Duterte signs GMRC bill into law

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure institutionalizing Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) as a subject under the K-12 curriculum.

Duterte signed Republic Act 11476, or the GMRC and Values Education Act, on Thursday, according to Senate Majority Leader  Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author of the bill in the Senate.

The said law institutionalizes a comprehensive GMRC and Values Education program in the K-12 curriculum, replacing the current Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao curriculum.

Zubiri said the law would mandate the integration of GMRC into daily activities at the kindergarten level. The subject will be taught as a separate subject from Grades 1 to 6.

Students from Grades 7 to 10, meanwhile, will be taught Values Education, into which GMRC will be incorporated.

For those in Grades 11 and 12, Values Education will be integrated into all subjects under the K-12 curriculum.

GMRC was removed as a regular subject in 2013 and was integrated with other subjects, such as the Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (ESP) and Araling Panlipunan, under the new K-to-12 program.

“The signing of the GMRC and Values Education Act is really timely. I hope the Department of Education can work on the [implementing rules and regulations] in time for the opening of classes come August,” Zubiri said in a statement

“With many schools set on implementing distance learning, it’s going to be even more vital that we give our students formative guidance through GMRC and Values Education,” he added.

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