CHEd Chairman Popoy de Vera (left), Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin (PPAB)

The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), through its budget sponsor in the House of Representatives, declared that it cannot "dictate" to students the narrative of martial law.

"We cannot dictate on our people to follow the narrative. It is there, it is being taught, it is being said, If they are interested or not, then the challenge remains there," Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairperson Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin said during the plenary debate on CHEd's 2024 budget Thursday night, Sept. 21.

"Hindi po tayo pwedeng maging diktador na pipilitin natin silang magbigay ng laan ng tiyempo sa topic ng Philippine history in relation to martial law if they so refuse (We cannot be dictators in forcing them to give time on the topic of Philippine history in relation to martial law if they so refuse)," she said.

Interpellating CHEd's budget at that time was Makabayan member Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel. He inquired as to how schools under CHEd was teaching the topic of martial law to Filipino youth.

Incidentally, Sept. 21 was the 51st anniversary of the late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s declaration of military rule on the Philippines.

"Ang history po natin, crucial siya na bahagi din ng paano, in the future ay magiging maayos na citizens nung ating mga kabataan (Our history is crucial in molding our youth to be good citizens)," the militant solon said.

But Garin, speaking on behalf of CHEd, said most students simply aren't interested with martial law.

"Unfortunately, we can't control the minds of the people becasue the new generation, especially if they are aware of the services and economic upliftment of their lives, said matter does not seem to gain interest in them," she said.

"So I believe that's the problem...hindi po natin kasi pwedeng ipilit na magkaroon ng interest yung karamihan nung ating mga estudyante na wala nang interes sa usaping ito (we can't force most of our students to have interest in a topic they aren't interested it)," added Garin.

The budget sponsor further said that CHEd observes "academic freedom" in teaching martial law to students.

"[On] the context of, ito ba ay delikado, ito ba ang tama, ito ba ang mali is based on the individual academic freedom of each student (On the context of whether or not it's dangerous, good, or bad is based on the individual academic freedom of each student)," Garin said.

"Our institutions are not teaching them to choose one over another. But it is their choice whether they will believe in that, whether they will have particular interest in that, or whether they will listen to it," she said.

To this, Manuel said: "It seems like CHEd is being too defensive. Nasa batas po na dapat tinitiyak ng CHEd na naituturo yung topic. At gusto lang naman po natin malaman kung paano talaag ito nai-implement (The law mandates that the topic must be taught. All we want to know is how it is taught)."

When Manuel asked for a detailed monitoring report from CHEd that included the number of minutes and days that teachers spend in teaching or discussing martial law, an visibly irked Garin said it was not practical to do.

"We cannot just let our CHEd officers go and monitor every school and be a timekeeper kung ilang oras pinag uusapan ang martial law (on the amount of time martial law is discussed)," she said.

Marcos Sr.'s son, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., is the incumbent Philippine president. He won last year's Palace race via historic majority vote.