It has been a decade since the passing of historian and writer Letizia Roxas Constantino. We feel her absence deeply.
For Letizia, “Education is not a politically neutral enterprise.” In support of teachers across the nation, Letizia considered “Teacher militancy in defense of teachers’ rights and prerogatives” vital to the realization of a free, just, and prosperous society. She was just as clear about the goal and context of teaching, regardless of the government in place:A “climate of repression and militarization and violation of human rights are ultimately traceable to economic policies instituted to benefit foreign interests and our own ruling elite. . . More than ever, we need teachers who, despite political constraints, will try their best to infuse in a new generation that firm nationalist commitment that will reverse the process of denationalization and deFilipinization of our economy, culture, and society.” *

Learn more about Letizia and her epic romance with Renato Constantino and the concept of a usable history in #PastsRevisited, an ongoing exhibit at the Yuchengco Museum, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Ave. cor. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City.
* Speech delivered at the Education Forum Symposium, 27 September 1985, St. Joseph’s College.