By Charissa M. Luci-Atienza Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo is proposing the inclusion of values formation in the curriculum of all public and private elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Castelo, chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, sought the inclusion of values formation as a separate subject in the school curriculum. He laments that children in the 21st century increasingly lose touch with the basic values and virtues that should govern their daily affairs. "While values education should start at home, it is incumbent on the government to ensure that children are adequately instructed on moral values such as godliness, love, truthfulness, justice, human dignity, respect, patriotism and democracy among others," he said. "It is in the best interest of national development that children are sufficiently trained in these ethical values during their formative years," he said in filing House Bill 7757. Castelo said the thrust of the Basic Education Curriculum of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the elementary and secondary levels - that integrates values development in core subjects such as Science, Mathematics, English and Filipino including the addition of Makabayan to the curriculum to enable students to learn a wide range of practical skills and values - appears to be inadequate. "There should be a separate subject in values formation that allows pedagogy to foreground values formation itself. A continuing subject in values formation in the elementary and secondary curricula shall ensure the cultivation of the desirable values, mindset and ethical knowledge among our children," he said.