A group of teachers along with other advocates on Saturday, Sept. 17, launched an initiative that aims to educate the Filipino youth about the “historical truths” of Martial Law years in the Philippines.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines with Tanggol Kasaysayan and Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) formally launched the ”ML@50 Lakbay-Aral” in line with the 50th year of the declaration of Martial Law on Sept. 21.

The “ML@50 Lakbay-Aral” was participated in by 50 high school students. They visited the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, ABS-CBN, Tatalon community, and Bantayog ng mga Bayani, all in Quezon City, to see places historical to the sufferings and struggles of the people during the Martial Law years until its end in 1986.

Students listened to stories of historians, journalists, and Martial Law survivors to know about the historical truths of Martial Law.

“Amid the widespread disinformation and historical distortion, especially in social media, it is our urgent duty as educators to teach the youth of our history based on facts and actual experiences of our people during the Martial Law period,” said ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.

“After this field trip, we hope that they would see in a new light these places that they may have been plying everyday - their historical relevance to our people’s struggle for democracy,” he added.

Quetua said that it is also “very worrisome that another Marcos is in Malacanang and those in power have the control of resources to rewrite our history based on their distorted narrative.“

In the education system, Quetua said that “curriculum shapers now tend to avoid, tone down, or muddle the discussions” on Martial Law purportedly to steer clear of any controversy with the government.

“We teachers, however, try to keep with our duty of teaching truth, social justice and human rights through educational activities such as this lakbay-aral,” Quetua said.

ACT said that it will be conducting more batches of “ML@50 Lakbay-Aral” every month until December to “enlighten more youth of our history and our collective lessons as a people”

The group stressed that despite the “aggressive onslaught of historical distortion,“ there is a broad movement of democracy and human rights advocates that push it back and urges people to stand with the “call never again and never forget” Martial Law.

“With our youth being more educated of our history, and more aware and concerned of our nation’s future, we will also never lose hope,” Quetua said.