VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio warned against the danger of hate and intolerance when the Department of Education marked the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 26.

She stressed the importance of social justice as she urged Filipinos to remember the lessons from the holocaust.

“The Holocaust saw the systemic oppression and persecution of six million Jewish victims and millions of others. The atrocity committed by the Nazi regime and their collaborators is beyond comprehension,” Duterte said.

“We must remember, and we must not forget, the names and the faces of the victims, the families torn apart, and the communities destroyed. We must remember so we may never forget the dangers of hate and intolerance,” she said in her message.

“We are responsible for ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust and the stories of the survivors are passed on to future generations so that it will never happen again. We must ensure that these stories are not lost so we can learn from them and prevent other atrocities from happening again,” she added.

Undersecretary Gina Gonong highlighted the lessons imparted by the Holocaust.

“This unfortunate event inspires us to produce peace-loving and peace-building learners and strive to transform our schools into safe spaces for everyone where we keep our human values alive,” Gonong said.

The DepEd reaffirmed its commitment to encourage teachers and learners to be advocates of social justice and respect for human rights.