The remark of actress Ella Cruz, who plays Irene Marcos-Araneta in the historical revisionist movie “Maid in Malacañang,” saying that history can be equated to gossip has not only gone viral but has also started the discussion on the need for Congress to prioritize Philippine history as a separate subject for high school students.
The actress has been called out her ridiculous claim that history, a social science, is just like gossip or rumor-mongering.
“This only proved that we really need to bring back Philippine history as a subject in high school because now, it is only regarded as gossip by a few in order to distort the history of our people,” said ACT Teachers party list rep France Castro.
She pointed out that the country is already seeing the “destructive effects of the absence of Philippine history as a subject in basic education,” citing the successful distortion of history during the martial law regime. She urged Congress to prioritize the passage of House Bill No. 207, which seeks to restore Philippine history as a separate subject in the high school curriculum.
“We also challenge the next education secretary to ensure the return of Philippine history to the high school curriculum,” Castro added.
After the 25-year-old Cruz drew flak from historians and netizens for her comments that relegated the study of history, a social science, to mere rumor-mongering, public historians such as Ambeth Ocampo, Xiao Chua and Alvin Campomanes pointed out that real history is evidence-based and undergoes verification to ensure that it is about truth, “not lies or fiction.”
Unfortunately for the largely gullible human race, the recent attacks on truth and facts which began against journalists and traditional media has naturally spilled over to historians and history books. The remarks of actress Ella Cruz may haven’t been given much thought by her but it is an indication of the success of insidious attempts to degrade historical facts that certain people, parties or organizations have been trying to whitewash or rather have the public forget.
Putting history back in high school curriculums would go a long way in restoring its status and value as a social science that deals with verifiable facts. Any nation should benefit if its next generation of leaders are well versed in the country’s history which includes the lessons of all the triumphs and mistakes of the past.*
