September is known as the start of Christmas season in the Philippines, but Senator Risa Hontiveros wants it to be a season for remembering, too.
The Akbayan senator is lobbying the government to declare September of every year as the national month of truth-telling and reflection about Martial Law, which was declared by former president Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972.
Together with student leaders from University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and Adamson University, Hontiveros saw the need to make a strong stand against revisionists who absolve the late dictator of his crimes committed during his rule.
“We must not allow the Marcoses to steal from us again. We must not allow them to rob us of our truth and sense of history,” she said in a press release.
The resolution urges schools and other educational institutions to organize activities that could “educate the youth of the democratic values and practices the nation adheres to and experiences today in contrast to the dictatorial regime installed by Marcos more than 40 years ago.”
Hontiveros also renewed her opposition to the government’s plan of transferring the remains of Marcos to the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
