Blind obedience is not love of country, CHR says amid DepEd module discouraging protests

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed concern Friday over a Department of Education module discouraging students from joining peaceful protests, saying that love of country does not mean blind obedience to the government.

The CHR was referring to an activity in the DepEd Module on Media and Information Literacy for Grade 12 students. One of the guide questions was: "If given the chance, will you join this rally ? Why or why not?"

The answer, as written on the module, was: "No, because the government has really doing their best for all the Filipino people and their constituents."

The copy of the module was uploaded on Facebook by David Waya, a member of Rise for Education-Cagayan Valley, a regional organization which calls for safe and quality education for all.

“We are concerned on such module on Media and Information Literacy allegedly coming from the DepEd. While respect for the law is a good value to teach, it is equally important to develop among our children critical thinking, especially when it comes to issues that affect us, not only personally, but as well as those national in scope,” CHR spokesperson and lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia said.

“Love for one's country is not limited to mere obedience, but can also be manifested through collectively tackling issues of our communities and the country under the guidance of rights entitled to us and protected by the Constitution, including the people’s right to freedom of speech, of expression, the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the government for redress of grievances,” De Guia added, referring to Article 3, Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution.

Given that current freedoms are fruits of past struggles, CHR said that students should be taught to demand better services and accountability from the government and its officials as part of their duty to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of all.

In addition, CHR called on citizens to continue to report errors found in the learning materials to DepEd for the benefit of the children and improvement in the current educational system.

GMA News Online has sought comment from DepEd but it has yet to send a reply as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News