PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte wants to revise all history text books by scrapping the portion where the Spaniards discovered the Philippines on March 16, 1521.
In a chance interview, the eldest child of 33th Sulu King Jamalul Kiram III, Jacel, said Duterte, who has repeatedly told crowds he has Chinese blood in his lineage, had agreed to correct the Philippine history where the country had a government through a Sultanate even before the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century.
“It’s high time to correct history and include some points in history that were not included in the books,” Kiram said in the interview.
Kiram said she was able to talk with the President and was surprised how Duterte was very aware of the Philippine history.
“I was able to speak to him [Duterte] about this…I was so delighted with the response of the President. He knows the history,” she added.
Kiram said China would help in revising Philippine history textbooks and that would happen in September.
There was no immediate reaction from Filipino historians.
Kiram said the Philippines had “trade relations with neighboring countries and we had diplomatic relations in 1417 in Ming Dynasty.”
Legal experts say diplomatic relations refers to the customary diplomatic intercourse between nations which involves permanent contact and communication between sovereign countries.
Through the help of the Philippine-China People’s Friendship & Communication Association and the Go Hans Culture Development Ltd., Kiram said they would hold information awareness campaign about the Sultanate.
“This event is part of an information campaign…there are events we are planning to do like film, documentary, educational forum in China and Philippines,” Kiram said.