mga naaapi. Gusto nilang tulungan ang mahihirap na inaapi ng mayayaman, at hindi naman tinutulungan ng gobyerno. And that’s a very good reason for joining a movement. They want to do something about the problem, but later on, a lot of the people who joined sa CPP NPA, when they were already in the movement and the thick of things, and they already came to understand what communism is really all about, they became disillusioned, kasi nga they realize that part of the game of the communist is really killing people, and that the end goal is to, you know, assume power. Yun, so they were disillusioned. That was not part of what they wanted to happen, that was not the reason that they wanted to join the movement. So yun, siguro kaya nagbago ang isip nila at umalis sila, si CPP NPA, ay narealize nila yun: ayaw kong pumatay. Kaya nga ako sumali diyan, eh, gusto kong bumuhay, ‘di ba? Gusto kong tulungan ang mga pinapatay at namamatay. So ayun, they become disillusioned, they left, and eventually, with age and further experience, nabago na talaga ang pananaw nila sa mga pangyayari.

I: Actually, ‘di ba yun ang sinabi ng iba pong na-interview ko na po na dati po part sila ng mga nagra-rally, and then na-realize din po nila na, “Ah, hindi kami nakakakain dito.” Ganoon?

R: Oo, ‘di ba?

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I: Yun po ang sinabi?

R: Oo.

I: So yung general take niyo po about Martial Law is neutral po ba?

R: Ang general take ko about Martial Law is I don’t want to judge anyone. I don’t want––I think, you know, it’s very important for me to say that I’m a veteran of People Power. People Power Revolution, I was there. You know, and so therefore, like every––almost everyone my age, especially in Manila, I was born and grew up in Manila, I hated the Marcoses at that time, because I grew up being told that they’re evil and you know, the whole family is evil, and they did that to the country and the people, so I grew up believing that, but now, having you know, come up with––come across an alternative story regarding what really happened during the Martial Law era and the role of the Marcoses in it, I’m yeah, as you said, neutral ako in the sense na I don’t want to judge the Marcoses, but I don’t want to say either that they’re not guilty of anything. Ano lang muna, I suspend my judgment.

I: Marami rin po kasing––sa mga ininterview ko po, lalo na po ang mga galing sa provinces, yung mga testimonies po nila, sinasabi nila na peaceful naman sa part nila, and sa Manila lang daw talaga yung––

R: Precisely. Kahit ako, kasi I was educated in a convent school, St. Theresa’s College, hindi ako aktibista noon, ang bata ko pa noon, eh. 1972 Martial Law era. Ano, tahimik ang buhay namin noon. Mas tahimik, walang masyadong naririnig kang krimen na nangyayari sa kalsada, yun nga lang, mga hulihan. Ang torture nga daw, sinasabi sa amin, pero gustung- gusto ko nga noon, dahil walang nagje-jaywalking, walang nagkakalat sa kalsada, walang palaboy-laboy sa kalsada after 10pm, so hindi ka matatakot na baka may––akyatin ka ng akyat-bahay and so on and so forth. Yun, kaya mas nagkaroon ng––nagalingan ako, at hindi magulo dahil walang nag-aaway na pulitiko, hindi kagaya ngayon na damayan nang damayan. Yun, so mas gusto ko pa nga noon. At marami na rin na narinig na ganyan din ang sabi nila. Siguro nga kasi, kaya nga naisip ko noon, baka totoo ang sinasabi ni Tiglao na ang hinuhuli lang talaga ay yung komunista o yung sinuspetiyahan na komunista kasi sumasali sa rally.

I: So very brief na follow-up lang po: mako-compare niyo po ba yung regime ni Duterte ngayon sa regime ni Marcos dati?

R: Only in one regard. Um, that I’m sure of, ah. Yung isa, I’m not sure because I really don’t know nga the Marcoses, kung heroes sila or villains or what, but uh, if it’s true, what I’ve heard, that Marcos really loved this country, then I think that’s one thing that they have in common. Because Duterte, I’m sure that he loves this country, and he really wants to do everything in his power within his short six-year term to solve all our problems, despite all

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the hits that he’s getting. At ang isa pang nakikita ko, I uh, in terms of vision, malawak ang vision niya para sa bansa. Kaya nga lang, isang nakikita ko ring pagkakaiba, mas––ang tingin ko, mas malawak ang vision ni Marcos. Siguro nga kasi, well, we all know how smart he was, not that Duterte was not smart, kaya lang si ano kasi, si Duterte was a mayor for the longest time, so medyo ang point of view niya ay pang isang maliit na lugar. Si Marcos talaga, he was a man of the world, he was a scholar [unintelligible at 00:40:16], the history of the whole world, and even individual countries and he really backed a lot on that knowledge. So ang nakikita kong pagkakaiba, Marcos knew very well the importance of changing the society, kaya siya merong program dati na Bagong Lipunan. Naiintindihan niya, sa palagay ko, hindi ako sigurado, pero sa palagay ko, naintindihan niya na hindi mababago, hindi malulutas ang mga problema ng bayan kung hindi magbabago ang mga attitude ng mga tao, ng mga Pilipino. Kaya ginawa niya yung Bagong Lipunan program, kumbaga baguhin natin ang sarili natin, which is actually the same thing, that the strongmen of South Korea and even in Indonesia and Singapore din, sina Lee Kuan Yew, Park Chung-hee, lahat sila, meron silang ganyang program na in fact, yun ang umpisa nila, baguhin ang taong-bayan, ang pananaw ng taong-bayan, instil love of country in the people because without that, you really cannot push your country ahead in terms of progress. Ganoon din sana ang ginawa ni Marcos, Bagong Lipunan, at naintindihan niya ang kahalagahan ng edukasyon, kaya nag-appoint siya ng isang napakagaling na education minister na ang ginawang focus ay values formation, values integration. Yun ang unang unang unang panahon na nag-usapan tungkol sa values integration sa edukasyon at binago ang mga textbook para mag-insert talaga ng mga values. Ngayon, nalulungkot ako na hindi nangyayari yun, siguro dahil hindi naman––iba ang pananaw siguro ni Duterte. Hindi niya siguro masyadong naiintindihan ang kahalagahan ng edukasyon. Magaling naman at hanga naman ako sa integrity ng in-appoint niya, si Briones, kaya lang hindi ata siya expert sa education and finance and CHED. Kaya lang, sabi ni Duterte, maghanap siya ng una, si Laurel, who is the dean or the owner I think of a school in––a university in Batangas, but he declined. Hindi siya pumayag. Wala nang mahanap si Duterte, kaya si Briones na lang, whose integrity is unassailable but may not know a lot about education. ‘Yan ang nakikita kong pagkapareho nila at kaibahan nila.

I: Sa values formation po ata, I think, yung sa DepEd, I think they’re still trying doon po sa learning competencies nila. Hindi lang po talaga na-incorporate nang maayos.

R: Oo, totoo ‘yan, but it’s a constant effort to this day, and I’m happy about that.

I: So moving on sa next question: so how extensive or intensive did you write about the Marcos era from start––sa book niyo po, from start po ba ‘til pagto-topple ng regime niya?

R: I did not really spend so much time discussing the Martial Law era because it’s only one part of the history of the Philippines. In fact, ang pinakamatagal ko yatang discussion doon, pinakamahaba, pre-colonial Philippines, dahil yun talaga ang Pilipino, eh. Yung bago tayo nasakop ng ibang bansa, at nahalo ang mga impluwensiya nila. So doon talaga ako nag- focus. Mahaba yung discussion din niyan. Yung Martial Law era, isang chapter lang ‘yan,

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hindi ko nga sure kung separate chapter ‘yan, eh, or part of one chapter. But I try to report it as concisely as I could, but without watering down the facts that needed to be mentioned. In other words, I focused on giving them total picture already, not the nitty gritties, but the total picture of what might really have happened during the Martial Law era. Yun.

I: So sa mga textbooks po na nababasa, yung history textbooks, gaano po ka-extensive o intensive sa tingin niyo po, yung discussion––

R: Discussion of the Martial Law era? Hindi nga, eh. Walang discussion. Kasi nga ang––sa matagal na panahon kasi, ang kilala lang na textbook sa basic ed on history, yung mga Zaide books. Public and private schools yata, Zaide for the longest time, until the errors were found, eventually. Si Zaide ata, wala siyang discussion of Martial Law. Ewan ko lang ngayon, ang nagtuloy na kasi yung anak niya, si Sonia. Ewan ko kung may nilagay na siya about Martial Law, pero yung Gregorio Zaide, wala akong naaalalang discussion whatsoever about Martial Law.

I: So next question po: what are the sources you use in writing the contents of your textbooks?

R: As much as possible, I use primary sources. Um, kasi syempre, kahit nga yung primary sources, hindi ka pa rin sigurado diyan, eh, kung totoo yun, dahil interpretation pa rin yun. Kunwari, si Tiglao, pwede mong sabihin na primary resource siya dahil nandoon siya talaga sa CCP NPA noong nangyayari yun. Pero pwedeng pananaw niya lang yun, kung anong nangyayari, ‘di ba? Hindi ka pa rin nakakasiguro na totoo, so you still take it with a grain of salt. Pero as much as possible, syempre mas makapapaniwalaan mo yung primary sources kaysa sa secondary sources, so yun ang priority ko. I use secondary sources only when there are no primary sources available.

I: So yung sa… wait lang po. Ah, yung sa ano po kasi, ‘di ba po, ang Philippine History ngayon is tinuturo na raw sa grade 6. Before, sa dating curriculum, sa first year. Do you think po it was a good move na ilipat yung Philippine History sa grade 6 instead of high school?

R: Yeah, I think it’s a good move to teach it in grade 6, dahil natatandaan ko, ang mga grade 6 ay may sapat na pag-iisip na rin naman para maintindihan at least, you know, the facts of history, ano talaga ang nangyari, kasi nagkukuwentuhan na naman yung mga batang ‘yan. “O anong ginawa mo kahapon, anong nangyari?” So ganoon din naman ang history, ‘di ba? Anong nangyari, ganoon. Pero sa palagay ko, hindi dapat iwanan doon. Sa pag– –palagay ko, dapat ituro ko siya ulit sa mas mataas na antas kung saan ang mga mag- aaral ay mas sapat na pag––may mas sapat na pag-iisip na para maintindihan ang mga ibig sabihin ng mga bagay-bagay, kung anong nangyari, at maintindihan din nila kung anong values ang makukuha nila, at kung paano nila magagamit ang kaalaman nila sa kasaysayan, sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, sa paglutas sa mga problema ng bansa sa kasalukuyan na sa palagay ko, hindi pa nila kaya yun ‘pag grade 6. Yun.

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I: So according po sa interview ko kahapon, yung rationale behind that is because (?nagde- decongest?) [00:48:19], yun po ang sinabi. Para rin po maka-incorporate ng new studies. Like meron po ngayon sa grade 10, contemporary studies po ang tinuturo doon. Kaya po nilipat po ang Philippine History sa grade 6.

R: Oo, pero kasi, if I may say something about what you said, ang palagay ko, ang curriculum development, hindi dapat ganyan lang ang isipin. Para lang ma-decongest, para lang may maisingit ka. Ganoon kahalaga ang curriculum ng pagtuturo sa bata na lahat ng aspeto ng decision mo tungkol sa curriculum ay pag-iisipan mo. Handa na ba sila dito? Mahalaga ba ito sa kanila, papahalagahan ba nila ito kung sa ganyang antas pa lang sila, eh ituturo na sa kanila ‘yan? Kailangan nga bang wala nang ituturo tungkol diyan dito sa mga antas na’to? Sa palagay ko, ayan.

I: So yun, moving on po, yung question ko po is do current political trends or the political atmosphere affect the way you write the contents of your book?

R: Ah, okay. Well of course, I think we cannot avoid that. I try not to let them affect the way I write my books. But ang nangyayari kasi ngayon, I’m sure alam mo ‘yan, sobrang awayan, eh. Sobrang vicious ng laban ng mga pro-Duterte, anti-Duterte, atsaka pro-Marcos and anti-Marcos. Ako, naranasan ko ‘yan mismo noong nagturo ako sa UP, halos awayan ka ng estudyante mo ‘pag may nabanggit ka lang na hindi masama, hindi naman mabuti, pero hindi masama tungkol sa mga Marcos at kay Duterte. Kaya syempre, noong sinusulat ko, especially noong ni-revise ko ang libro ko tungkol sa Martial Law, dahil nga may bago akong sources, inisip ko yun. Paano ko ba ipe-present ‘tong mga ‘to, ‘tong mga bago kong kalat na ebidensiya or other alternative, you know, facts, sa isang paraan na hindi––na tatanggapin nila at mapag-iisipan nila imbis na sasabihin agad nila na “mali ‘yang sinasabi mo!” “hindi totoo ‘yan!” “nagloloko ka!” “nagsisinungaling ka!” Ganoon. Hindi mo gustong ibahin yung isusulat ko o yung sinulat ko, dahil kahit magalit pa kung sino, isusulat ko talaga ‘yan, dahil kung posible yun ang totoo, eh. Pero naapektuhan ang pagsusulat ko sa paraan na inisip ko kung anong pinakamabuting paraan na isiwalat ko yung alternative facts na nalaman ko na matatanggap nila, o at least man lang pag-isipan nila. Yun.

I: So last two questions po: para po sa inyo, why is it important to discuss Philippine History?

R: Ah, okay, I’m really––I keep repeating that, kahit sinong magtanong sa akin about my books. It’s really very important to discuss Philippine History because as I said a while ago, we belong to a country and it’s our responsibility to push for what’s good for our country and our people. And right now, as you can see, we have a lot of problems, and I believe that no matter what we do, we really cannot solve our problems if we do not understand how they came about in the first place. And understanding how they came about in the first place will necessitate a study of our past as a people. Bakit nagkaganito tayo ngayon? Kasaysayan. Parang tayo, tao, ‘di ba? To cite an analogy. Ang kaibigan mo, meron kapag may napapansin sa kanya na hindi maganda, problema, hihiwalayan mo na

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lang ba yun at iiwanan o susubukan mo siyang tulungan at ang isang pinakamagandang paraan para matulungan mo siya ay alamin mo kung anong nangyari sa kanya dati. Bakit siya nagkaganito? Kung makasarili ka, at naiinis ka sa pagkamakasarili niya, it––subukan mong alamin, ano bang nangyari, ano bang background nito, paano ba siya pinalaki, ano ba ang family background niya? Kung bakit siya nagkaganyan ngayon. Ganoon din sa kasaysayan, sa Philippine History. Kailangan malaman natin: bakit ganito ang Pilipino, bakit nagkaganito ang problema natin? And you really cannot avoid the study of history, although yun na nga ang lungkot. Kung ang pagturo ng kasaysayan ay focus lang sa facts, memorization, hindi mo magagalit ang kaalaman mo tungkol sa kasaysayan para lutasin ang mga problema.

I: So last question: do you think po it’s still important to discuss the part of history tungkol sa Marcos Era Martial Law?

R: Yes, definitely. In fact, I think there has to be more discussion and more studies about it. A more in-depth research on what really happened during the Martial Law era. First of all, because I believe in justice. Ayaw kong… you know, murahin natin nang murahin at hindi nating payagan na mag-attend ng kung anu-anong… ‘di ba? Nalaman mo ang ginawa kay Irene Marcos lately sa Ateneo? Parang iniisip ko, parang nake-carry away na yata tayong mga Pilipino, ‘no? Hindi naman natin alam kung talagang kasalanan nila ang nangyari. Siguro, ang hindi maganda, and we profess to be a Christian nation. If we’re a Christian nation, let’s stop judging rashly. Kahit na yung mga alam kong tao na may ginawa talagang masama, eh, minsan––dapat alamin natin bakit nila nagawa yun? Baka naman may nag- udyok sa kanila na syempre, ang masama, masama talaga, hindi ko sinasabing sabihin na hindi nila kasalanan yun kahit ginawa nila talaga yung masamang yun. Ang masama, masama talaga, pero bago mo sila i-condemn, isipin mo muna kung bakit nila ginawa yun? Baka may dahilan na ano, baka dapat mas tulungan mo pa sila kesa sa i-condemn mo sila. Ganoon din, sa palagay ko, alamin muna natin kung may kasalanan ang mga Marcos sa bansa o sinubukan pa nga nila talagang sagipin ang bansa sa ginawa nila. At kung may kasalanan man sila, ano ang hangganan ng kasalanan nila at bakit nila nagawa yun, kung totoong may kasalanan sila. So justice, at hindi lang yun. Tayo rin, ang mga Pilipino ang makakabuti sa atin na malaman natin ang katotohanan sa Martial Law, dahil sa nakikita ko, hindi pa tayo nakaka-move on. Kumbaga ngayon, ang dami nating problema, and ako ah, it’s my point of view, that we’re blessed with the president who, despite all his flaws, you know, nagmumura at hindi masyadong statesman ang dating, I believe and I can see that he’s really trying to solve our problems in the limited time that he has. Six years lang ‘yan. Kung ngayon sana, lahat tayo ay naghahawak-kamay para lutasin ang mga problema natin, hindi pa nga tayo sigurado kung malulutas yun eh in 6 years, I’m almost sure hindi natin kaya. Lalo na ngayon. Ang pinag-aawayan pa naman natin, bukod sa pagmumura ni Duterte, ay yung isang bagay na dapat binaon na sa limot, Martial Law. Ayaw kong sabihin na dapat binaon na sa limot na out of respect for the victims of Martial Law, kaya nga lang, kumbaga, isang bagay na dapat sana naka-move on na tayo para mag-concentrate na tayo sa mga problema natin ngayon. Walang mangyayari sa atin kung balik tayo nang balik. Alamin na natin talaga kung anong nangyari para maisatabi

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na natin ‘yan. And we can all hold hands and try to help one another to solve our problems as a country. Yun.

I: Okay po. Meron po ba kayong clarifications?

R: Clarifications?

I: Ah, kung okay lang po ba na i-mention ko yung name niyo sa thesis ko?

R: Yeah, sure, no problem!

I: Ayun, okay na po, thank you po.

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APPENDIX F: Answers of Mr. Dexter Ramos to the given questions by the researcher (Note: his answers were sent to the researcher via e-mail; below is his answers as copied from the original document)

1. Prior to this interview, have you had any knowledge about the terms ‘historical revisionism’ and ‘historical negationism’, and the difference between them? Yes, historical revisionism is using new information to reconstruct what was previously held as a fact into a new understanding. This is the first time I heard historical negationism. But I can associate that to the term “intentional forgetting” that is a concept in memory studies.

2. Do you have experience writing a history textbook under a private publishing company? Yes, I do. I have been an author, consultant and reviewer for Araling Pnalipunan in the Elementary and Junior High School series for 9 years at the DIWA Publishing company.

3. Do you have experience writing a history textbook for the government/Department of Education? If you have experienced both, what were the similarities and differences between the two – focusing on the making or content of the textbook? No, I have not written for the DepEd. The similarity that I can assure you is that we follow the curriculum guide provided by the department as the minimum standard in the content of the textbook that we write at DIWA.

4. In writing the contents of textbooks, what do you prioritize the most? It must have the topics identified by the DepEd curriculum guide and I add more as allowed by the number of pages provided per lesson.

5. Do you think there is such a thing as being fully objective in writing textbooks? It is best to use the counsel of Teodoro Agoncillo in his article Objectivity and Impartiality in History. To be objective is to be detached from what one is writing – and that is in the field of the pure sciences. But history belongs to the social sciences and man has his own perspectives, emotions and passions. Ergo, each historian or writer of history views, interprets and discusses historical events in their own perspective. Agoncillo thus advocated that historians be impartial by showing the “two sides of a coin” or the pro and cons of a historical persons’ actions and decisions.

a. Do you prefer to be fully objective in writing the contents of the school textbooks you produce, or do you prefer to include your personal experiences and perspectives? I follow what Agoncillo says as I try to be impartial. How can I be objective when the curriculum guide, the sources and references used in writing history are made by men with their own ideas, views and perspectives which is not objective at the first place!

6. Is it important to be fully objective in writing history lessons in school textbooks? Why or why not?

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As stated earlier there is no such thing as being objective. What you are pointing out in historical writing is positivism based on empiricism.

7. How restricted or unrestricted are you in including your personal perspectives in the contents of school textbooks? When authors write history, it must be a descriptive analytical narrative. Descriptions will be based on empirical data but it is in the analysis that differs as we have differing perspectives. What delimits me is the level of understanding of students. If I am writing for Grade 5 or Grade 6 students. It would be burdensome loading the aralin with so many facts and concepts. That is why I try to zoom in to understandings that they can grasps and process.

8. Are there criteria given to you by a governing agency in writing/producing school textbooks? What are the requirements or criteria? Yes, as earlier stated its in the curriculum guide.

9. What do you know or what is your take on the Marcos-era martial law in general? This is a vague question. It would be better if you make it more specific. 10. How extensive and intensive do you write about the Marcos-era martial law in school textbooks? With the curriculum guide as standard it would take 2 lessons/aralin in the textbook to discuss that period. The first aralin, discussed the situation before the declaration and the second would be on the implementation until the lifting of Martial Law by 1981.

11. What are the sources you use in writing the contents of the textbooks you produce? Primary sources would be the presidential speeches, documentary collections, government reports and statistics, newspaper accounts. Secondary sources would be history books written before the year 2000.

12. Do current political trends and atmosphere affect the way you write the contents of school textbooks? How? Not in the text of the aralin but in the component that assess their understanding of the content. It is necessary to connect previous events with today’s situation.

13. Is it still important the part of Philippine history that tackles the Marcos-era martial law? Yes indeed! It was a period of many “firsts” both on the positive and negative effects. But if you are considering that discussions on Martial Law must be comprehensive for Grade 6 student as to the level of understanding of college students that is highly impossible.

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APPENDIX G: Transcription of Key-informant Interview from the Department of Education (A – Interviewer; B – respondent)

A: I am Czyrah Cordoba. I'm from UP Manila po, 4th year BA Political Science. And yung research ko po is about sa possible materialization ng historical negationism sa textbooks used in schools sa Philippines. Okay lang po ba kung introduce niyo po muna yung sarili niyo and yung division niyo? B: Yes. I am Mr. Emmerson Yang. I am one of the senior education program specialist for Araling Panlipunan. A: And then, ano po yung main concern ng division niyo dito? B: Our mandate basically is more on the development of standards. So our function is to make sure that the right learning competencies are in the curriculum. That is our basic mandate.

A: So first question po, ayun po, how are school textbooks po ba chosen and approved? B: Well, as I said, the BLR (Bureau of Learning Resources) is the main office that handles this kind of responsibility. So ang ginagawa kasi nila, I cannot be exact about the process that they follow, pero merong "textbook call" na tinatawag, and then merong submissions yung mga interested parties, like publishing companies and other private authors, so they will submit their manuscripts and then magkakaroon ng initial screening tapos magko-call ngayon ng assistance, like for example from BCD (Bureau of Curriculum Development), from among us specialists to evaluate the content and other aspects of learning material or learning resource. So ganon yung basic flow ng proseso. Pero yung iba, hindi ko na siguro mababanggit kasi sila yung nakakaalam. A: Ah okay po, so skip ko na po yung number 2.

A: So, para po sainyo, bakit po important yung assessment ng school textbooks? B: Assessment of school textbooks is very important because that serves as a guarantee for DepEd that we deliver the quality education through the content that can be seen, read by the learners in these learning materials. A: Okay po. So based po doon sa mga past interviews ko w/ teachers po, napapansin po nilang marami daw pong errors sa mga libro. So paano po nagrerespond ang DepEd dito? Paano po itinatama yung mga mali? B: Yun, that's one of the reasons for a need to do textbook review, textbook evaluation. But there are other reasons, like for example, every after 5 years, aside from reviewing the curriculum for the BLR, they also have that kind of mechanism to make sure that the learning resources are responsive to the needs of the society, to the needs of education, the trends, yun mga ganon.

A: So are the textbooks used in public schools and private schools different po ba kahit finafollow nila yung same curriculum? B: Nagkakaroon ano-- there are variations in textbooks being used by learners in the public schools and learners in the private schools. Nangyayari ito dahil yung aklat na ginagamit ng mga mag-aaral sa pribadong paaralan ay hindi dumadaan sa Kagawaran ng Edukasyon. So when I say hindi dumadaan sa Kagawaran ng Edukasyon, at this ano kasi, I mean, hindi pa o wala pang mekanismo ang DepEd para-- I mean, hindi bahagi ng mandato ng DepEd ang tignan, siyasatin yung mga aklat na ginagamit sa mga pribadong paaralan. But we're going towards that direction. Eventually we see that DepEd will also be a major agent para doon sa evaluation of textbooks,

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kasi napakahalaga na, lalo na the observation is that those errors identified in the textbooks which are part of the complaints of the public are coming from textbooks published by private companies na hindi dumaan nga sa DepEd. A: So sa ngayon po, wala pa po kayong parang power or jurisdiction para doon sa ginagamit ng private schools na textbooks? B: Wala pa.

A: So next po. Nasabi niyo naman po, so hindi po dependent sa approval ng DepEd yung paggamit ng priv schools sa textbooks nila? Or dumadaan rin po ba sa approval niyo? B: Yung textbooks na ginagamit... A: Ng private schools B: Hindi talaga eh. So yung nasasala lang ng DepEd, yung napipili ay yung mga nagsubmit sa DepEd - sa BLR.

A: So ang next po: Ano po yung main agency na responsible po sa assessment ng textbooks? B: The BLR. Now the BLR seeks our assistance. Because in BCD we are in charge of the curriculum standards, and as specialists of this office, we see to it that the learning material or the textbook is compliant with these standards that are set by our bureau.

A: So in assessing or approving po school textbooks, ano po ba yung main features na binibigyan niyo ng importance para iconsider po yung mga books na pinapass sainyo? B: Actually, marami. There are several factors that we consider-- that the BLR considers, and BCD also considers when evaluating a learning material, be it a textbook or a teacher's guide na tinatawag, or TX textbook or TM teacher's manual. So for us in the bureau in BCD, we look into, first yung learning competencies - the compliance of the learning resource to the learning competencies. At may templates actually, existing templates na ginagamit ang BLR. Actually, as of this moment, I believe they are reviewing these, yung mga factors and areas for evaluation kasi nga sinisugurado na tama yung pagtataya doon sa textbook. Saamin, learning competencies yung una naming tinitignan, of course yung content, and then there are also sub-factors like yung pagiging current, yung pagiging comprehensive nung nilalaman, yung instructional design or sometimes pedagogy - the alignment of it with the content. Yung mga ganon yung tinitignan.

A: So pag inaassess niyo po yung textbooks, ano po yung criteria? B: Criteria, kapag inaassess yung textbooks. Actually ang ginagawa ni BLR, previously, for a textbook evaluation they will invite 4 evaluators. So the first evaluator-- wala naman actually sequencing, I just said first kasi apat. Like ako halimbawa, as an evaluator from BCD, so ang titignan namin yung compliance of the textbook to the curriculum muna - we call that evaluation as Area 1; so that's the focus of Area 1 evaluation - compliance of textbooks to learning competencies. Then may tinatawag din Area 2. Yung Area 2 evaluator naman, most of the time, or the main function of Area 2 evaluator is to check the content. Actually the Area 2 evaluator is from the academe - from the university or college, so doon na nagmumula yung Area 2 evaluator. Tinitignan yung content, yung lalim. Like for example, kung AP (Araling Panlipunan) ang textbook, so madaming strands yun - economics, Asian studies, world history, or Philippine history, ganyan, so si Area 2, dahil university-level siya nagtuturo, the expectation is that he/she knows that depth of the discipline. So ang titignan ni Area 2 ay yung content of the learning resource. Now si Area 3 naman, ang tinitignan niya is yung instructional design and organization

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of the material. SO kasama nga doon yung strategist's view, the use of graphic organizers including the layout of the book, yung mga images used, the way text are presented, yung mga ganon, so that's Area 3. Sa iba-- maaaring sa loob or maaari din naman sa labas manggaling yung Area 3 evaluator. Yung Area 4 evaluator, more on language naman, mga language editor na. So kadalasan mga univ professors din or from other agencies, like yung commission ng KWF, doon nanggagaling namin yung Area 4 evaluator. A: Follow up ko lang po, meron po bang difference yung textbooks sa learner's manuals? Or ito lang po yung gamit- yung learner's manuals po... B: May difference ba yung learner's manuals and textbooks? A: Yes po B: Actually, there's no difference between them. A: So ano po yung pinagkaiba ng teacher's guide? B: Yung teacher's guide, it contains the information about how a teacher should facilitate the flow of the lesson, so it's more on instructional material. So this is the content, how will the teacher deliver the content in the classrooms- so he/she has to refer to the teacher's manual. A: Follow up lang po. Meron po ba silang freedom-- like, hindi sunurin yung nasa teacher's guide? B: Do they have the freedom not to follow what is in the TM? A: Yes po. I mean, kuha lang po sa ibang-- kunyari nakalagay po sa teacher's guide like this, and then pwede po bang silang mag-show ng videos... B: It happens. It happens in the field. A: Pwede po ba yun? B: Oo. They have the freedom kasi talaga. YUng saamin lang, it's like, just to ensure that the non-majors of the subject, because there are times when a teacher who is not specializing in the subject he/she is teaching, is being asked by the school principal to teach this kind of subject outside of his specialization. So, for us to help that teacher, we ask them to refer to the teacher's manual.

A: So next question po, ano po yung requirements na binibigay sa authors or publishers to be able to join the bidding process? B: yun yung medyo technical na tanong, hindi ko mabibigyan ng specific comment, kasi talagang sila yung nakakaalam...

A: So paano ba naeensure ng DepEd yung objective assessment ng school textbooks? B: We mainly depend on the curriculum guide. So during the evaluation, this is from the point of view of any BCD specialist, it is a must that we know what is in the CG. So we check the learning competencies here, and then we try to match it with the content of the learning material. So if they are aligned, so we say that the learning material is good. Ganon yung ginagawa namin to ensure objective assessment.

A: How do you assess textbooks po against personal biases, since mga tao din po yung mga nag- assess. B: Ano, can you rephrase that question? Kasi po parang pwedeng siyang iinterpret in many ways eh. When you say personal biases... A: Ayun kunyari po, nakalagay mismo sa curriculum guide, and then-- may specific na nakalagay, pero paano po kapag kunwari, sabihin na natin sa Marcos-era martial law,

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magkakaiba yung views ng assessors, and then yung isa, ito yung gusto niyang sundin, and then yung isa ganito. B: Oo, actually that's a good question no. Kasi kami pag pinadala kami para sa isang activity to evaluate ang textbook, minsan hindi rin kami talaga magkakasama, so most of the time, we have one representative, one specialist to the evaluation alone, without necessarily taking into consideration the perspectives of other specialists as regards a topic, like martial law for instance. So ayun yung ano, nakikita din namin na area to improve - na inconsider na merong various viewpoints in evaluating a textbook, pero yun din kasi may mga ano din kaming tinitignan pa, yung baka matagal, or mas matagal na proseso kasi yan. And another thing is the design of the BLR, so it's a part of our mandate to introduce new policies in evaluation that we can recommend. So we are at that point. So kami, we would like to adopt such kind of innovation in the evaluation of learning materials.

A: Next po. So tungkol na po sa Marcos-era martial law. So in the current curriculum, gusto ko lang po iclarify, is Philippine history still taught? B: Tinuturo pa yan, at dapat talagang ituro yan. A: Sa ano pong grade level? B: Sa grade 6 siya makikita. Actually dito sa CG, nandoon siya matatagpuan sa 4th quarter, ikaapat na markahan. A: Yun po yung-- ay yung martial law po? B: Ng grade 6 A: Ah okay po B: Martial law. Part siya nung discussion on the 3rd republic of the Philippines. Diba from Manuel Roxas hanggang, dire-diretso yun ano. Pero yung discussion about Batas Militar, Marcos regime, nandoon nakalodge sa 4th quarter.

A: So sa dati pong curriculum, sa first year po tinuturo yung PH History? Ano po yung rationale behind incorporating PH history sa grade 6 instead sa high school? B: Ang nangyari kasi ano-- I cannot be exact on this. Pero sa nalaman ko, simula sa mga kapwa ko specialist, of course K to 12 is about before. Prior to the introduction of the K to 12 curriculum, meron tayong tinatawag na process of "decongesting" the curriculum, so as to accomodate other relevant disciplines. Like now, we have in grade 10 the contemporary issues na dati naman ay wala. So, yung contemporary issues kasi is more of a set of complex topics na hindi pepwedeng ibigay doon sa mas, sa lower level or lower grades, so nagkaroon ng movements, ibinaba sa grade 5 and grade 6. Yung Philippine history nilagay siya sa grade 5 and 6, hinati sa dalawang baitang para maaccomodate yung isang ano.

A: So may petition po yung some groups na ibalik yung PH history sa high school. Do you plan to bring it back? B: Actually there is a current effort now to review that decision to place Philippine history again in the junior high school. Pero doon sa aming [inaudible] plan na nakita ko, dadaan muna, may research munang ika-conduct bago kami magdecide, ang aming director magdecide kung ibabalik nga ba yung pagtuturo ng Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas sa junior high school. Pero meron na talaga - meron na talagang initiative para irevisit yung ganyang panukala.

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A: So do you think it was a good move po na ilipat yung PH history sa grade 6 since medyo younger age po sila? B: Yung paglilipat na nangyari ano-- Personally, siguro I can just a personal comment which does not necessary reflect the view of the entire bureau. Saakin kasi, mas palagay ako na nasa junior high school, although medyo maliit lang kasi yung ano-- if we talk about the age appropriateness of the subject to the learners, so currently in grade 6, so we have learners whose age is, mga 12, mga ganyan, so pag ginawa natin sa grade 7, 13 yrs old-- so ang tinitignan ko doon, what is the difference that a one year can make in the appreciation of history. Pero I would buy the idea that PH history needs a more mature learners for greater appreciation, especially, ano yan eh, more on the building of foundations of citizenship lalo na parang as a Filipino, it is a must that we make them understand about who we are, where we came from, how we came to be this way, na kung sa grade 6 ay baka yung appreciation ay hindi ganoon ka-taas dahil nga yung considering pagiging bata ng mga learners. Pero dahil nga wala pa din akong nakita halos na mga pag-aaral na magsasabi na sa ganitong hindi maaappreciate ng husto, pero nandoon kami sa proseso na yan, and then we will inform the public, as regards the results of whatever findings we could generate from our bureau research.

A: Balik po sa PH history sa grade; gaano po ba ka-extensive or intensive yung discussions? B: Ang curriculum kasi ngayon for grade 5 and 6 in terms of PH history teaching, ay nakatuon sa mga learning competencies, more on the skills. Unlike in the undergraduate level, so it's more of the intensiveness of the teaching - more on the depth of the content. Pero saamin kasi, sa DepEd lalo na, we look into the learning competencies, then we make sure na yung mga pedagogies, yung learning content ay aligned dito sa mga nakalagay dito. Pero kung extensiveness, I think, yung ating grade 5 AP curriculum and grade 6 AP curriculum, encompass already the-- I mean, for instance, the course outline that we have in college. Yun nga lamang syempre, dahil mga mas bata ang mag-aaral, hindi malaliman ang pagtalakay, lalo na dahil nga sa grade 5 and 6 ito, our teachers in the field are non-majors most of the time, kasi nga if you are teaching elementary pupils, si teacher ay ano BEEd, ganyan ang kanyang tinapos ano, so ang kanyang background hindi rin talaga history. So ang ginagawa ni teacher talaga nagbebase siya sa curriculum guide. Pero nandoon yung pagiging kumprehensibo ng mga paksa para sa pag-aaral ng kasaysayan ng Pilipinas.

A: Very briefly lang po. Pwede po bang pa-explain kung ano itong learning competencies-- ano po siya? B: Ang learning competency kasi, ito ay maaaring tumukoy sa kasanayan o skill ng mag-aaral na kailangan niyang matutunan. Maaari din namang tumukoy ang learning competency sa valuing, sa values, skills, attitude, pupwede rin namang content. Kung ano yung naka-set dito, yun yung dapat matutunan ng isang estudyante.

A: So next question po, naaaffect po ba ng current political atmosphere yung paggawa niyo sa curriculum? B: As much as possible, we don't want to-- the political environment to influence what we do in the bureau - we stick to our mandate, we try to be more objective in c/drafting the curriculum, our main consideration is that this curriculum must be responsive and relevant to the learners given this 21st century.

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A: So, next question po. Why is it important to discuss PH history? B: Bakit mahalagang pag-usapan ang PH history. Yun nga, gaya ng nabanggit ko, kasi ito yung magpapaalala saatin kung sino tayo - that's identity. It's very important to know who we are as a group of people, as a nation, because from the start I think that is the challenge to us Filipinos up to now, we face identity crisis. And bakit tayo-- nasasabi nating meron tayong identity crisis kasi watak pa rin eh, parang hati pa rin ang mga Pilipino, kaya mas nangangailangan pa tayo ng pagtuturo ng kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Pangalawa, ang daming mga issue at mga alalahanin sa kasalukuyang panahon na mas matututunan natin na mag-aaral na harapin ang mga ito kung informed sila sa PH history, because in PH history, we don't just discuss the significant past events, we also include the study of current events, so like I said, the contemporary issues is part of PH history under 4th quarter. So we provide them the learning environment, the learning opportunity to know all these things so they can respond effectively as citizens. Tsaka bini-build natin, dito pa lang, yung kanilang pagka-makabayan, pagka-maka-diyos, makatao, makabansa, so kaya mas kinakailangan ng PH history talaga.

A: So last question po, do you think it's still important to discuss the part of history concerning the Marcos-era martial law? B: Mahalaga, kasi nakita naman natin yung Marcos regime, yung ating dark-- isa sa mga madidilim na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan at kung paano mula rito bumangon tayong mga Filipino, so the restoration of democracy through the People Power I. Mahalagang makita na kasi-- how can we appreciate the way we exercise our rights today, our freedoms - freedom of expression, freedom of speech - without appreciating yung efforts of the people who directly participated and who fought for freedom and democracy. Ganon siya kahalagang malaman ng mga estudyante, at napakalaking hamon din para sa mga guro talaga na, paano ipauunawa yung nangyari sa nakaraan. Gaano kahalaga yung mga pinanghahawakan nating karapatan sa kasalukuyan para hindi na tayo bumalik sa ganon yugto ng ating kasaysayan.

A: So may follow up lang po. Prior to this interview po ba, meron na po ba kayong knowledge about the concepts of historical negationism and historical revisionism? B: Sa pagkakaalam ko, magkaiba pa rin syempre yung revisionism and negationism. Sa revisionism, ang ginagawa kasi diyan ay you have the data and then you provide an alternative interpretation out of that given data, so minsan kasi yung fact can also be manipulated to favor another party, something like that. So that's what we do in history - the facts are correct, syempre facts, pero yung interpretation ay hindi mo rin talaga masabing mali dahil nakadepend sa facts. While in negationism, ang nangyayari is like denial that these event happened, parang ganon ang nangyayari. Uhm, ano ba yung difference? A: Ayon po sa RL ko, tama po yung sinabi niyo about negationism. Yung revisionism naman po, kasi everyday we learn new things about history, so iniincorporate po itong new facts na ito para po mavalidate kung ano yung alam na natin ngayon.

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