Isko Moreno vows to do more to bring back GMRC, strengthen STEM program
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno met with education officials on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, to discuss the return of GMRC in schools. (Photo from his office)
MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso vowed on Tuesday to do more bring back the Good Manners and Right Conduct program in all schools and strengthen the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program in senior high schools.
Moreno made the statement during a meeting with officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Manila Division of City Schools.
Specifically, he said the City Hall would conduct information dissemination through such venues seminars on the GMRC program for students and teachers.
The main goal in reviving the program, he said, would be to get people to have “respect and compassion for each other” even though they might disagree on certain issues.
According to him, inculcating concern — “malasakit” — for each other is a key for everything else.
“Ang malasakit kasi, it’s a big word,” he said.
“There are many things implied in it — respect, appreciation, discipline. When you care, you’ll understand naturally even the small things,” he added.
[Originall statement in Filipino: “Maraming nang nakapaloob doon – respeto, pagpapahalaga, disiplina. When you care, you’ll understand naturally ultimo yung maliliit na bagay.”]
Education officials who were present in the meeting were DepEd’s Bureau of Curriculum Development chief Isabel Victorino and director Joyce Andaya, supervising specialist Mark Bercando, and Manila Division of City Schools head Dr. Magdalena Lim.
In the same meeting, Moreno said city hall would also help strengthen the STEM program in senior high schools by building more science and math laboratories.
“We’ll be glad to support — anything that we can do in our own little way, with the help of the superintendent and the school board, to redirect, go back towards a journey of developing the next generation, the next Batang Maynila while we address the existing one and bring it back right to the community,” he said.
Teachers play a key part in molding children into responsible citizens since a big part of their time is spent in schools, Moreno said.
The meeting was held as the national government was also discussing the implementing rules and regulations of the GMRC and Values Education Act (Republic Act No. 11476).
Under that law, the GMRC program will be taught as a separate subject for students from Grade 1 to Grade 12, with the same time allotment as other subjects.
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