By Hannah Torregoza and Ben Rosario Congress has ratified the measure that institutionalizes the teaching of Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education as a regular subject under the K to 12 curriculum. Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate basic education, arts, and culture committee, and primary sponsor of the bill, said the approved measure gives both GMRC and Values Education the same time allotment as that of the other core subjects. Both were removed as a regular subject when the K to 12 curriculum was implemented in 2013. Instead, it was integrated in the Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (ESP) and other subjects like Araling Panlipunan. Under the bicameral conference committee agreement, Gatchalian, who headed the bicam panel, said GMRC and Values Education will replace the current ESP subject. GMRC will be taught as a separate subject from Grades 1 to 6 and integrated in the daily learning activities of kindergarten students, while Values Education will also be taught as a regular subject from Grades 7 to 10, and integrated in current subjects in Grades 11 to 12, according to the senator. He said giving GMRC and Values Education the same time allotment as other subjects will help address the inadequacy of time currently allotted to ESP. Under the present curriculum, the ESP subject is only given 30 minutes per day at the primary level and two one-hour sessions per week at the secondary level. “Mahalaga ang GMRC at Values Education sa paghubog natin ng mga susunod na henerasyon ng mga mamamayang Filipino, ngunit napabayaan natin nitong mga nakaraang taon ang pagtuturo nito (GMRC and Values Education are both important in molding the next generation of Filipinos, but we neglected the teaching of these subjects for the past few years),” Gatchalian noted. “Sa pagpasa ng batas na ito, hindi lang natin ibabalik ang GMRC at Values Education, mapupunan din natin ang mga naging pagkukulang nito, (In passing this measure, we are not only bringing back GMRC and Values Education, we are also filling in whatever deficiencies there are in these subjects),”he pointed out. The measure mandates the inclusion of character-building activities such as role-playing in the classroom, community immersion, teacher-parent collaborations, school-initiated values formation, and other forms of experiential learning. The bill also gives preference to teachers with certification, diploma, and training on values education and allied disciplines to ensure those handling the teaching of the subject have the necessary expertise. Currently, 70 to 90 percent of teachers teaching Values Education are not certified to teach the subject. The lawmaker also emphasized that GMRC and Values Education will not be an additional cause of curriculum congestion, one of the biggest pain points in the implementation of the K to 12 program. Gatchalian noted a congested K to12 curriculum led to students’ insufficient mastery of basic competencies. For PRRD’s signature  The GMRC bill will be enrolled for the signing of President Duterte. Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, one of the principal authors of the bill in the Lower House, said the legislative measure will address the need to strengthen common core values and inculcate universally acceptable moral standards among Filipino youth. Cayetano said amid the rise of the digital age and increased exposure to the internet and social media, it is important to teach etiquette and moral uprightness to students during their formative years to preserve the values and identity of Filipinos. “The institutionalization of GMRC and values education in our education curriculum will greatly contribute to the development of a national moral uprightness program of the country, which is a key factor in nation-building,” he stated. “This measure is vital to prevent perennial problems of the society like corruption, crime and illegal drugs.” Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) was urged to implement some curriculum and instruction changes - particularly the restoration of Philippine History in the high school curriculum and mainstreaming inclusive instruction. “Many of our students lack affection for history because of the traditional method that is used, but perhaps there is a way to love history,” veteran history teacher and 2019 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Dr. Cristina Cristobal said. “We're not only teaching them facts, we want them to become critical thinkers,” she added. Cristobal also proposed the inclusion of teaching Philippine Government and Constitution for a school year, a bid she successfully pushed for in the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System’s social science curriculum. (With a report from Merlina Hernando-Malipot)