House OKs GMRC bill on 2nd reading

The chamber passed through voice vote House Bill 5829, or the proposed Good Manners and Right Conduct Act, which was principally authored by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on second reading a measure institutionalizing values education in the curriculum by incorporating “Good Manners and Right Conduct” (GMRC) as a subject in Kindergarten up to Grade 3.

The chamber passed through voice vote House Bill 5829, or the proposed Good Manners and Right Conduct Act, which was principally authored by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

In his sponsorship speech, House Committee on Basic Education and Culture chairman Roman Romulo noted that the current values education program, which is under the subject called Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP), lacks the actual and situational activities necessary so that the students could embed the values in day-to-day life.

“Currently, they have a subject called EsP but the subject itself is being taught in a theoretical manner, meaning definitions are taught and memorized,” Romulo said.

“What we want and what we have put in this bill is that the teaching of Good Manners and Right Conduct be also actual and situational so that the learners from Kinder to Grade 3 would be able to imbibe properly the lessons for the day,” he added.

The bill seeks to institutionalize GMRC as part of the EsP curriculum of the Department of Education’s K to 12 Program.

The GMRC shall inculcate among the students the concepts of human dignity, respect for oneself, and giving oneself to others in the spirit of community, for the effective and holistic development of the decision-making skills of the child.

The curriculum shall also focus on the basic tenets of GMRC, such as caring for oneself, giving concern for others, according to proper respect to people, upholding discipline and order, cultivating sincerity, honesty, obedience, and above all, love for the country.

“The teaching method shall be actual or situational, rather than conceptual, thereby, allowing the studentry to directly relate to the lessons, readily put them in practice, and make such behavior commonplace,” the bill read.

The Department of Education, as the lead implementing agency, shall carry out the appropriate training for teachers and educators in levels kindergarten to grade 3 on GMRC in order to develop and enhance their capacity to teach the subject.

Cayetano pushed for the passage of the bill to strengthen the Filipinos’ common core values and inculcate universally acceptable moral standards.