(Eagle News)– The Official Gazette of the Philippines on Sunday (September 11) received criticisms from netizens after posting a graphic for the 99th birth anniversary of late former president Ferdinand Marcos, accusing the Gazette of “historical revisionism” due to the caption used in its post.
The post was edited three times, and the caption constructed from three paragraphs down to one.
The Gazette went under lashes for the last part of the original caption of the graphic, which stated: “1972, he declared Martial Law to suppress a communist insurgency and secessionism in Mindanao. In 1986, Marcos stepped down from the presidency to avoid bloodshed during the uprising that came to be known as ‘People Power.’”
The post was then edited after receiving negative feedback, removing the phrase “to avoid bloodshed”, but the post continued to attract negative response.
Netizens stressed that the Gazette whitewashed the abuses an atrocities done during the Marcos era.
After numerous revisions, the post now reads: “He was the longest-serving President of the country for almost 21 years, declaring Martial Law in 1972 then went to exile to the United States in 1986 at the height of the People Power Revolution. He was succeeded by Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.”
The backlash gave way to #SuperficialGazette on Twitter, while “Superficial Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines”– a parody account– was created on Facebook.
Secretary of Presidential Communications Operations Martin Andanar said on Monday (September 12) that the part on Martial Law and the People Power should not have been edited out of the controversial post.
“When I saw that, binasa ko lahat. Sinabi ko kay Assistant Secretary Mon Cualoping ng Stratcoms (Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office) ng PCOO, sabi ko sa kanya, ‘You cannot change history. Kung ano ‘yung nandoon… hindi mo pwede baguhin. Martial Law ‘yan, eh,” he said.
“You have to put it back. You have to put back Martial Law. You have to put back na-exile si Presidente. Which they did,” Andanar added.
