THE ADMINISTRATION of the University of the Philippines-Diliman slammed the House of Representatives for passing the bill seeking to make September 11 a special non-working holiday in the province of Ilocos Norte to commemorate the birth of former president Ferdinand Marcos.

House Bill 7137, which seeks to declare September 11 as “President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day,” was passed on third and final reading with 197 affirmative votes, 9 negatives, and one abstention on September 2.

“Ang tahasang pagpipinta sa imahe ni Marcos bilang isang bayani ay kalapastanganan sa alaala ng mga biktima ng Martial Law!” UP said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The university called on students to voice their dissent against “historical revisionism” and reminded its community to remember that Marcos is not a hero.

Several student organizations across the UP system echoed the same sentiment and noted that Filipinos should not commemorate a thief.

If the bill gets enacted into law, it will supersede President Rodrigo Duterte’s proclamation in 2017 making September 11 a special  non-working holiday in the province.