SEVERAL universities on Tuesday condemned the crimes committed during Martial Law, saying that “Filipinos must always remember history.”

The Ateneo De Manila University described the Martial Law period as one of the “darkest, most shameful, and most painful chapters” in the country’s history.

“Martial Law is a period in the story of the Filipino nation that is too critical, too important to be forgotten,” ADMU said in a statement.

“But for the past few decades the memories of that period have been slowly receding in our rear-view mirror. Many of those who experienced the atrocities first-hand – Filipinos who suffered in the hands of fellow Filipinos – are now gone,” it added.

Ateneo said its biggest challenge as an educational institution is to “make sure that we, as a nation, will never forget.”

To achieve this, the school said that the Ateneo Martial Law Museum aims “to preserve our collective memory, fight historical revisionism, and promote engaged citizenship especially among the youth.”

It also urged the public to keep the memory of Martial Law to avoid the same mistakes.

“We owe it to those who sacrificed their lives, those who fought the darkness so that we may live freely. We owe it to the succeeding generations of Filipinos, so that they may never ever experience it,” ADMU said.

The University of Makati, meanwhile, pointed out that there is freedom now because Filipinos “fought and sacrificed for it during the Martial Law era.

“The University of Makati is one with the nation’s commemoration of the 49th Anniversary of the Martial Law declaration, UM said on Facebook post. “May we all strive for true development by upholding our freedoms with honor and gratitude.”

The University of the Philippines slammed the myths surrounding Martial Law and the Marcos regime itself.

UP said educators, historians, and human rights advocates must come together to “set the record” straight.

The university encouraged individuals to attend its week-long virtual commemoration to honor Filipinos’ struggle under the Marcos regime entitled “Dambana ng Gunita: Mga Batayang Katotohanan at Aral ng Batas Militar.”