MANILA — There is a need to flood social media with readings on the Marcos dictatorship to combat false information on martial law, an educator said Thursday.

"Kailangan nating bahain itong mga platapormang ito ng mga katotohanan na mula sa mga pananaliksik ng mga dalubhasang Pilipino," said Bernardo Sepeda, dean for student services and mission at the De La Salle Araneta University, at the launch of the group Angat Buhay-Edukasyon.

(We need to flood these platforms with the truth from the research of Filipino experts.)

Angat Buhay-Edukasyon is composed of faculty, non-teaching personnel and students from various universities who are endorsing Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan for president and vice president, respectively, in the May 9 elections.

"'Pag hindi natin ginawa 'yan, ayan, mananatiling hanggang spliced video na lang ang alam ng mga tao," Sepeda said.

(If we don't do that, many people will just get what they know from spliced videos.)

Many books seem to lack meaty stories on martial law, Sepeda suggested as he cited his dissertation, which included a chapter on how the late human rights lawyer Jose "Ka Pepe" Diokno helped victims of abuse under the rule of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Marcos, who was President from 1965 until he was ousted in 1986, imposed Martial Law from 1972 until 1981, a period marred by human rights violations and corruption.

The late dictator's only son, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., is also seeking the presidency in the upcoming polls and has been the frontrunner in pre-election surveys.

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Critics and opponents accuse Marcos Jr. and his supporters of trying to portray his father's two-decade rule as a golden age of peace and prosperity while whitewashing human rights abuses and the plundering of state coffers.

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"Maraming hindi nakasulat sa mga aklat ng kasaysayan ang aking natuklasan sa aking pakikipag-usap sa mga nakakakilala kay Ka Pepe at kung papaano niya tinulungan lahat ng mga puwede niyang tulungan na naging biktima ng pang-abuso ng panahon ng martial law," Sepeda said of his dissertation, which was later published and turned into an e-book.

(There are many things that aren't written in our history books that I discovered through my conversations with those who know Ka Pepe and how he helped those who were victims of abuse during martial law.)

"Hindi naikakalat ang mga ganitong lathalain at napakarami niyan sa mga library," he said.

(We don't spread these types of publication and there are many of these in our libraries.)

The teaching of martial law in schools also appeared inadequate because of the design of textbooks.

"Sa pagkadisenyo ng mga textbook, kadalasan nasa dulo ang martial law," said Vernon Totanes, director of the Ateneo Rizal Library.

(With the design of textbooks, lessons on martial law are usually found near the end.)

"Kung guro ka, alam natin na pagdating na ng dulo ng school year, medyo nagmamadali na, medyo kadalasan hindi na naituturo kung ano 'yong nasa dulo ng textbook," he explained.

(If you're a teacher, we know that at the end of a school year, you're in a hurry, so sometimes you aren't able to teach what's at the end of the textbook.)

• Educate younger generation on martial law to counter historical revisionism: rights official

Cultural studies scholar Gary Devilles added that there is a need for more schools to have electives on martial law literature and film.

Devilles, co-convenor of Angat Buhay Edukasyon, said his group is also working with Akademiya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan (ABKD), a network of educators working to fight disinformation for the 2022 polls.

Marcos Jr. had denied spreading false information about the events under his father's rule.

• 'Wala kayong naririnig na fake news sa akin': Bongbong Marcos
• Election watchdog calls out Marcos for 'disinformation' campaign
• Human rights abuses during martial law taught in schools: DepEd

Votes for Leni-Kiko

Members of Angat Buhay-Edukasyon vowed to get at least a million votes for Robredo, whom they support because of her "clear" plans for the education sector.

LOOK: Group of faculty, non-teaching personnel and students from various PH universities launch Angat Buhay Edukasyon, endorsing the candidacies of VP Leni Robredo and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan.

Present at the event is Nat'l Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario. | @jaehwabernardo pic.twitter.com/7Cr7ZDoRcI

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) April 7, 2022

"Bagama't may target figure (1 million) kami, alam din namin na dapat lampasan ito, at dito rin gagana ang pagiging guro namin. Marunong kaming makipag-usap sa mga kabataan... at ang kabataan ang isa sa bulto ng mga botante ngayon," said Devilles.

(While we have a target figure, we know that we should surpass this. And that's where our identity as teachers come in. We know how to talk to young people... who make up a bulk of the voting population.)

The group plans to convince the youth to vote for Robredo through dialogues and teach them how to identify false information on the internet.

National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, who is part of a group of national artists backing Robredo's presidential bid, was also present at the launch.

• National artists back Robredo's presidential bid

According to Comelec data processed and analyzed by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, there are nearly 2.8 million people aged 18-19 who are expected to vote for the first time in the May elections. They make up 4.2 percent of all registered voters.

There are also 8.6 million voters each in the 20-24 and 25-29 age groups.

The Comelec said there are a total of 65,745,526 registered voters in the country, and nearly 1.7 million others overseas.

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