Ka Leody to DepEd: Improve teaching history after viral quiz bee gaffe

Presidential candidate and labor leader Leody de Guzman on Wednesday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to strengthen the teaching of Philippine history in school curriculums following a viral quiz bee gaffe in a reality television show.

In the show, Filipino martyred priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known as Gomburza, were mistakenly called “MaJoHa” by teen housemate.

“Ang insidenteng MaJoHa bagamat nagmimistulang maliit na bagay, ay nagpapakita sa mas malaking problema - ang limitadong kaalaman at kawalang pagpapahalaga ng mga kabataan sa ating kasaysayan at sa kadakilaan ng ating mga ninuno,” De Guzman said in a statement.

(The MaJoHa incident, although seemingly a small thing, reveals a bigger problem - the limited knowledge and disregard of young people of our history and the greatness of our ancestors.)

The labor leader urged the DepEd to strengthen teaching of Philippine history, saying that it is a “threat of collective amnesia of the next Filipino generations.”

“Ang mga kabataan ngayon, na magiging botante at labor force sa darating na panahon, ay magiging mas bulnerable sa mga fake news, disinformation, historical revisionism, at sa iba pang anyo ng panlilinlang ng mga nasa kapangyarihan. Paano magiging pag-asa ng bayan ang mga tinuruang huwag lumingon sa ating pinanggalingan?” De Guzman said.

(The youth, who will be voters and labor force in the future, will be more vulnerable to fake news, disinformation, historical revisionism, and to other forms of deception by those in power. How can they be the country’s hope if they have been taught not to look back to our history?)

He shared that part of his platform is to further strengthen the teaching of Philippine history, literature, and culture in the school curriculums, including the study of peace and human rights education.

“Ito ay platapormang hindi nakaasa sa pagkaluklok ng isang Ka Leody sa Malakanyang (o sa magiging resulta ng halalan) kundi nasa pagkakaisa’t pagkilos ng education sector at buong mamamayan upang obligahing umaksyon ang DepEd,” he said.

(This is a platform that does not depend on the installation of a Ka Leody in Malacañang or on the outcome of the election but on the unity and action of the education sector and the entire people to compel DepEd to take action.)

“Kahilingan itong patuloy kong isusulong ngayong kampanyahan at kahit pa tapos na ang halalan,” he added.

(This is an appeal that I will continue to push in this campaign even after the election is over.)—LDF, GMA News