Press Release
November 9, 2017

CONSTITUTIONAL EDUCATION NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT IN SENIOR HIGH - PANGILINAN

Seeking to develop informed, active, and responsible citizens who value and uphold democracy, Senator Francis Pangilinan has filed a bill that would integrate Constitutional Education in the senior high school curriculum.

Senate Bill 1610, or the Constitutional Education Act, was filed Wednesday afternoon (8 November 2017), a day after over 100 non-politicians took their oath as new members of Partido Liberal and took on the challenge to protect liberal and democratic institutions.

"This is turning a corner for all of us. This is the new Liberal Party. We will promote [and] respect all limitations of power; we will protect individual rights and liberties; we will protect institutions and processes because these are the very things that will bring us to modernity. Ito ho yung ipupundar natin para umasenso ang Pilipinas, para umasenso ang bawat Pilipino (This is our investment so that the Philippines will progress, so that each Filipino will have a better life)," said Raffy Aquino, batch representative of new party members.

The bill, which seeks to raise the level of awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the liberal and democratic provisions in the 1987 Constitution among 17- to 19-year-olds, as well as the oath-taking, is part of the Partido Liberal president's initiatives to empower Filipino to effect real change in their lives.

"In these present times, when there is disregard of the rule of law and infringement of people's rights, it is important for the youth to have a better understanding of the very law that protects our basic human rights," Pangilinan said.

According to the explanatory note of the bill, the school subject shall cover the Grade 12 senior high school curricula of all public and private schools.

The course will be developed by the Department of Education with the help of concerned government agencies and constitutional experts.

Aside from current issues, the other topics to be covered by the Constitutional Education course include government institutions and processes; rights and duties of citizens, democratic values, social justice, and human rights; and active citizenship and people's participation in governance.

At the House of Representatives, a counterpart measure was earlier filed by Pangilinan's fellow Liberal, Representative Kaka Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat islands).

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