MANILA — Outgoing Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Tuesday urged the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make sure that the country's history and its lessons will be properly taught in schools.

Briones was a victim of Martial Law under the regime of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the namesake and father of Marcos Jr.

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"Hindi ako napapagod na ulit-ulitin na [mag] catch up tayo sa nangyayari sa mundo, ano nangyayari sa pinakabago, pinaka-exciting na development pero huwag natin kalimutan, kailangan itanim natin sa isip natin yung ating kasaysayan, yung hirap na dinanas din natin bilang isang bansa, yung ating mga bayani," Briones told reporters after the "Duterte Legacy Summit" event in Pasay City on what the next administration should prioritize.

"That makes us distinct from perhaps robots or machines," she added.

Aside from continuing the Duterte administration's education programs, she said the incoming government should also make sure that children will have access to free and quality education.

"We are looking forward na magpatuloy ang mandato ng Konstitusyon natin sa Pilipinas na each Filipino child has the right to quality education ... Sana hindi natin sila ma-deprive nitong karapatan nila sa education," she said.

Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio will replace Briones as Department of Education secretary under the incoming Marcos government.

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After Marcos Jr.'s father was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016 amid overwhelming criticism from sectors and Martial Law victims, Briones said she ordered a review of how that piece of Philippine history has been taught in schools.

Briones said this was part of DepEd's commitment to human rights.

In 2018, the education chief pushed back against historical revisionism made by pro-administration blogger Mocha Uson, who claimed that the People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos administration was "fake news."

"I was there when the EDSA Revolution happened. It's a national and global event that was a turning point in our country's history. An opinion poll will not change the fact that EDSA Revolution happened and it is recorded in our country's history," she said in a tweet.

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Media experts have said that disinformation propaganda in the country intensified most especially in the elections, with Marcos Jr. greatly benefiting from it.

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Marcos Jr.'s incoming press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles earlier in the day said questioning historical events should not be prohibited, claiming that "discourse" is important.

"Some ideas need discourse, some ideas are open to investigation, some ideas are supported, certain ideas can always be questioned but it doesn't mean that they will come up with a different conclusion," said Angeles.

Since returning to the Philippines in 1991 from a 5-year exile in Hawaii after his father's overthrow in a "People Power" uprising, Marcos and his family have been trying to rebuild their image, which was tainted by human rights violations and corruption during the Marcos dictatorship.

The government has recovered P174 billion in the Marcoses' ill-gotten wealth, according to the Presidential Commission on Good Government.

— with reports from Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

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