We are living in interesting times. The age of information has ushered to us the blessing of knowing the past, interpreting the present,  and envisioning the future. But the downpour of information creating the vast seas of knowledge does not promise the purity of its water.

The recent histories have proven to us that information is neutral and intention is dominant. The rise of authoritarian regimes has co-opted and twisted information-making and information dissemination as part of its arsenal of weapons to exact its intentions and recreate an understanding of the world useful to them.

The Marcos regime despite the grandness of its opulence, corruption, and violence has, in a way, succeeded in turning the tides of narratives to their advantage. Historical revisionism has never been more physical, tangible, and visible in their pursuit of perpetual spring cleaning of the dirt of the Martial Law era. Fake news and revised version of facts has led to general public understanding and acceptance of the Marcosian “Golden Age”.

“Maganda at maayos ang Pilipinas noong panahon ni Marcos”, the narratives of the public said.

But in small pockets and islands of resistance, advocates and truth-tellers continue to push back against this revisionism. Efforts to dismantle misinformation, disinformation, and censorship abound in the circles of progressives, victims, and historical academics.

In the larger scheme of things and stepping back to see the big picture, the clout of advocates of the preservation of truthful histories are dwindling due to the passing of time. The threat of forgetting and irrelevance is imminent as the experiences and memories of the draconian rule of the 60s and 70s are lodged in the minds and voices of an aging generation –  exhausted and spent despite its passion for truth and justice.

In the drive to preserve and memorialize the struggle, the call to continue the telling and retelling of the stories has never been more important. We learn from history so that we do not make the same mistakes again. In the next steps and progression to achieve this goal lies the importance of new storytellers to be born and taught. The youth of today,  in full faith of their generation’s empathy, sensitivity, and sense of justice, are called to take up space to be the new historians.