Dark Age versus Golden Age: History Wars over the Memories of the Marcos Era in the Philippines

Abstract

History wars in the Philippines over the memories of the Marcos era exploded in the open in the months leading to the 2022 presidential elections. They are evident in the bitter and sustained clashes between the proponents of two opposing narratives, the Dark Age versus the Golden Age. This essay seeks to explore the factors that enabled the development of these sharply opposing narratives and what does such development imply about the character of the contemporary Philippine politics and public consumption of history. It shows that these clashing narratives have evolved alongside the shifting power relations in the country between the Marcoses and their supporters, on the one hand, and the broad coalition of groups that opposed them, on the other. While both narratives are problematic as historical knowledge, they are potent as political tools for their respective proponents and opponents. The shifting grounds of politics in the country fueled ambiguities not only in what counts as history but in who or what constitute the conservative and the progressive in the country’s historical narratives.