The Department of Education on Monday blasted allegations that they are engaging in historical disinformation or distortion by changing the term "Diktadurang Marcos" to "Diktadura' in the Araling Panlipunan curriculum of Grade 6 students under the MATATAG curriculum.

In an interview, DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development director Jocelyn Andaya stressed that the term is not a form of revisionism because "ultimately and inevitably in the discussion of this it will always leave to of who will implement it."

"There is no revisionism here," said Andaya, adding that even if the term "Marcos" was removed in the "Diktadurang Marcos," the name of the late dictator will always be included in the actual discussion of the Araling Panlipunan subject on the issue of dictatorship.

Andaya also said that the Araling Panlipunan curriculum is divided into several phases, adding that in the phase of challenges to democracy, among the issues that will be discussed are the 1972 declaration of martial law and the subsequent Marcos dictatorship, the emasculation of democratic institutions, such as the legislature, during the said period, human rights abuses, ill-gotten wealth, the fight against the dictatorship and the killing of opposition senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino in 1983.

"The name Ferdinand Marcos Sr. cannot be removed in the actual discussion on the subject of dictatorship. That is why there is no revisionism here and we will never allow it to happen," Andaya said.

She also denied there was any political pressure with the move, saying the plan to change the term was also presented to Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte but not the "nitty-gritty" details.

"There is no pressure from anyone. This is just an academic discourse as part of our strand. So, it is purely an academic discussion. It is an academic discourse that we always observe and follow as we review and revise the curriculum," Andaya said.