Book Review: MARTIAL LAW (Looking Back # 15) by Ambeth Ocampo

Martial Law by Ambeth R. Ocampo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"The pro-Marcos narrative continually foisted on us... is nothing but barefaced lies and half-truths. This is not historical revisionism, it is historical denialism."

I finished this book a few days after the living half of the conjugal dictatorship was given an award by the Chinese embassy for promoting intercultural ties. I'm continuously amazed at the amnesia of my own countrymen about the abuse our country went through, something that the whole world seems to know, and yet Filipinos ignore.

Which is why books and columns like Ambeth Ocampo's are very important. He seeks to shed light, a little at a time, with these simple articles that anyone can understand.

This fifteenth book in the LOOKING BACK series is probably the shortest, being only 98 pages long. But if I recall correctly what Mr. Ocampo said in one of his live lectures, this is only a preparatory book, a taste of what's to come when he publishes his book on the Marcos diaries.

I remember listening to the exciting story of how he got hold of a copy with bated breath, it would do James Bond proud.

How can we trust what Mr. Ocampo writes? Simple. He always mentions his sources. This complete transparency is what separates the honest man from the dishonest one.

I respect Ocampo for his meticulous mentioning of his references, always going to the primary sources. To illustrate the point, he said that he got in touch with the living children of Ferdinand Marcos so he could confirm whether or not the diaries had been written in their father's own hand (and they did confirm this).

Compare this to a family who lies so often they forget what is true: the false World War II medals of the patriarch, the false degrees they earned, the amount of money they stole.

In a country where we have not only forgotten but seem to have rewarded the crimes of this infamous family (where else can a deposed plunderer be buried in a cemetery meant for heroes?!), this is essential reading.

"All of this made me reflect on the value of history and historians against social media inundated by fake news and a world populated by those confronted with truth and yet believe what they want to believe."

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