Following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’ inauguration and subsequent address on Thursday, June 30, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro has issued a reminder to the 17th Chief Executive: “while it is good that we should be forward looking we should not forget the past.”
"Nabudol na kasi tayo ng ilang beses na, mahirap na maulit pa (We’ve been conned many times, it’s hard to experience that again),” Castro said in a statement on June 30.
"Also while it is good that we should be forward looking we should not forget the past so that the mistakes then will not be repeated and the atrocities done in yesteryears would be brought to justice," said the teacher solon.
She was referring to an excerpt from Marcos’ inaugural address on June 30 in which he said: “I am here not to talk about the past, I am here to tell you about our future...We do not look back but ahead.”
Marcos is the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who is best known for declaring Martial Law: an era in Philippine history rife with human rights abuses and rampant government corruption.
"Furthermore for our country to be truly progressive we must teach factual lessons to our youth about the past and hone their critical thinking as well as improve their lessons. We can do this by reviewing the K-12 program at the minimum or repealing it entirely," Castro continued.
"To attain this, the incoming administration must listen to the demands of teachers and significantly increase their salaries. The Marcos administration should also listen to the people's call for the suspension of the excise tax and.value added tax on oil products," she said
"It is through these and addressing the basic problems of our society that we can move forward as a nation," the teacher-solon concluded.
Castro is the sole representative of the ACT Teachers Party-list in the 19th Congress.