Critique of the Tasaday "discovery" In the 1970s, Salazar was among a number of scholars who questioned the validity of whether the recently discovered
Tasaday people had indeed developed their civilization completely isolated from the Philippines since the Stone Age. He and anthropologist Jerome Bailen called the "discovery" a hoax perpetrated by President
Ferdinand Marcos to increase tourism.
Participation in the Diliman Commune and detention in Fort Bonifacio His participation in the
Diliman Commune increased tensions; when Marcos declared
martial law in 1972, Salazar was imprisoned. He shared a cell with historian
William Henry Scott, with whom he had many disagreements and arguments.
Butch Dalisay was a prisoner in the same block and reportedly drew caricatures of Scott and Salazar in his 1992 novel
Killing Time in a Warm Place. Salazar's three-year sentence was reduced to three months after his friend
Leticia Ramos-Shahani, sister of future president
Fidel V. Ramos, became involved.
Ghostwriting Tadhana Along with other historians, including
Serafin Quiason Jr.,
Samuel K. Tan, Fe Mangahas, and
Reynaldo Ileto, Salzar began ghostwriting
Tadhana: The History of the Filipino People, a multi-volume history book commissioned by Marcos. His participation was controversial, with some accusing him of colluding with Marcos, while others believed Salazar was using Marcos to further his studies. Professor Portia Reyes from the
National University of Singapore pointed out that "participation in the project allowed [Salazar] to conduct research, to travel abroad and to contribute to the production of scholarly tomes." Salazar himself argued that the commissioner does not matter so long as the project is for the
common good. == Chairmanship of the UP history department ==