Historians: ‘History Is Like Tsismis’ Remark Raises Red Flags

The recent statement of actress Ella Cruz likening history to “tsismis” (gossip) only shows that there is a crisis in the Philippines when it comes to appreciating and valuing the past, a historian said on Monday, July 4.

“It only shows that history is in crisis in the country. If we Filipinos like Miss Ella Cruz treat history as mere ‘tsismis’ then we really have a problem with how we view and interpret past events. And we’re definitely on the edge of this crisis,” University of the Philippines (UP) – Baguio history lecturer Zuriel Domingo told The Philippine STAR / OneNews.PH in an email interview.

Domingo emphasized that one factor that contributed to the disregard of history is the removal of the Philippine history subject in high school. Currently, the study of Philippine history is being taught in Grades 5 to 6, and no longer in Grade 7 or the start of junior high school as the change was in line with the implementation of the K-12 program in 2014.

Another factor, Domingo said, was the rise of vloggers who distort history for political propaganda and disinformation.

He cited The STAR columnist Boo Chanco, who previously wrote that Philippine history now has a version of “alternative facts.” 

“You have a Philippine history based on historians’ scholarship, on the one hand, (and) a version of Philippine history based on Facebook and TikTok factoids (on the other),” Domingo said.

“And now, this downplaying of the seriousness of history like gossip or hearsay, there is really a crisis,” he added.

Over the weekend, 25-year-old Cruz drew flak on social media over her remark that “history is like tsismis – it’s filtered and dagdag na rin (it’s filtered and supplemented).”

“So hindi natin talaga alam (We don’t know) what’s the real history. Nandun na ‘yung idea, pero alam mo ‘yun, may mga bias pa rin talaga, alam natin ‘yan pero as long as we're here, we’re all alive and meron tayong mga kanya-kanyang opinion (The idea is there, but you know, the bias is also present as long but as long as we're here, we're all alive and we all have our own opinions), I respect everyone’s opinion,” she said in an interview with TV5 entertainment journalist MJ Marfori last June 16. Her quote later resurfaced recently.

Cruz was promoting her upcoming movie “Maid in Malacañang,” a Viva Films-produced movie about the last three days of the Marcoses inside Malacañang before their exile in Hawaii as a result of the 1986 EDSA people power revolution.

Cruz plays Irene Marcos-Araneta, daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and sister of President Marcos.

According to Domingo, there is “nothing wrong” with the release of the upcoming film as this is “one way to publicize historical knowledge.”

“My issues, however, are who the consultants were. Is there any? How accurate is this retelling? Worst is that this film can be a source of historical distortion or disinformation that will significantly impact the public’s knowledge of history,” the UP-Baguio lecturer argued.

‘There are tsismis in history, but…’

For his part, De La Salle University (DLSU) history professor Jose Victor Torres said he is giving Cruz the benefit of the doubt when it comes to her statement, adding that he too tells his students that there are rumors when it comes to the study of history.

“Ang problema lang, you cannot put them into a formal lesson because that's what they are: they are tsismis, they are gossip,” Torres told The STAR / OneNews.PH in a separate online interview on Monday.

“It's unverifiable and like what Ambeth Ocampo said, it ends up opinionated and it ends up, sometimes, as lies…As historians, we do not propagate lies,” Torres added, referring to the Ateneo de Manila University historian.

“Admittedly there are gossips that historians talk about, so it's sometimes fun to talk about (them). But it doesn't mean that (they’re) true. (Just because) historians will joke about (them), it doesn't mean (they’re) true. But when lies become part of history, it is always the job of historians to verify (and correct them),” Torres added.

But is history biased? Torres said that teaching about the country’s past is never objective, but subjective.

“Since it is subjective, lumalabas na ‘yung biases (the biases start to show), but it is always the job of the historian to show everything. Probably what she meant by bias is may binabawasan na fact (the removal of some facts). That is bias. But when you present all of the facts and give your interpretation, dito lumalabas ‘yung subjectiveness (this is where subjectiveness comes in),” Torres pointed out.

But the DLSU historian pointed out that while everyone has their own opinion when it comes to looking at history, that opinion “should be formed with a proper methodology.” He then cited the idea of historians’ scholarship, where perspectives of history would change based on later research.

“But the way this actress says that everything is biased, everyone has their own opinion, of course not. Everyone may have his/her own opinion but it's not opinion that’s drawn out from imagination, it is opinion drawn out of what data that is existing,” he said.

‘Belittling years of hard work’

Torres later emphasized that it was important that he and his fellow historians spoke up about the statement as it was somehow an attack on their reputation as scholars of history.

“That is what I said sa Facebook: she was belittling years of our hard work, she says that tsismis lang pala ‘yung ginawa natin (our work is just gossip), eh ‘di sana ‘di na ako nag-publish ng libro (then I should not have bothered to publish a book) or anything about it, so we made a statement,” he said.

“Probably she didn't mean it, we don't know. But pinaghirapan namin ‘yung ginawa namin (Our works are products of diligence). I've been a historian for like 40 years now, and I’m not saying I’m holding 40 years of tsismis, mahirap sabihin ‘yun (it’s difficult to say that). What we are doing is putting up a signboard na sinabing (that stated) ‘Hindi ganyan kadali. Hindi ka madaling magsabi ng ganyan tungkol sa reputasyon namin (It’s shouldn’t be that easy. It shouldn’t be easy to say something that will damage about our reputation),” he added.

The DLSU historian expressed hope that the statement doesn’t become a “flash in the pan” that will somehow trigger Filipinos to study and realize the importance of the works of historians.

“I hope it has a good effect of letting the people know and understand what historians are trying to do in writing their history,” Torres said.

Domingo also emphasized that Filipinos should treat history “as equally important as math and science.”

“How many more wake-up calls or Ella Cruz-like statements do we need to notice the elephant in the room? But I encourage the public to read more books about history and listen more to real historians, but of course, remain as doubting Thomases,” Domingo said.