ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Friday challenged presidential aspirants to honor the heroic struggles of Filipinos against foreign invaders by fighting for genuine independence.

She hurled the challenge during the commemoration of the Filipino-American War Memorial Day.

Castro and former Rep. Antonio Tinio authored Republic Act 11304 or the Filipino-American War Memorial Day Act.

RA 11304 requires the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to ensure that appropriate activities are held in schools to commemorate the holiday.

“This year marked the 123rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Philippine-American War. We will always remember and commemorate the heroic struggles of our fellow Filipinos who fought against the invasion, oppression, and intervention of a foreign power. They will serve as a reminder for Filipinos of the nationalist principles of those who fought in the war and prevent historical revisionism,” Castro said.

“Many Filipinos are not even familiar with the names and the sacrifices of our heroes from the Filipino-American war. With the exclusion of Philippine history as a separate subject in basic education, we can only expect that the youth would be less familiar with the events and heroic struggles our heroes face during this time,” Castro added.

From 1899 until the late 1910s, the Philippine-American War has been described as one of the most heroic struggles, sparking various resistance movements throughout the country such as those led by General Antonio Luna, Simeon Ola, Macario Sakay, and the Pulajanes.

Castro said that this is the reason they filed House Bill 8621 to bring back Philippine History as a subject in high school.

“We also filed House Resolution 688 urging the government of the United States of America to issue an apology for the atrocities committed by its military forces against the Filipino people during the Philippine-American War and the imposition of US colonial rule,” she said.

Castro reminded the presidential aspirants that they must not let the Filipino people forget the atrocities of the US against the Filipino people during the Filipino-American war.