Scholars, academics sign manifesto vs fake news

MORE than a thousand scholars and academics have signed the “Manifesto in Defense of Historical Truth and Academic Freedom” expressing their opposition to all forms of disinformation — fabrication, manipulation, deceptive rebranding and propaganda — on social media and other digital platforms.

They claimed that the presumptive electoral victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte-Carpio “signals an intensified struggle over historical knowledge and pedagogy, the erasure of traumatic personal and collective memories of plunder and human-rights violations under Martial Law, and unbridled myth-making about a so-called ‘Golden Age’ presided over by the conjugal dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.”

In the manifesto, they pledged to combat all attempts at historical revisionism that distort and falsify history to suit the interest of the Marcoses and their allies and fortify their power.

Similarly, they vowed to protect the integrity and independence of cultural institutions, including the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the National Library of the Philippines (NLP), the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP), the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and state universities and colleges (SUCs).

“We staunchly defend the right to freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression. We oppose all forms of censorship and bookbanning. We condemn attempts at red-tagging individuals, groups and institutions,” they added.

They also emphasized their commitment to upholding academic freedom and promoting academic initiatives to protect the memories of a violent and traumatic period in Philippine history and the continuing attempts of the Marcos family and their supporters.

“We will undertake to preserve books, documents, records, artifacts, archives, and other source materials pertaining to the Martial Law period and other aspects of the Marcos era (1965-1986). We shall critically intervene in the vetting, writing, and teaching of history and other textbooks and educational materials.”

The manifesto was initiated by Oscar Campomanes of the Ateneo de Manila University, Nicole CuUnjieng of the University of Cambridge, Francis Gealogo of the Ateneo de Manila University, Ramon Guillermo of the University of the Philippines, Caroline Hau of Kyoto University, Jayson Lamchek of Deakin University, Vina Lanzona of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Carlos Piocos 3rd of the De La Salle University, and Lulu Torres Reyes of the University of Santo Tomas.

As of press time, the manifesto has more than 1,360 signatories.

The signatories of the manifesto also urged their fellow scholars and academics to launch activities that will ensure that historical and collective memories will reach broader publics and never be lost.