Commission on Human Rights INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Wednesday urged government agencies to “replicate” the Department of Education’s (DepEd) commitment to stand against human rights violations such as red-tagging, trolling, and extrajudicial killings.
This is in light of DepEd’s choice to include topics in its draft of the new primary education curriculum for Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies).
“DepEd’s decision to incorporate the recognition of red-tagging, trolling, and extrajudicial killings as human rights violations into its curriculum is a significant step towards promoting a culture of respect for human rights and the rule of law among young Filipinos,” said the CHR in a statement.
The CHR said red-tagging silences those crucial to the government and advocating for peace.
“CHR hopes that this commitment from the DepEd is replicated by other stakeholders and government agencies to protect and promote human rights in all aspects of Philippines society,” it said.
Furthermore, the CHR said that DepEd should ensure that the curriculum is implemented based on human rights principles.
“We also call on other branches of the government to take concrete steps to address the root causes of red-tagging and ensure that those responsible for human rights violations are held accountable,” the CHR added.
Last April 19, DepEd released the draft revised curriculum guides for Kindergarten to Grade 10, which included various basic education subjects such as English, Filipino, Mathematics, and Araling Panlipunan.
The DepEd secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte, is the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The former president has been widely criticized for his bloody war on drugs, which saw a rise in EJKs nationwide. With reports from Aliah Gumasing, INQUIRER.net trainee
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