Robredo: Corruption under Marcos dictatorship, other admins should be taught in schools

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan—Vice President and presidential candidate Leni Robredo said Friday corruption issues that marred the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and other administrations should be taught to students to ensure that corrupt officials will not be elected again.

"Not just that [Martial law atrocities and plunder]. Kailangan talaga may greater awareness tayo na iyong lessons from the past, history, mailagay sa curriculum ng mga estudyante hindi lang during Marcos dictatorship. Marami pang ibang mga leksyon na dapat hindi na maulit," Robredo told reporters after speaking before an education forum in University of Pangasinan.

(We need to have greater awareness of the lessons from the past, history, these should be put in the curriculum, not just those that happened during Marcos dictatorship. There are other lessons that should not be repeated.)

"Siguraduhin natin na naituturo ito sa mga kabataan kasi ito iyong magpe-prevent for us to commit the same mistakes over and over again," she added.

Marcos was ousted via a bloodless People Power Revolution in 1986. His son and namesake, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., is running for president in the 2022 polls and is leading pre-election polls by over 30 percentage points.

Robredo, asked if lessons of history on corruption included that of what happened during the Estrada administration should be part of the curriculum, readily agreed.

"Definitely, definitely. Dapat lahat talaga ng naging contributory kaya sumama iyong kalagayan natin, iyong corruption na nangyari (All the things that contributed to our situation right now, the corruption) and how people reacted to corruption," she said.

"Dapat kabahagi ito [ng curriculum] kasi para iyong public officials,nawawarn sila na parating may sukdulan ang pinaggagagawa," she added.

(All of these should be in the curriculum to serve as a warning to public officials that everything they do have a limit.)

In January 2001, then president Joseph Estrada was also ousted via a People Power Revolt 2 after allegations of massive corruption involving jueteng money and undeclared assets. Estrada was eventually convicted of plunder in 2007 but was pardoned by his successor, Gloria Arroyo.—AOL, GMA News