The author of a book debunking the myths of the so-called Golden Age under former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. discussed the topic to students, faculty members, and staff of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) and external participants at the UPV Auditorium, Iloilo City campus, May 22.
Dr. Jan Carlo “JC” Punongbayan, author and Assistant Professor at the UP School of Economics, was joined by Chancellor Clement Camposano and Dr. Rosalie Arcala-Hall, Political Science Professor and Scientist III from the College of Arts and Sciences, in a discussion on his book titled “False Nostalgia: The Marcos ‘Golden Age’ Myths and How to Debunk Them” and other topics related to digitally-enabled disinformation.
Punongbayan presented the three parts of the book which focused on claims of an ideal administration, the Philippine economy during the Marcos administration and post-EDSA, and the Marcos family’s wealth.
He extensively talked about the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, the dip in GDP attributed to the “Ninoy Shock,” growth in numbers of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and poverty rate during the Martial Law years.
Arcala-Hall shared the military’s perception of the roles of their predecessors and how the operations of civil society organizations were affected during that era, based on one of her studies.
Meanwhile, Camposano talked about the current state of accessing information and data online and being fed with content based on algorithm. He likewise discussed the challenges of separating legitimate information from disinformation.
During the open forum, the three discussants were asked by the students about the proliferation of disinformation and historical distortion of the Martial Law years, especially in digital spaces.
Generally, the discussants told the participants to be more discerning when consuming news and information online and to continue fighting disinformation and fake news.
Punongbayan also gave an update on his book, published by the Ateneo Press and launched in February this year. The book is currently in its third printing and constantly sold out on popular eCommerce apps.
He said that it is “elating” to note that his book is used by some high school teachers for their social studies subject. He has an upcoming talk at the Philippine Book Festival on June 2 in Pasay City.
The event was made possible through the Academic Program Improvement (API) Fund of the UPV College of Arts and Sciences under the leadership of Dean Alice Joan G. Ferrer.
