SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Department of Education to ensure that students are taught Good Manners and Right Conduct and Values Education in schools amid the nationwide celebration of Filipino Values Month.

Republic Act 11476, which Gatchalian sponsored during the 18th Congress, institutionalized the teachings of GMRC and Values Education in the K to 12 Curriculum.

GMRC and Values Education replaced Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao with GMRC for Grades 1 to 6 and Values Education for Grades 7 to 10. It also mandated the integration of Values Education in subjects taught to Grade 11 and 12 learners.

With 100 percent face-to-face classes now in full swing, Gatchalian said that schools can conduct more immersive and hands-on character-building activities, which the law also requires.

“Upang matiyak natin na ang ating mga kabataan ay magiging mabuting mamamayan, kailangang tiyakin natin ang maayos na pagtuturo ng GMRC at Values Education. Napapanahon din ang pagpapaigting sa pagtuturo ng GMRC at Values Education lalo na’t bumalik na ang ating mga mag-aaral sa face-to-face classes. Matapos ang dalawang taon ng distance learning, sa wakas ay mas mapapalalim na ang karanasan ng ating mga kabataan pagdating sa GMRC at Values Education,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education said.

Gatchalian also stressed that values education and character-building in schools should help address the high incidence of bullying.

Results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment found that 65 percent of Filipino participants reported that they had experienced bullying at least a few times a month, much higher compared to the average of 23 percent among 79 countries that participated in the survey.

The PISA results also said that both aggressors and victims of bullying tend to skip classes, show poorer academic performance or drop out of school.