Don't let Marcoses steal truth and history –Akbayan

As the country marks the 48th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, the progressive political party Akbayan on Sunday called on Filipinos to resist against the efforts of the Marcos family to “deodorize” the image of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“We must not allow the Marcoses to continue to steal. We must not allow them to rob us of our truth and history,” Akbayan said in their statement.

“Marcos was a dictator. It is a fact. The torture, murder, and plunder that were all committed under Martial Law happened.”

Akbayan noted that the state officially and fully acknowledged the historically documented, recorded, and globally recognized crimes the Marcos dictatorship committed during Martial Law.

“Through the passage of the Marcos Compensation Law and the granting of reparation for the thousands of victims of Martial Law, the state officially and fully recognizes the atrocities of the Marcos years,” it said.

Akbayan noted that even President Rodrigo Duterte, whom they called a confessed Marcos apologist and fake news super spreader, could not eradicate the Marcoses' “dark legacy.”

The political party pointed out that even a thousand hero's burials and dictator holidays and paid social media trolls cannot erase the reality that Marcos’ oppressed the Filipinos and destroyed democracy.

“'Facts are stubborn things.’ But even if the truth is stubborn and history never forgets, they still need defending,” Akbayan said.

“They need to be secured from the Marcoses and Duterte, who both attack our collective memory and seduce us with the allure of authoritarianism,” it added.

According to Akbayan, the more government's education officials delay this institutional teaching, the more they are complicit in the falsification of Philippine history.

“Huwag natin hayaan na patuloy tayo pagnakawan ni Marcos. Huwag natin pahintulutan na nakawin nila ang ating katotohanan at kasaysayan,” it added.

On Monday, the Philippines will mark the 48th year of the declaration of Martial Law by Marcos on September 21, 1972.

The EDSA People Power Revolution toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986. — DVM, GMA News