The House of Representatives has approved a House Bill authored by Sandro Marcos declaring September 11 a non-working holiday in Ilocos Norte Province, to be known as 'President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day.'
Criticism and Call for Historical Awareness
While the holiday applies only to Ilocos Norte, critics urge Congressman Sandro Marcos, grandson of the late dictator, to study unsanitized accounts of martial law to understand the atrocities committed during the 1972-1986 dictatorship. They argue the bill is inappropriate for families who lost loved ones during that period.
Pattern of Historical Revisionism
Observers note a troubling pattern under the Marcos and Duterte administrations where negative events are reframed positively. This bill is seen as part of ongoing efforts to rewrite history through social media propaganda, the dictator's burial at the Heroes' Cemetery, and now this legislation.
Activists vow to continue resisting these distortions, expressing hope that the dictator's remains will eventually be exhumed from Libingan ng mga Bayani and returned to Ilocos Norte. They emphasize the importance of remembering the past to prevent its repetition.
