This study argues that there is a reframing of Martial Law as the “dark chapter” in the Philippines's recent memory (Francisco, 2016; Robles, 2016; & Pison, 2005), found in the comparison of two versions of a Social Sciences textbook, one published before the implementation of the Kindergarten-Grade 12 Basic Education Curriculum (K-12 BEC) and the other, after, using Fairclough’s (1989) discourse as text, interaction, and context and Kress and van Leeuwen’s (1996) approach to multimodality. Considered in the evaluation are lesson objectives, sample texts, images, exercises and activities, and lesson summaries.
Despite various literature documenting innumerable human rights violations during the Martial Law era (Francisco, 2016; Robles, 2016; & Pison, 2005), there exists a “national amnesia” borne out of those who did not live during that time, and "historical revisionism" which sees a rewriting of Martial Law as the Golden Era of Philippine economy (Robles, 2016). Textbooks are a relevant site for this investigation due to wide and young readership, and also as the K-12 BEC was implemented recently in 2012, to replace the old 10-year basic education program that is considered lacking and outdated. Textbooks, therefore, are the most systematic vehicle in reframing historical events and propagating ideologies among as many young Filipino students as possible. Counter-discourses must then be produced such that martial law, and all human rights violations associated with it, may be counter-framed as a "dark chapter" still.
References
Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and Power. London: Routledge.
Francisco, K. (2016, September 22). Martial Law, the dark chapter in Philippine history. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/146939-martial-law-explainer-victims-stories
Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. (1996). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. London: Routledge.
Pison, R. J. L. (2005). Alternative Histories: Martial Law Novels as Counter-Memory. Quezon City: UP Press Printery Division.
Robles, R. (2016). Marcos Martial Law Never Again: A Brief History of Torture and Atrocity under the New Society. Quezon City: The House Printers Corporation, Inc.
