Don’t move on, move forward

This is a reaction to your article “Intel chief Red-tags publishing company” (News, 5/14/22). Red-tagging of booksellers seems to be a dangerous pattern. In March this year, Popular Bookstore and Solidaridad Book Shop facades were spray-painted with an anti-communist slogan. Now, Adarna House is being Red-tagged for publishing and selling books about Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s martial law.

Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) was quoted as saying that Adarna House books about martial law were “planting hate and lies in the tender hearts of our children.”

While National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (Nica) director-general Alex Paul Monteagudo stated, “What is dangerous here is you’re presenting an issue of martial law in children’s books. When you teach that to kids, you are planting seeds of hatred and dissent in the minds of these children.”

But martial law in the Philippines was real. Tens of thousands were arbitrarily imprisoned, tortured, killed, and went missing. Marcos held absolute power, thus he was dubbed a dictator. Being in full control of political power, he maneuvered the economy to favor and benefit his family and cronies. Of Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth, P174 billion have been recovered as of 2020, while P125 billion are still under litigation.

All of the above are immortalized in books and periodicals, which are substantiated by documents and other reliable sources.

Moreover, it is NOT wrong to hate absolute control, murder, thievery, corruption, and falsehoods; it is righteous to revolt against these evil deeds, especially if it is done against the people and at the expense of the country.

Presumptive president candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., a key administrator of the Marcoses’ unexplained wealth, and his cohorts whenever confronted with the issue of martial law and ill-gotten wealth brushes it aside and says to just “move on.”

Because of the huge margin Marcos Jr. enjoyed from “No. 2,” Leni Robredo, in the May 9 elections, people in his camp are telling the other side to “move on.”

To “move on” is lackadaisical analysis, because to just “move on” will only make us go round in circles. It is imperative to study, know and learn history so that our country will move forward.

GERALDIINE PO
Popular Bookstore
pobost@yahoo.com.ph