[Book Launch] False Nostalgia: The Marcos "Golden Age" Myths and How to Debunk Them

The Ateneo University Press, together with the UP School of Economics, will launch a new book False Nostalgia: The Marcos "Golden Age" Myths and How to Debunk Them by economist and University of the Philippines assistant professor Jan Carlo Punongbayan. Slated for 24 February 2023 at 3:00 pm at the UP School of Economics Auditorium, UP Diliman, Quezon City, the launch will also be live-streamed on Zoom and the Facebook pages of Ateneo University Press and UP School of Economics.

False Nostalgia aims to tear down the myriad myths about the Marcoses that have proliferated for decades. Each chapter starts with a common myth or misconception about Marcos Sr.’s martial law and its economic aspects, followed by a quick rebuttal. Using hard facts and data written in accessible language, the book deep dives into various aspects of the Marcosian economy—from its infrastructure spree and trade and industrial policy that widely led to poverty and hunger. It gives the economic and political milieu of the time in both context and detail.

Punongbayan intends to contribute to the ongoing conversations among readers, not only with students and teachers but also, with the rest of the community. In clear, concise, and accessible writing, it hopes to collect and reflect on the facts of martial law economics. University of the Philippines (UP) School of Economics professor emeritus Solita Monsod shares that the joy of [reading False Nostalgia] is that Punongbayan combines seven years of scholarly research with simple, clear, and compelling writing.

Human Rights Lawyer and Free Legal Assistance Group Chair Atty. Chel Diokno comments that False Nostalgia will help “put a stop to the spread of false narratives and bring to light what really happened during one of the darkest periods in Philippine history.”

Joining the launch is a panel of discussants who are themselves authorities in various fields–historian and academic Maria Serena “Maris” Diokno for a historical perspective, journalist and author Marites Dañguilan Vitug for journalism, and economist and UP professor emeritus Emmanuel S. de Dios for another economic perspective.

The book launch is open to all. Pre-register at bit.ly/FN-launch.

Punongbayan hopes that the book equips readers with a “firmer grip on the truth and what really happened during that fateful episode in our history—to anchor us to the truth before our addiction to new media completely drowns us in a sea of lies and makes us collectively lose our grip on reality altogether.”

False Nostalgia: The Marcos “Golden Age” Myths and How to Debunk Them, published by Bughaw, an imprint of Ateneo de Manila University Press, is available for pre-order at 15% off. Order here bit.ly/FalseNostalgia-preorder. The book will also be available at the Ateneo Press’s online stores on February 27.

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About the author

JC Punongbayan is an assistant professor and graduate program director at the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE). He earned his PhD from UPSE in 2021, where in 2009, he graduated summa cum laude and was awarded the José Encarnación Jr. Award for Excellence in Economics and the Gerardo P. Sicat Award for Best Undergraduate Thesis. JC has been teaching economics since 2013 and has previously worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the World Bank Office in Manila, the Far Eastern University Public Policy Center, and the National Economic and Development Authority. He writes a weekly economics column for Rappler and is also the co-founder of Usapang Econ and co-host of the Usapang Econ Podcast.