That We May Not Forget:
UPOU Statement on the UP Day of Remembrance
As the University of the Philippines (UP) marks the 53rd year of the imposition of Martial Law with the Day of Remembrance, we take a stand against recent attempts to reframe the legacy of Martial Law and contradict historical facts. Just as the UP Oblation symbolizes not only selfless service but also the pursuit of truth, we affirm our responsibility as a public university not only to teach history faithfully but also create spaces where people can reflect on and learn from the past.
Scholars have long documented the detrimental effects of Martial Law. An estimated 11,000 individuals were subjected to human rights violations during this period including unlawful arrests, detention, summary executions, and disappearance. The economy, propped up by foreign debts and crony capitalism led to poverty, unemployment, inflation, and capital flight. Logging concessions to cronies worsened environmental degradation. All these economic and political crises led to the People Power Revolution in 1986 that ended the dictatorship.
More than five decades have passed, yet social justice remains elusive to the human rights victims. Socioeconomic inequality persists, disasters are worsened by environmental destruction and systemic/institutional corruption, and misinformation continues to undermine democratic processes.
As a University that is guided by a vision of sustainability, accessibility, and openness in public governance, we believe that genuine development prioritizes people’s welfare, ecological balance, and citizen’s participation in governance. Sustainable development requires an empowered citizenry — learned, capable, and socially aware and responsible.
As part of UP, we envision to produce graduates imbued with a deep sense of responsibility to the nation, the skills to improve human life, and a commitment to freedom and welfare. We shall continue to teach history (kasaysayan) as a way for learners to understand current Philippine realities/society based on its historical roots. As an open university, we offer online courses on critical digital literacies to equip our learners to discern truth from online misinformation. We also aim to integrate the core values of sustainability not only in our academic programs but also in managing our operations.
We have been described by some as a nation with a short memory. We must resist the revision of history by seeing it not merely as a collection of people and events but as a lens to make sense of our current conditions and how we can create a more just, humane, and thriving society for the nation.
#UPOpenUniversity
