A few days before the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, an online museum dedicated to an honest and factual examination of that part of our history goes live.
The Martial Law Museum is a “comprehensive online learning resource that our community of educators can use to teach the values of human rights, freedom, democracy and engaged citizenship to Filipino students through factual and engaging storytelling.” It was created by a community of “educators and citizens” committed to integrating the lessons of martial law in any subject.
The website, which is currently in its beta version, has three main sections: Mag-Aral, Magturo, and Manindigan. The Mag-Aral section hosts articles and data about the martial law era. There are articles that discuss the events that took place before the declaration, a timeline of events that happened during the Marcos dictatorship, and information about some of the martial law victims. The Magturo section contains useful lesson plans and learning resources that educators can use in their classes to impart the lessons of martial law to their students. And the Manindigan section calls for Filipinos to make a stand against those who either seek to revise history or repeat it.
The creators state why they do what they do in the website:
“You can never be too weak to make a difference. You can never be too small to stand up for what’s right. You can never be too young to remember. Many of us in the team are young people inspired by the courage of the heroes who have fought for the freedom we now enjoy. We want to honor the memory of these heroes, and we want to make sure that the darkness of dictatorship never again returns to power in our nation. We believe that a better future for the Philippines starts with remembering. It starts with us.”
In light of the anniversary of Marcos’s martial law declaration and this administration’s statement that they might declare one this week if protests become violent, it’s high time we all brush up on history.