No Marcos order to revise history, says Angara

MANILA, Philippines — There was no order from President Marcos to revise history in the education curriculum, including the teaching of martial law in schools, according to incoming education secretary Sonny Angara.

In a dwIZ radio interview yesterday, Angara said the President’s instruction to him was to make the teaching of history more fun and “conversational.”

“The President did not single out any period in our history,” the senator said when asked if the President wanted to whitewash his family’s role during the martial law period when his father, the late strongman Ferdinand Sr., held on to power until he was ousted in a people power revolt in 1986.

“What he said was he wants our children to learn history and be taught correctly,” Angara added.

There is a need to improve the teaching of history to instill a sense of nationhood in the youth, he said.

“The President wants the teaching of history to be interesting and inspiring. History should be part of the youth’s national identity,” Angara said.

He vowed to improve the country’s dismal performance in the Program for International Student Assessment, which showed Filipino youths lagging in terms of reading, creative thinking, math and science.

The incoming education secretary also promised to abide by the President’s directive to improve the employability of senior high school graduates.

Support

The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) has expressed support for Angara’s Department of Education (DepEd) appointment.

In a special resolution, the LPP manifested its full-fledged support for Angara in his new role as head of DepEd.
“The LPP expresses its heartfelt gratitude to honorable Sen. Angara in leading and managing DepEd in preparing our youth in the face of scientific and technological advancement in a borderless world,” the resolution read.

The resolution was signed by national chairman Gov. Dakila Cua and national president Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr.

They noted that Angara’s background and work throughout his terms have provided him with the experience and qualifications to lead DepEd, and also lauded Angara’s previous efforts in building over 100 classrooms and providing funds for scholarships.

The LPP also noted significant legislations authored by Angara to enhance basic education, including the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Act.

The Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) also expressed strong support for Angara’s push to further expand government assistance for poor students.

The DepEd Secretary serves as PEAC’s chair, a five-member committee constituted to serve as trustee of the government’s Fund for Assistance to Private Education.

“We are eager to collaborate closely with Secretary Angara to further the mission of the PEAC, striving towards an inclusive, equitable and superior educational system for all,” PEAC executive director Doris Fernandez Ferrer said in a statement.

“We are committed to sustaining our mission of alleviating classroom shortages and student overflow in public schools by providing financial support to Filipino learners in private high schools through the Government Assistance and Subsidies Programs,” Ferrer added.

With Angara at the helm of DepEd, PEAC hopes to help more students through the expansion of their programs, which aim to make private education more accessible. Among these are the Education Service Contracting (ESC) program, which provides financial assistance to students transitioning from elementary to junior high school and the Senior High School Voucher Program for senior high school students.

PEAC also implements the Teacher Salary Subsidy, which offers annual subsidies to qualified teachers in ESC-participating schools, and the In-Service Training program, which enhances teacher competencies through targeted training.

“In school year 2022 to 2023, these programs co-implemented by DepEd and the PEAC demonstrated their impact by benefiting over 2.2 million students. After more than 20 years of service, approximately 9.7 million students in about 8,000 schools have benefited through this noble work,” Ferrer said.

She noted that Angara’s appointment heralds “an era of renewed commitment and strategic initiatives for education in our nation.” — Romina Cabrera