Remembering the way we were

The next four weeks, close to the end of another school year, offer another opportunity for teachers to expose their students to a chapter of recent history still not properly documented or rendered the importance it deserves in textbooks—the curse of the martial law years, the almost miraculous ascent to power of the woman garbed in yellow, and the phenomenal Edsa Revolution that inspired many other peaceful revolutions in the world.

Today’s students who may not know of the life and times of Cory Aquino will surely be fascinated with the story of the reluctant housewife turned president. Never mind if the “motive question,” to put it in teacher jargon, is Cory as wife of Ninoy the martyred hero, mother to celebrity daughter Kris, and the incumbent albeit reluctant president as well.

Cory Aquino’s 80th birthday last Jan. 25 led us to recall once more her role in dismantling martial rule and the conjugal dictatorship and restoring democracy.  It is no mere coincidence that a month to the day, the country celebrates the Edsa Revolution on Feb. 25, with the collective resolve to never again allow any form of dictatorship to creep back.

Two books for elementary students come to mind as valuable resources: Lara Saguisag’s biography “Ninoy Aquino: A Courageous Homecoming” in English (Bookmark, 2008) and Augie Rivera’s “Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara Ang Batas Militar” illustrated by Brian Vallesteros with English text (Adarna House, 2001). Related books are Ed Maranan’s biography of Ed Jopson and that of Lin Acacio Flores on Jaime V. Ongpin from the Bookmark series Modern Heroes for the Filipino Youth.

Fortunately, there are fairly recent releases that high school and college classrooms can use: “Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years” by Susan F. Quimpo and Nathan Gilbert Quimpo (Anvil Publishing, 2012) and  “Not on our Watch: Martial Law Really Happened; We Were There,” painful experiences of 14 student activists who were members of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines during the Marcos regime.

This is history retold not through cold statistics and historical data to be memorized, but real-life, flesh-and-blood, touching experiences that make the learning of history more relevant and more memorable. It is time that the Edsa Revolution unit that typically is ongoing now in schools went further back than the four days often cited as leading to the successful bloodless revolution on Feb. 25, 1986. A thoughtful question for students: When did the Edsa Revolution actually begin?

It has also just happily occurred to me that an event presently being organized by the Ateneo Library of Women’s Writings (Aliww), the special section of the Rizal Library which houses and documents the writing lives of Filipino women writers, will also very naturally focus on the years of the dictatorship and the return of democracy. That was not the original intent, but that dark period was this group of writers’ reason for being, the era that forged their crusading ways, which remain today.

The Women Writers in Media Now (Then?), or Women, was born in 1981. It is a collective of women journalists that “fought and continues to fight for press freedom and human rights, upholds integrity, honesty and professionalism.”  While many other women journalists fought for the same causes, the remarkable characteristic of the members of Women is that they have remained faithful friends through three decades. Aliww director and woman writer Rica Bolipata Santos envisions this exhibit, which opens on Feb. 21, as a celebration of achievements in media and publishing and as a prelude to Edsa and Women’s Month.

The exhibit will feature 18 Women writers, namely Leonor Aureus Briscoe, Arlene Babst-Vokey, Sheila S. Coronel, Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, Fanny A. Garcia, Mila Astorga-Garcia, Sol F. Juvida, Fe Panaligan Koons, Marra PL. Lanot, Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon, Sylvia L. Mayuga, Gemma Nemenzo, Lilia Quindoza Santiago, Paulynn Paredes Sicam, Rochit I. Tañedo, Marites Dañguilan Vitug, Criselda Yabes, and myself.

The Ateneo students who, it is hoped, will be curious to read the books authored by these women writers after being introduced to the personas behind the bylines, will also participate in the annual Paz Marquez Benitez Memorial Lecture on Feb. 21 at 3 p.m., Escaler Hall. (Paz Marquez Benitez is acknowledged as the first successful Filipino woman writer in English. She is remembered and read today through her short story “Dead Stars.”) The lecture will feature Ceres Doyo on the years of writing dangerously, Marites Vitug on navigating lawsuits and online writing, and Jo-Ann Maglipon on raising the bar for  entertainment writing.

Women members have been asked to showcase a sample of their writing on their respective exhibition panel. It does not come as a surprise that many of the choices refer to the years of the antidictatorship struggle and the rise of Cory Aquino. Another resource to present and teach history to students. Lest we one day forget.

Neni Sta. Romana Cruz (nenisrcruz@gmail.com) is chair of the National Book Development Board, a trustee of Teach for the Philippines, and a member of the Eggie Apostol Foundation.