Marikina lawmaker eyes ethics classes for students to beat corruption

Marikina City Representative Marcelino Teodoro (Photo by mmda.gov.ph)

MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker has proposed to include ethics in the curriculum of Filipino students to address the “lack of strong moral foundation (that) breeds corruption in the government.”

Marikina City Representative Marcelino Teodoro has filed House Bill 2477 mandating schools to come up with ethics classes for elementary and high school, as well as for college.

“It is high time to inquire into the strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino people with a view to solving social ills and strengthening the nation’s moral fiber,” Teodoro said in a statement.

The lawmaker said initiatives such as the “Graft and Corruption Modules” of the Ombudsman and the Department of Education (DepEd) are good examples. The modules are based on the concepts and values under Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

“These concepts, as defined in the volumes, include commitment to public interest, professionalism, justness and sincerity, political neutrality, responsiveness to the public, nationalism and patriotism, commitment to democracy, and simple living,” he said.

The Marikina representative said the series of crises besetting the country is “moral in nature,” adding that after the Edsa People Power of 1986, public and private sectors “responded to the call for social transformation and value recovery by introducing reforms.”

“Grave problems require grave solutions. Nothing less than the intensive absorption of ethical values, through an educational system, can stem the continuing dominance of the culture of corruption in the Philippines today,” Teodoro said.