Historical distortion regarding Ferdinand Marcos explained

Historical distortion regarding Ferdinand Marcos is a political phenomenon in the Philippines. Ferdinand Marcos was the country's president between 1965 and 1986. Distortion, falsification, or whitewashing of the historical record regarding this period,[1] [2] sometimes referred to using the phrases "historical denialism", "historical negationism", or "historical revisionism" as a euphemism for negationism,[3] [4] is an academically documented phenomenon[5] linked to the return of Marcos' immediate family and political allies to government positions,[6] [7] as well as the hero's burial of Marcos himself in 2016.[5] It continues Marcos' own efforts to create a cult of personality for himself, which in itself involved various forms of historical distortion.[8] [9]

Some of the earlier examples of distortion involved various instances of historical denialism by the remaining Marcos family members and their followers, which involved trivializing of the human rights violations and economic plunder that took place during the Marcos administration, as well as the role played by the Marcos children in the administration.[10] [11] [12]

Into the 2020s, various studies have uncovered systematic disinformation campaigns run by top public relations firm executives, efforts to create a false impression of a scholarly body of pro-Marcos literature, and the systematic use of click armies and digital black ops to spread strategic disinformation on social media.

Historical denialism

One prominent form of historical distortion regarding the Marcos administration is the denial or trivialization of its human rights violations and economic plunder, as well as the denial of the roles played by the rest of the Marcos family and by various Marcos cronies in the administration.[10] [11] [12] False claims have been made both by members of the Marcos family and by associates such as former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile.[13]

By Marcos family members

Various Marcos family members who have stayed in the public eye since their return to the Philippines have denied the atrocities of the Marcos regime and have made various false claims regarding the dictatorship, such as assertions that the country was self-sufficient in rice and that the Philippines had the highest literacy rate in Asia.[14]

By Bongbong Marcos

Bongbong Marcos, Marcos' son and namesake, has specifically been criticized for actively refusing to apologize for human rights violations and ill-gotten wealth during his father's administration.[15] [16] [17] In several instances, Marcos Jr. brushed aside the issue of martial law atrocities, he specifically belittled or denied[18] claims of Martial Law atrocities.

This includes a 2012 interview with Jackie Dent of The Sydney Morning Herald, where Dent recounts: "I put it to him that it has been documented that people were tortured, money was appropriated and a Hawaiian court has found against the family. He laughs. 'Well, that is one opinion and that is what the prosecutors would say,' he says."[19] In the same year, Marcos dismissed calls for him to apologize for atrocities experienced by human rights abuses during his father's administration commemorated the 40th year of the proclamation of Martial Law, dismissing their calls as "self-serving statements by politicians, self-aggrandizement narratives, pompous declarations, and political posturing and propaganda."[20] [21]

During his 2016 campaign to become Vice President of the Philippines, he also attempted to dismiss the events, saying Filipinos should "leave history to the professors,"[22] [23] [24] prompting over 500 faculty, staff and history professors from Ateneo de Manila University to issue a statement condemning the act as part of "an ongoing willful distortion of our history," and a "shameless refusal to acknowledge the crimes of the Martial Law regime."[25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

More than 1,400 Catholic Schools through the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) later joined the call of the Ateneo faculty,[30] [31] followed by the Department of History of the University of the Philippines Diliman, which released a statement decrying what they called a "dangerous" effort for Marcos to create "myth and deception."[32] [33] [34]

By Imee Marcos

Imee Marcos has also issued similar statements, which include her 2016 statement that she was "too young" to have any power during her father's administration (although she was already 30 years old when her father was ousted in February 1986),[35] and her 2018 assertion that critics should just "move on" regarding the crimes and excesses of the martial law era.[36]

By Marcos associates

On September 20, 2018, Marcos Jr. released a YouTube video depicting a "tête-à-tête" between him and Juan Ponce Enrile,[37] in which Enrile made a number of claims denying the unlawful arrests and killings of critics during the Marcos administration.[13] These were quickly refuted and denounced by martial law victims, including former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, former Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales, and Palanca award-winning writer Boni Ilagan, among others. It was also denounced by families and friends of Martial Law victims, such as former President Noynoy Aquino, and former Senator Rene Saguisag.

Enrile eventually backpedalled from some of his claims, saying they were the products of "unlucid intervals," but continuing to claim that the extent of the atrocities was subject to debate.[38]

Organized disinformation efforts and use of troll accounts

In 2018, Dr. Jason Cabañes of the University of Leeds School of Media and Communication and Dr. Jonathan Corpus Ong of the University of Massachusetts Amherst released a study of organized disinformation efforts in the Philippines, titled "Architects of Networked Disinformation: Behind the Scenes of Troll Accounts and Fake News Production in the Philippines."[39] [40] [41] Based on participant observation in Facebook community groups and Twitter accounts, as well as key informant interviews with 20 "disinformation architects," conducted from December 2016 to December 2017, the study described a "professionalized and hierarchized group of political operators who design disinformation campaigns, mobilize click armies, and execute innovative "digital black ops" and "signal scrambling" techniques for any interested political client."[5] This network had "ad and PR strategists at the top."[39]

The Ong and Cabañes study also described how techniques for "personal branding" were used to "tell a revisionist account of the 20-year Marcos regime as 'the golden age of the Philippines,'" using such tools as YouTube videos, "in a bid to restore the political luster of the Marcos family."[5]

Role in the Marcos burial

See also: Burial of Ferdinand Marcos. One of the revelations from the Ong and Cabañes' 2018 study was the existence of "Ilibing Na" ("Bury now") campaign designed to create public support for a hero's burial for Ferdinand Marcos using "diversionary tactics to elude allegations of human rights violations and corruption during the term of Ferdinand Marcos"[5] and launching "digital black ops that targeted prominent critics" of the Marcoses, particularly vice president Leni Robredo.[5]

Role in Philippine elections

According to historian Francis Gealogo, President Bongbong Marcos relied on "mythmaking" and benefited from "historical distortion about his father’s regime that presented false narratives about the past".[42]

Philippine researchers said that "networked political manipulation" on social media played a role in the 2022 presidential elections.[43] The study by the Philippine Media Monitoring Laboratory said that through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, "anti-democratic" actors were able to influence political discourse by mimicking survey organizations and news media.

Studies on disinformation spread

A 2020 study from the University of the Philippines Diliman found that "the Marcoses, their loyalists, and their allies" had produced and reproduced disinformation for years, intending to create an impression that the propaganda had actually come from a reputable community of scholars.[44]

A related study published that year by Vera Files found 119 claims about the Marcoses that had been debunked by various news organizations, and examined how they were distributed.[45] Although a number of pro-Marcos propaganda "sourcebooks" had been published in 2000, the study found that about 72% of confirmed Marcos disinformation originated directly from social media, rather than print sources. Specifically, it found out that 21% of these were "distributed via social media" and "not attributable to pro-Marcos books"; 20% of them came from a person quoted by media, which cannot traced to a preexisting text; and about 31% were about recent events. Only about 15% could be traced to text in various propaganda books, while a remaining 13% consisted of "general claims."[45]

Researchers from the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center noted that after Bongbong Marcos announced in October 2021 his candidacy for the presidency, claims praising his father's regime increased significantly.[46] In addition to spreading disinformation, pro-Marcos posts also vilified post-Marcos administrations by falsely claiming that the Philippine economy was better under Marcos. Most of the propaganda used photos and videos and were widely shared. Pro-Marcos propaganda are often spread through Facebook pages by self-proclaimed Marcos Sr. loyalists who support Bongbong Marcos. Among the celebrities who have helped amplify pro-Marcos disinformation are singer Richard Poon, comedian Isko Salvador, vlogger Tricia Arias and director Darryl Yap (director). Videos with false claims have also been spread by political party Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino. Fact checks done by mainstream media tend to have limited effects partly due to distrust of the media sown by Juan Ponce Enrile, columnist Rigoberto "Bobi" Tiglao, officials of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and pro-administration bloggers.

Propaganda narratives

Common propaganda approaches associated with Marcos-related historical distortion[47] include:

Historical distortion portrayed in media

See also: List of films about martial law under Ferdinand Marcos, The Kingmaker (film), Respeto and Citizen Jake. Aside from films directly featuring the Marcos era itself, the theme of contemporary historical distortion regarding Ferdinand Marcos has been featured significantly in numerous films, including Philippine films Respeto, Citizen Jake, and ML.

A prominent international documentary on the same theme was Lauren Greenfield's The Kingmaker, which follows the events of Imelda Marcos' life, first exploring the time when the Marcoses were still in power, and then in the second half of the film, focusing on the political comeback of the Marcos family after Ferdinand Marcos had died, and highlighing the stories of those who had survived abuses during Martial Law.[51] Greenfield's exploration characterizes Imelda Marcos as the documentary's unreliable narrator,[52] [53] [54] but takes on what The New York Times calls a “dialectic” approach, allowing Imelda to literally tell her narrative and slowly introducing opposing viewpoints as the movie progresses.[55]

Various universities in the Philippines have released various publications and have held numerous academic fora regarding the topic, referring to it as historical denialism, negationism, disinformation, or distortion.[56]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Philippine government faces backlash amid claims it is trying to whitewash history of late dictator Marcos. The Straits Times . September 12, 2016. September 24, 2021. September 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210924093713/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippine-govt-faces-backlash-amid-claims-that-it-is-trying-to-whitewash-history-of. live.
  2. News: Philippines Can Give Hero's Burial to Ferdinand Marcos, High Court Rules. The New York Times. November 8, 2016. Villamor. Felipe. September 24, 2021. September 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210924093715/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/world/asia/philippines-ferdinand-marcos-burial.html. live.
  3. Web site: Martial law and historical revisionism: A holistic understanding. April 30, 2016. September 24, 2021. September 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210924093717/https://thelasallian.com/2016/05/01/martial-law-and-historical-revisionism-a-holistic-understanding/. live.
  4. Web site: A Manual for Historical Revisionists. September 24, 2021. September 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210924093716/https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/opinion/historical-revsionism-a1576-20161003-lfrm2. live.
  5. Web site: Architects of Networked Disinformation: Behind the Scenes of Troll Accounts and Fake News Production in the Philippines . Jonathan Corpus . Ong . Jason Vincent A. . Cabañes . 2018 . www.newtontechfordev.com . September 24, 2021 . June 30, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210630071054/https://newtontechfordev.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ARCHITECTS-OF-NETWORKED-DISINFORMATION-FULL-REPORT.pdf . live .
  6. News: Hernando-Malipot. Merlina. September 7, 2018. UP faculty vows to fight historical revisionism. en-US. Manila Bulletin. September 24, 2018. September 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180924033625/https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/09/07/up-faculty-vows-to-fight-historical-revisionism/. live.
  7. de Ynchausti. Nik. September 23, 2016. Why has Marcos' propaganda lived on?. Esquire Magazine Philippines. https://web.archive.org/web/20160927104250/https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/marcos-propaganda-a1576-20160923-lfrm2. September 27, 2016. September 27, 2016.
  8. Root, Hilton L., Three Asian Dictators: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (January 16, 2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2716732
  9. Mark M. Turner . Authoritarian rule and the dilemma of legitimacy: The case of President Marcos of the Philippines, The Pacific Review . The Pacific Review . 1990 . 3-4 . 349–362 . 10.1080/09512749008718886 .
  10. Web site: September 1976. Report of an Amnesty International Mission to the Republic of the Philippines 22 November – 5 December 1975. Amnesty International Publications. September 24, 2021. October 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171010145425/https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/204000/asa350191977en.pdf. live.
  11. News: January 4, 2015. PCGG welcomes Singapore court decision on Marcos' Swiss funds. Rappler. September 24, 2021. November 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181122202514/https://www.rappler.com/nation/47220-pcgg-welcomes-singapore-court-decision-marcos-swiss-funds. live.
  12. News: Ayee Macaraig. August 26, 2015. Marcos on dad's regime: What am I to apologize for?. Rappler. September 24, 2021. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611183837/https://www.rappler.com/nation/103772-bongbong-marcos-regime-no-apologies. live.
  13. Web site: Diana Lumpin . February 25, 2021 . After EDSA: Historical Revisionism and Other Factors That Led to the Marcoses' Return . Philippine Social Science Council . October 18, 2022.
  14. News: EDSA People Power: Inadequate Challenge to Marcos Revisionism . March 10, 2016 . Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility . en-us . September 23, 2018.
  15. Web site: Bongbong Marcos unfazed by anti-Martial Law critics . Elizabeth Marcelo . February 10, 2016 . GMA News Online.
  16. News: Bongbong on 2016: No downside to being a Marcos . Ayee Macaraig . August 16, 2015 . Rappler.com.
  17. Web site: Bongbong Marcos to critics: Allow young voters to make own judgment . Elizabeth Marcelo . February 29, 2016 . GMA News Online.
  18. News: 'Distortion of truth': Diokno family slams Bongbong Marcos, Enrile . Gavilan . Jodesz . September 21, 2018 . Rappler . October 1, 2018.
  19. News: A dynasty on steroids . November 23, 2012 . The Sydney Morning Herald . September 1, 2018.
  20. News: Tan . Kimberly Jane . Martial Law in the eyes of the late strongman Marcos' son . . September 21, 2012.
  21. News: Quimpo . Susan . Enrile's memoir gives me sleepless nights . . October 14, 2012.
  22. News: Bongbong: Let historians, not politicians, judge Marcos rule . Leila B. Salaverria . February 27, 2016 . Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  23. Web site: Leave it to Professors – Bongbong to PNoy: Let history judge Marcos era . February 26, 2016 . Elizabeth Marcelo . GMA News Online.
  24. News: Bongbong: Let historians judge my father's regime . February 27, 2016 . ABS-CBN News.
  25. Web site: Ateneo de Manila Community Stands Up Against Historical Revisionism of Martial Law . March 3, 2016 . Ateneo de Manila University . February 3, 2022 . April 5, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160405125743/http://www.ateneo.edu/news/ateneo-de-manila-community-stands-against-historical-revisionism-martial-law . dead .
  26. Web site: We are not blind to the darkness and oppression of Marcos years! Statement of concerned members of the Ateneo de Manila University on the Martial Law regime and Bongbong Marcos' revision of history . March 4, 2016 . Ateneo de Manila University . February 27, 2017 . January 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170114055510/http://www.ateneo.edu/sites/default/files/attached-files/Ateneo%20Community%20Response%20to%20Senator%20Marcos%20Jr.%20-%20526%20signatories%20as%20of%204%20March%202016%20%28English%29.pdf . dead .
  27. News: Ateneo presidents slam Bongbong Marcos 'revision of history' – Heads of Jesuit-run universities join nearly 530 other signatories against 'the darkness and oppression of the Marcos years' . Paterno Esmaquel II . March 7, 2016 . Rappler.
  28. News: Ateneo professors slam Bongbong Marcos' 'revision of history' . Yuji Vincent Gonzales . March 2, 2016 . Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  29. Web site: Ateneo professors thumb down historical distortion of martial law regime . Filane Mikee Z. Cervantes . March 2, 2016 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160307232953/http://www.interaksyon.com/article/124748/ateneo-professors-thumb-down-historical-distortion-of-martial-law-regime . March 7, 2016 .
  30. News: 1,400 Catholic schools back call vs 'Marcos snares, Imeldific lies' . March 8, 2016 . Rappler.
  31. News: 1,400 Catholic schools slam 'Marcos snares, Imeldific lies' . March 8, 2016 . ABS-CBN News.
  32. Web site: Malakas at Maganda: Marcos Reign, Myth-Making and Deception in History . University of the Philippines Department of History . . March 28, 2016.
  33. News: Marcos deception seeks to evade accountability—UP Dept. of History. Aries Joseph Hegina. Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 30, 2016.
  34. News: UP history profs slam 'mythical' golden era under martial law . Rosette Adel . The Philippine Star . March 30, 2016.
  35. Web site: Imee, still a child during martial law? Of course not, says FVR. Placido. Dharel. November 21, 2016. ABS-CBN News. March 9, 2019.
  36. News: Villamor . Felipe . Ferdinand Marcos's Daughter Tells Filipinos to 'Move On' Beyond Father's Misdeeds . . August 22, 2018.
  37. News: Fact-checking Enrile's tete-a-tete with Bongbong Marcos . Viray . Patricia Lourdes . September 21, 2018 . The Philippine Star . October 1, 2018.
  38. News: Enrile apologizes to Martial Law victims, blames 'unlucid intervals' . Romero . Paolo . October 26, 2018 . . October 31, 2018 . https://archive.today/20181031115244/https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/10/26/1863327/enrile-apologizes-martial-law-victims-blames-unlucid-intervals . October 31, 2018 . dead .
  39. Web site: Fake news production and social media 'trolls' . . February 12, 2018 . October 20, 2021 . August 26, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210826123715/https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news-society-politics/news/article/4184/fake-news-production-and-social-media-trolls . live .
  40. Web site: Ad, PR execs are 'chief architects' of disinformation in Philippines — study. Gaea Katreena. Cabico. Philstar.com. September 24, 2021. August 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210826124207/https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/02/12/1787103/ad-pr-execs-are-chief-architects-disinformation-philippines-study. live.
  41. Web site: Chief disinformation architects in the PH: Not exactly who you think. Rappler. February 11, 2018. September 24, 2021. August 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210826120511/https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/disinformation-architects-philippines. live.
  42. Web site: Juan . Ratziel San . July 12, 2022 . One page at a time: Youth fight Marcos historical distortion by archiving Martial Law texts . August 20, 2022 . AlterMidya . en-US.
  43. Web site: Macaraeg . Pauline . February 2, 2022 . Study finds signs of 'networked political manipulation' on social media . August 20, 2022 . Rappler . en-US.
  44. Web site: Disinformation researchers unpack the game of lies and its impact on democracy. Rappler. December 10, 2020. September 24, 2021. September 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210924170554/https://www.rappler.com/moveph/disinformation-researchers-unpack-lies-social-media-impact-democracy. live.
  45. News: Berdos . Enrico . December 11, 2020 . Propaganda web: Pro-Marcos literature, sites, and online disinformation linked . en . ABS CBN News and Public Affairs . August 30, 2021 . March 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210305171007/https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/12/12/20/propaganda-web-pro-marcos-literature-sites-and-online-disinformation-linked . live .
  46. News: December 18, 2021 . VERA FILES FACT CHECK YEARENDER: Marcos Jr.'s presidential bid props up pro-Marcos propaganda . Vera Files . March 24, 2022.
  47. Web site: Mendoza . Gemma B. . November 22, 2019 . Networked propaganda: False narratives from the Marcos arsenal . . en-US.
  48. Web site: Lamb . Kate . August 2, 2017 . Wiki warriors: activists fighting to keep truth of brutal Marcos regime in Philippines alive . . en.
  49. News: Cabato . Regine . February 25, 2017 . The story of martial law from Ferdinand Marcos' confidante and press secretary . . May 9, 2022 . February 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220225020034/https://www.cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/politics/2019/3/5/conjugal-dictatorship.html . dead .
  50. Web site: Lisandro . Claudio . June 2, 2016 . What you didn't know: Pro-Marcos propaganda too hip for its own good . . en-US.
  51. Web site: Bentley . Jean . October 14, 2019 . Will Imelda Marcos Documentary 'The Kingmaker' Play in the Philippines? . . en.
  52. Web site: Enos . Morgan . November 8, 2019 . 'The Kingmaker' Tackles the Truths and 'Horrors' Surrounding Imelda Marcos . . en.
  53. Web site: Wilkinson . Alissa . November 14, 2019 . How to make a damning documentary about a world-class liar . . en.
  54. Web site: Miller . Julie . November 8, 2019 . The Kingmaker: Inside Imelda Marcos's Grand, Present-Day Delusions . . en-US.
  55. News: Dargis . Manohla . November 6, 2019 . 'The Kingmaker' Review: The Power and Vainglory of Imelda Marcos . en-US . . 0362-4331.
  56. News: Subingsubing . Krixia . September 22, 2020 . Revisionism, denialism: Academics explain views on Marcos era . . en.

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