

27

Philippine Commission
on Human Rights:
More than Two Decades of Promoting
Human Rights in Schools
Ana Elzy E. Ofreneo1

A

fter the fall of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986, the succeeding government
established the Presidential Committee on Human Rights whose “primarytask [was] to assist the President in the discharge of her duty to respect andfoster human rights.”2 But the work of the Committee was cut short in 1987 withthe ratification of the new Philippine Constitution that provided for the establishment of the Commission on Human Rights. The Commission on Human Rights
absorbed the powers and functions of the Committee.3
the content of the human rights education
program; and its financing scheme. It provides
that

Original Blueprint for Action
The 1987 Constitution provides the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines(CHRP) with the power to establish “a continuing program of research, education, andinformation to enhance respect for the primacyof human rights” and to recommend to thelegislative body “effective measures to promote
human rights.”4
The 1987 Philippine Constitution also
requires all educational institutions to instill
respect for human rights (Article 14, Section
3).
The CHRP adopted in 1988 the ShortTerm Human Rights Education Program Plan
(Plan) to carry out its constitutional mandate,based on the author’s 1987 blueprint for action
document.
The Plan defined the CHRP philosophy,
vision, mission, goal and objectives in the promotion of human rights; the program concept;[T]he promotion of human rights is not limited
to the civil and political rights but also covers the
economic, social and cultural rights. Thus, theterm “human rights” refers to the whole bodyof civil, political, economic, social, and culturalrights enshrined in the Constitution of the Philippines and in the international instruments which
are binding [on] the Philippines.5

CHRP envisions “a Philippine society thatdeeply values the dignity of every person andfully respects human rights.” The Plan, therefore, envisions to lay the groundwork for thecontinuous improvement of the human rights
situation in the country and in raising the Philippine human rights standards by promoting
the people’s rights through a continuing program of education, training and research.”6
To achieve this objective, CHRP has to

27

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

awaken in individuals, groups, peoples andgovernments:- an awareness of the meaning, content,
and value of human rights; how humanrights are violated; how violations may be
prevented or redressed; and how humanrights might be enhanced; and,- the will to respect and vindicate humanrights.
Human rights education shall never makeviolations appear acceptable.7
For the initial years of Plan implementation, CHRP’s human rights education program
aimed to achieve the following objectives:
1.	To inculcate respect for human rights by implementing a continuing program of educationand training for all the sectors of Philippines
society;
2.	To establish a continuing program of development and prototyping of human rights education curricula, sectoral education programs/
modules, instructional materials, methods
and techniques of human rights teaching, andstructured learning exercises on human rights;
3.	To undertake a continuing program of development and production of multi-mediated education materials on human rights;
4.	To undertake a continuing program of systematic collection and storage of information
relevant to the protection and promotion ofhuman rights in the Philippines and make themaccessible to the public.8

Various strategies and plans were identified
for each objective. The plans for Objectives 1
and 2, for example, were intended to reach thefollowing target audiences:-	The employees of CHRP-	The members of the police, military, andpara-military, and other law enforcers- Academic circles- Governmental authorities- Contract workers and their employers-	Socio-civic and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)- Professional circles-	The mass media and other cultural gatekeepers-	The general public.9
The First Commission10 resolved to concentrate its work on members of the police and themilitary, the public servants, and the academic
circles as the first three priority target audiencesof CHRP. In short, CHRP’s human rights
education initiatives focused on the potential
violators of human rights.
Figure 1 (opposite page) shows the diagramof the operations framework of CHRP in reaching out to its target audiences.

Human Rights Education and Training
Program
CHRP subsequently adopted the Human Rights Education and Training Program(HRETP) in 1988. To implement the HRETP,
the CHRP redefined its target audiences into
two major categories – the potential violatorsand the potential victims; and identified thestakeholders in terms of relationships between
the violators and the victims, their respective
supporters and sympathizers, the do-gooders
who were generally organized to provide human rights protection and promotion of humanrights, and the general public.

The United Nations Decade
Acting on the 1993 Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action and the call for support
for human rights education by the first United
Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, CHRP submitted in August 1994 to theHigh Commissioner its Recommended Plan of
Action of the Commission on Human Rights of
the Philippines for the United Nations Decadeof Human Rights Education.

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  29

Figure 1: Conceptgram of the CHRP HRE Operations Framework
CHANNEL OF PROMOTION EFFORTS

TARGET AUDIENCETARGETRESULTS

Print and broadcast Media
Non-government, civic and religious
Organizations
Department of Education, Culture and Sports
Civil Service Commission
Government organizations

General Public

P2 Teachers, in-school youth and students
P3 Civil servants, government employees,
local government units

Departments of Labor and Employment,
Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry;
Securities and Exchange Commission

Laborers, contract workers, employees,
foreign government

Professional Regulatory Commission

Professionals

Department of Justice, Supreme Court,
Philippine Judicial Academy

P1A Judges, prosecutors, investigators

Philippine National Police, Armed Forces,
Departments of National Defense and Interiorand Local Governance, Police and military
academies

P1B Police, paramilitary, military,
law enforcers

Peace Panel, Non-Government Organizations

OthersHuman rights
upheld,respected,
promoted,
defended,fulfilled

Note: P refers to priority number

CHRP’s Decade Plan had the following
objectives:
1.	To achieve a 100% human rights literacy
rate throughout the Philippines. Humanrights literacy is defined as that level ofknowledge where a person knows his/her basic civil, political, economic, social,
cultural and environmental rights as wellas the redress system for these rights.
2.	To instill the values of human rights in
the heart and mind of every Filipino
citizen, particularly the youth.
3.	To educate key sectors of the Philippine
society on their sectoral rights.
4.	To educate all law enforcers, prosecutors,
judges, jail officers and the military on
the rights of those who may be affectedby their official actions.11

Since this Decade Plan was not the national plan, CHRP in cooperation with the
Department of Education, Culture and Sports(DECS), the Commission on Higher Education(CHED), and Amnesty International Pilipinas(AI) held consultative planning workshops
during the last quarter of 1996 and drew out
decade-long sectoral human rights educationplans at the regional and national levels.
Representatives of government, NGOs, andthe academe attended the consultative planningworkshops held in all regions of the country. As
the culminating activity, a national workshop of
all regional delegates, human rights practitioners and advocates from both the private, nongovernment and government sectors was heldat the Philippine Normal University in Manila
on 3-5 February 1997 and produced twenty
Sectoral Philippine Human Rights Education

30

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Decade Plans. The sectors involved were: educators at the tertiary and basic education levels,
children, youth, women, elderly, prisoners, detainees, refugees, indigenous peoples, Muslim
population, peasants, laborers, overseas contract
workers, urban poor, persons with disabilities(visually impaired persons, hearing impaired
persons, mobility impaired persons, neurologically impaired persons, multiple impaired
persons), members of the media, professionals,
members of the police, law enforcers and themembers of the military.
Each sectoral plan had its own statement ofvision, mission, and objectives on human rights
education, complementing the national statement of vision, mission and objectives.
At the end of the national workshop, the
Human Rights Educators Association of thePhilippines (HREAP) was organized to implement the new Decade Plan.
Presidential Proclamation 1139 (10 December 1997) adopted the Decade Plan as thePhilippine Human Rights Education DecadePlan for 1998-2007 and created an inter-agency
committee to ensure its implementation. The
Presidential Proclamation also proclaimed 1998
as the Human Rights Year in the Philippines incelebration of the fiftieth year of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.12
The Philippine Human Rights Education
Decade Plan for 1998-2007 has the following
statements of vision, mission, and objectives:
VISIONWe envision a Philippines in which every Filipino possesses and demonstrates human rights knowledge,
values, attitudes, and skills which impel him/her tocreate and maintain a society governed and guided
by the principles of social justice, democracy andparticipation, gender equality, sustainable development, spirituality, peace, and universality of humandignity.

MISSION	To evolve a human rights culture through the institutionalization of a continuing multi-sectoral andmulti-disciplinary human rights education programin the formal, non-formal and community-based
sectors.
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the Decade, the following objectives
shall have been attained.
General Objective:
An organized, functional, effective and relevant
Human Rights Education Program in formal,
non-formal, and community-based sectors has been
established.
Specific Objectives:
1.	 Enabling laws and other issuances to institutionalize HRE in the sectors identified;
2.	 Communication plan disseminating information
about the HRE Decade Plan;
3.	Regional and Municipal Human Rights Education Centers which will provide the needsof sectors on training, curriculum, research,
instructional materials, pedagogy, evaluationand monitoring;
4.	 Integration of HRE plan with the regional andmunicipal development plans;
5.	 Databank and human rights information centers
to service the information and documentationneeds of the different sectors;
6.	 Adequate funds to ensure implementation of
HRE Plan through government, non-government, local and international sources;
7.	 HRE as required component of national plans,
programs implemented by government agencies
and local government units;
8.	 A strong network of human rights education
practitioners and agencies engaged in HRE tofacilitate exchange of experiences, expertise, andresources;

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  31
9.	 A monitoring and evaluation system to assess
projects implemented.

In the subsequent years, the government issued a number of presidential issuances relevant
to human rights education:
Ø 1988 - Presidential Proclamation No. 177- Declaring December 3-10 every year as
the celebration of Human Rights Week.
Ø 1997 - Presidential Proclamation No. 1139
– Declaring 1998 as “Human Rights Yearin the Philippines” and Years 1998-2007 as“Human Rights Education Decade in thePhilippines.” It also established a National
Inter-Agency Multi-Sectoral Committee
composed of representatives of the public
and private sectors with the task of formulating, establishing and implementing programs for human rights education throughout the country in close coordination with
the Commission on Human Rights.
Ø 1998 - Four Unnumbered Presidential
Memorandum Orders - issued in commemoration of the 50th Anniversar y

Celebration of the Universal Declarationof Human Rights (10 December 1998),
directing all Department Secretaries, Heads
of Agencies and Government-Owned andControlled Corporations to integrate peaceand human rights concepts in their training
and education programs to help the peopleinternalize these virtues and serve as deterrent to possible abuses and exploitation. It
further directed the government offices toencourage the private sector to undertake
similar training and education activities.
Figure 2 illustrates the extent of implementation of the Philippine Human Rights
Education Decade Plan for 1998-2007. Humanrights education is already institutionalized in
the Philippine educational system, in the “pillars of justice” consisting of, among others,
the police/law enforcers and military/security
forces, and in the civil service as well as at thegrassroots or barangays (villages), in the private
sector, and among vulnerable groups.

Figure 2. Human Rights Education in the Philippines

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

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Development of Human Rights Educationin the School System
Mindful of the fact that many teachers havehierarchical way of thinking and have to decideon what and how to include human rights as a
new subject in an old curriculum, an enabling
policy environment to address the issue has to
be in place.
Based on this author’s recommendations,the 1986 Presidential Human Rights Committee adopted the definition of the minimum
mandatory content of human rights educationin schools as well as in the in-service educationand training of the military, police and otherarresting and investigating personnel; drafted
twin executive orders on human rights education for the President’s approval and issuance;
lobbied the Constitutional Commission for
a constitutional provision on mandatory human rights education; and, met the Ministryof Education high officials to request for the
inclusion of human rights into the curriculumsof all school levels.
The government adopted the Committee
recommendations through Executive OrderNo. 27 entitled Education to Maximize Respectfor Human Rights (4 July 1986) that
-	Required the then Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sports to include the study andunderstanding of human rights in the curriculums of all levels of education and training in all schools in the country, adapting
the scope and treatment of the subjects orcourses on human rights to the respective
educational levels, and maintaining regularprograms and special projects to provide
venues for information and discussion ofhuman rights including the utilization of
informal education and other means tostress the importance of respect for humanrights; and,-	Ordered the Civil Service Commission to
include human rights as content of the qualifying examinations for government service.

The Ministry of Education (later renamed
Department of Education, Culture and Sports
or DECS) issued a series of administrative orders supporting human rights education:
Ø 1987 - DECS Memorandum Order No.
61 - Inclusion of the Study of Human
Rights and Accompanying Responsibilities in the School Curricula. The
memorandum ordered all schools at alllevels, including non-formal education,technical and vocational education programs, to include in their curriculums
the study of human rights as well as the
responsibilities that accompany them.
Ø 1990 - DECS Memorandum Order No.
180 – Informing the Undersecretaries of
Education, Bureau Directors, Regional
Directors and Presidents of State Universities on the launching of prototype
materials for the integration of humanrights concepts in teacher education
courses. It also instructed these institutions to convene all the deans/heads ofcolleges of education for orientation on
the use of the said prototype materials
on human rights education.
The Philippine Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) also issued in 1996 Memorandum Order No. 31 directing all higher
education institutions to initiate human rights
education and training projects including the
integration of human rights concepts in all theircurricular offerings.

Inter-agency Cooperation
CHRP monitors the Philippine government’s compliance with all international
treaty obligations on human rights educationin the spirit of partnership, co-operation, anddialogue. It has a policy of supporting government institutions in establishing a continuing
program of research, education and information

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  33

dissemination on human rights. It provides
advisory service and technical assistance to enable and mobilize the government institutions
into carrying out their human rights education
programs.
CHRP signed memorandums of agreementwith the educational agencies of the government that were subsequently translated into thefollowing programs, projects and activities:
Ø 1992 - Joint Declaration of Undertaking
between the Commission on Human
Rights and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) signed
on 10 December 1992. This declaration
formalized the partnership between
CHRP and DECS that had been goingon since 1987. Under this declaration,
the two agencies committed to jointly
implement the following:
1.	 Curriculum Development - continuous integration of human rights
and responsibilities across the threelevels of formal education (primary,secondary, tertiary) and also in nonformal education.
2.	Training and Capability Building seminar-workshops for various schoollevels to identify problems/solutionsin undertaking human rights education; regular refresher courses forteachers, regional and national conferences on teaching human rights.
3.	 Monitoring, Research and Evaluation – regular update, research anddevelopment of the human rights
instructional materials; information campaign through sensitivity
trainings and consciousness-raising
activities directed at the education
community.
Ø 1996 - Memorandum of Agreement
between the Commission on Human
Rights, Department of Education,
Culture and Sports, Commission on
Higher Education and the Amnesty
International Pilipinas signed on 8 May

1996 in response to the United Nation’s
Decade of Human Rights Education.
This agreement led to the preparation ofa national action plan on human rights
education (discussed earlier) that wasformally declared as the Philippine Human Rights Education Decade Plan for
1998-2007.

Development of Human Rights Teaching
Exemplars
The Academic Sector’s Plan in the Philippine Human Rights Education Decade Plan for
1998-2007 restated the provisions of the 1992
Joint Declaration of Undertaking between
CHRP and DECS. One major provision was
curriculum development on human rights.
Although started in 1987 as part of the
DECS Values Education Program, a more serious and intensified curriculum developmenton human rights was undertaken during theUnited Nations Decade for Human Rights
Education period (1995-2004) by producing
prototype lesson plans for each subject andfor each grade or year level of the basic school
education. The first edition of the Teaching
Exemplars on Human Rights Education wasdeveloped from 1997 to 1998.
One hundred one human rights teaching
exemplars were developed with appropriate
entry points and opportunities in all subjects
within the prescribed curriculum. Mindful ofthe classroom teachers who only teach thoseprescribed in the curriculum and those teachingrequirements on which they are evaluated, theexemplars were crafted in complete harmony
with the schools’ desired learning competencies. Thus, the teaching of human rights was
integrated in all subjects either as content-based
instructions (CBIs) or as stand-alone sessions
on human rights.
The teaching exemplars principally used theConvention on the Rights of the Child, the34

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and
the Philippine Constitution as bases of humanrights concepts and messages (or content forteaching).
The preparation of the first edition of theteaching exemplars involved the following
process:Ø March to April 1997 Writing Workshop to develop human rights teaching
exemplars with writers coming fromthe CHRP, DECS, public and private
schools, non-governmental organizations, and the media. A total of two
hundred fifty teaching exemplars were
written with an average of twelve teaching exemplars per grade/year level.
Ø June to September 1997 - field-testing of
the two hundred fifty teaching exemplars
in fifty-four participating try-out schools
nationwide. The teaching exemplars
were revised based on the results of the
field tests. A final set of one hundred one
teaching exemplars being published as
HRE Teaching Exemplars for Elementaryand High School Education in 1998 as thefirst trial edition.
Ø 1998 - copies of the HRE Teaching Exemplars for Elementary and High School
Education were distributed in the different regions of the country for pilot-testing. This was accompanied by a series oforientation workshops for primary andsecondary school principals held jointly
by CHRP and DECS.
Ø 1999 onward – the teaching exemplars
started to be used in schools in different
parts of the country. An initial evaluationon the use of the teaching exemplars washeld after this period.
As soon as the revised basic education
curriculum was issued in 2001, CHRP and
the Department of Education (also known as
DepEd)13 organized workshops aimed at reconciling the teaching exemplars with the new
curriculum. This led to the development of thesecond edition of the teaching exemplars.
The teaching exemplars underwent majorrevisions and refinements by committed professionals from various institutions to suit thechanging needs of formal education. As theteachers’ guide in teaching of human rights,
the revised teaching exemplars provided varied
techniques and contents appropriate to the levelof understanding of students. They provided
learning opportunities for students to relate
human rights concepts, values and principles
to daily life activities at the intrapersonal andinterpersonal levels.
During the 2001-2003 period, CHRP and
DepEd held the following activities:
Ø	Review of the Basic Education CurriculumØ	Review of the HRE Teaching Exemplars
for Elementary and High School Education (1st edition)
Ø Writing workshops on additional/new
lesson plans for basic education
Ø	Revision of the 1st edition of the teaching exemplars
Ø Pilot-testing in all regions of the country of all revised and additional lesson
plansØ	Rewriting/finalization workshops, andØ Preparation of all manuscripts for the second edition of the teaching exemplars.
By 2003 the CHRP and DepEd have produced three books -- the Teaching Exemplars
for Elementary Education on Human Rights,
Teaching Exemplars for Elementary for HighSchool Education on Human Rights, and the
Facilitator’s Manual on Human Rights Education.

Teacher training
The results of the 1999 joint survey of the
CHRP and the then Ministry of Education
supported the need for the training of school-

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  35

teachers on human rights education. The survey
showed low human rights awareness among theschoolteachers.
The development of the Facilitator’s Manualon Human Rights Education in 2003 boosted
the teacher-training program of CHRP and
the DepEd. The writers of the Facilitator’s
Manual on Human Rights Education trained
the national and regional facilitators/trainers ofteachers on how to run a human rights training program using the manual. These teacherfacilitators/trainers in turn trained teachers intheir respective areas on what and how to teachhuman rights at the classroom level using themanual.

Nationwide Implementation from SchoolYear 2004-2005
During the 2003 – 2004 period, CHRP and
DepEd held a series of regional book launchingsof the three publications along with a series ofregional training of DepEd trainers. Principals and master teachers attended the booklaunches. During the 2004 – 2005 period, thegraduates of the trainers training workshops
held their school-wide in-service education andtraining (INSET) on human rights education,and the use of the revised teaching exemplars
inside the classrooms commenced.

Table 1: Timeline on the Institutionalization of the Use of the Teaching Exemplars
on Human Rights Education in Primary and Secondary Schools
Launch of HR Exemplars

2003

Regions

Training of Trainers Participants INSET(a)(b)
Regions

September

Printing

Printing

October2

Cluster Regions(Luzon, Visayas)

Region III

79

November
December1

Cluster Regions(Mindanao)

Region V

69+ Special National Launch cum Funders’ Forum
2004
January

1

Cluster Regions(Luzon)Region VII

64

February

Regions I & IV-B

88

March

Region II & CAR

73

April

Region IV-A

64

May

Region VIII
Regions XIII & XI

49
88

June

NCR
Region IX &
ARMM

74
83

July

Regions IX & X
Region VI

93
89

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Other Activities
In addition to the development of teachingmaterials and the training of teachers and school
officials, CHRP also engaged the education
agency on a number of activities that promote
human rights since 1989. They organized aseries of regional human rights forums called
Children, Parents, and Educators Empowerment
Program or CPEEP. It was held in all regionsof the country during the 1998-1999 periodwith the participation of school supervisors andteachers, parents and Parents-Teachers Community Association (PTCA) officers, and leaders ofstudent organizations. The participants pledged
to spearhead human rights education and topractice human rights in the schools.
With UNICEF and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP),
CHRP and DepEd held a National Youth Forum on Peace and Human Rights in 2000 asa follow-through program to CPEEP. In thisforum, peace education and advocacy component (in consonance with the celebration of

the International Year for the Culture of Peace)
was also part of the agenda. The forum was a
two-day annual gathering of student leaders,
PTCA Presidents/Federation officers, school
administrators/educators with the aim of getting reports on the extent of implementation of
Human Rights Education Regional Action Plansof CPEEP graduates. This was implemented inthree batches – in the three major parts of thecountry (Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao).
Another youth forum, the National Youth
Forum on the Prevention of Child Abuse andExploitation, was organized by CHRP and
DepEd to a) discuss the issues relative to exploitation and abuses of children and youth, andgenerate commitment in the promotion of theirrights and vigilance through action plans, vision
for peace, and strategies/resolutions to preventchild abuse; b) instill awareness and appreciation of the comprehensive meaning of peace andhuman and child rights; and c) identify nationaland school-based program for the welfare ofschool children. CHRP and DepEd also helda series of youth forums all over the country

Table 2: CHRP-DepEd Activities (1989-1996)
Activity

Date

National Seminar-Workshop on Human Rights Education

29 July – 3 August 1989

DECS-CHR Consultation Workshop on the 1992 Joint of Declaration ofUndertaking (JDU) Implementation

2 March 1993

National Educators’ Conference on Human Rights

17-21 May 1993

Seminar-Workshop on Children’s Rights for DECS Supervisors andPrincipals

13-15 December 1993

Joint CHR-DECS Human Rights Week Celebration

1993

Nationwide On-the-Spot Painting/Drawing Contest in Elementary, Secondary
and Tertiary Levels on Child’s Rights

1994

Essay Writing Competition on Human Rights

1994

Human Rights Education: A Consultative Workshop

24-25 November 1994

Regional DECS Supervisors and Principals Trainers’ Training Courses on
Human Rights (3 batches)

July-October 1996

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  37

during the 1999-2002 period. Each forum had
one hundred participants consisting of student
leaders, principals and classroom teachers ofSocial Studies or Values Education.
Other CHRP and DepEd activities startingin 1989 are in the following table (Table 2).
The CHRP and DepEd are jointly developing a tool on evaluating textbooks prescribed in
all public schools based on international humanrights standards.

Impact of the CHRP’’’s Human Rights
Education Program
The general Philippine experience on humanrights education has received recognition fromthe international community. In 1994, CHRP
was awarded the 1994 UNESCO PRIZE for
the Teaching of Human Rights. The citation
noted CHRP’s human rights education program for the police and the military establishment during the 1987-1994 period.
CHRP and DepEd jointly held with HURIGHTS OSAKA two workshops for Southeast
Asian educators. The first workshop held in2001 used the experience of CHRP and DepEd
in holding writing workshops (writeshops) todevelop human rights lesson plans for primaryand secondary school levels. Educators fromIndonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Vietnam,
and Thailand participated in the seven-day
writeshop. They produced lesson plans thatwere later on compiled as a Southeast Asian human rights education material.14 In 2005, a follow-up workshop was held for educators fromthe same countries plus Lao PDR and Timor
Leste. The Southeast Asian human rights lessonplans have by then been translated into four
Southeast Asian languages (Bahasa Indonesia,
Bahasa Melayu, Khmer and Vietnamese).
Richard Claude, a visiting professor from
University of Maryland, documented the Philippine human rights education experience andsuggested to “export” such experience to othercountries.15

CHRP’s “human rights education model”
has been one of the subjects dealt with by interns from various countries and in the information exchange program with various institutions
abroad (including United Nations agencies).

Implementation Challenges16
The existence of human rights education
policies and programs for the school system
will hopefully lead to the creation of the humanrights culture in the country. But there are still
many challenges to face.
Misconceptions or wrong notions abouthuman rights education still plague the mindsof some school authorities. According to thesemyths, human rights education
1. Is anti-government
2. Makes teachers and students become“radical”
3. Is pro-communist
4. Undermines responsibility
5. Promotes pessimism or negativity
6. Is applicable only to adults
7. Is a form of cultural imperialism
8. Threatens good Filipino values
9. Makes one angry and sad
10. Promotes individualism.
These attitudinal problems and misconceptions on human rights education are further
compounded by a general culture of hierarchyand seniority in the academe. Generally, teachers do not teach any “new” subject, topic orcourse if there is no directive, or if the school
management appears to be unsupportive of thesubject, or if tiresome bureaucratic procedures
have to be followed in getting permission toteach human rights.
In implementing human rights educationin the school system, teachers raise many issues
and problems. Lack of logistical support for human rights education also discourages teachers
to teach or to do research on human rights.

38

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

They ask: Do you think the curriculum can still
manage to accommodate human rights? Thevery characteristics of the present curriculum
being rigid and crowded with subjects appear
to constitute a major problem, too.
School authorities and teachers alike perceive human rights to be the stuff of lawyers,
and not within their teaching competence.
And thus the question: Can non-lawyers teachhuman rights?
Some other issues on human rights education still remain:
1.	 Lack, if not absence, of human rights
teachers in the classrooms
2.	No government fund for training allteachers in the countr y on humanrights3.	Unclear policy on whether human rights
should simply be integrated in the current human rights-related subjects or
be offered as a separate subject in the
primary and secondary schools
4.	Unclear policy on whether human rights
should be offered as a major subject insocial science courses, or as a three-unit
elective at the tertiary level.

Conclusion
In mobilizing and helping DepEd and
CHED to comply with all the legal mandates
and international obligations on human rights
education, and in ensuring genuine integration or infusion of human rights concepts inall school curriculums, the CHRP initiated ahost of programs and projects with these state
education agencies and later together with anNGO, the Amnesty International-Pilipinas in
the school years 1998-1999 and 2004-2005.
It is possible that the human rights teaching
exemplars that resulted from these programs
and projects are actually not being used insome schools for several reasons. It is very
likely that the myths on human rights education
still pervade the minds of some sectors in theschool system. To erase these wrong notions
on human rights education, a deep and wideawareness campaign within the academic community has to be undertaken. Another possible
reason is that most schools are not able to getcopies of the human rights teaching exemplars.
Only around 5,000 copies of the human rights
teaching exemplars were printed due to financial limitations and yet there were more than
500,000 public primary and secondary schools
in the country.
On the other hand, the Philippine Human
Rights Education Decade Plan for 1998-2007,a response to the United Nations Decade of
Human Rights Education (1995-2004), still
awaits assessment.
From these programs and projects, the
CHRP, DepEd and CHED have to do more
to fully realize the action plan for human rights
education in the school system.
The main product of these programs andprojects (primary and secondary school teaching exemplars and facilitators’ manual) should
be reprinted to provide a set for each of themore than 42,000 barangay primary schools.
Each primary and secondary school shouldhave a trained “champion of human rights
education.” Likewise, the central and regional
offices of DepEd and CHED, together with
their counterpart at the CHRP, must assign focal offices and/or persons who shall be trained
to become “champion of human rights education” in schools.
In relation to the 2005-2009 first phaseplan of action on the United Nations World
Programme for Human Rights Education(WPHRE), there is a need for the education
agencies and CHRP to:
1.	 Create a working committee to design
and work on specific actions for the
WPHRE

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  39

2.	 Develop monitoring and evaluation
scheme for the human rights education
program for the academe by DepEd and
CHR especially the In-Service Training
for Teachers (INSET)
3.	 Develop human rights education advocacy plans to reach private primary andsecondary schools
4.	 Explore possible collaboration on development/improvement of human rights
indicators on the right to education
5.	 Develop an awareness survey and humanrights education situation assessment
6.	Undertake an impact study on the use of
the human rights teaching exemplars
7.	Tie-up with the Barangay Human Rights
Action Center (BHRAC) program on
the use of the exemplars
8.	 Adopt-a-school program to provide theschools with copies of exemplars
9.	 Appoint focal persons to have easier access/coordination among the partners
10.	Reconstitute the inter-agency technicalworking group stipulated in the 1992
Joint Declaration of Undertaking of
CHRP and DepEd
11.	Reconstitute the National Multi-Sectoral Committee for Human Rights
Education provided for in Presidential
Proclamation 1139 to, among others,
assess the extent of implementation of
the Philippine Human Rights Education
Decade Plan for 1998-2007.

Endnotes

Director Ana Elzy E. Ofreneo has been incharge of the human rights education program of thePhilippines since the creation of the Commission on
Human Rights in 1987.
2
Executive Order Number 8 created thePresidential Committee on Human Rights on 16
1

March 1986, nineteen days after the establishmentof the “revolutionary government” of Corazon C.
Aquino.
3
Article 13, Section 17, paragraph 3 of the 1987
Philippine Constitution.
4
1987 Philippine Constitution, Article XIII,
Section 18 (5).
5	The Short-Term Human Rights Education
Program Plan of the Commission on Human Rightsof the Philippines, 1988 (revised in 1990), p. 1.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.
8
Ibid., pages 2-3.
9Ibid., pages 6-18.
10
	The Commission on Human Rights of thePhilippines is a collegial body of one Chairperson andfour Commissioners. They are appointed for a term ofseven years with no reappointment (1987 Philippine
Constitution, Article 17, Section 3; and, Executive
Order No. 163, as amended by Executive Order No.
163-A). The First Commission served for the periodof 1987-1994, the Second Commission in 19942001, and the Third Commission in 2001-2008. The
present Fourth Commission has the 2008-2015 term.
11
Plan of Action of the Commission on Human
Rights of the Philippines for the United Nations
Decade for Human Rights Education, 1993, page 1
12Presidential Proclamation Number 1139, issued
on 10 December 1997 by President Fidel V. Ramos.
13
	The name of the Department was changed
from Department of Education, Cultures and Sports(DECS) to Department of Education under a newlaw on education Republic Act 9155 (August 2001)
entitled Governance of Basic Education Act.
14
	The lesson plans were later on edited by a groupof educators from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines
Vietnam, and Thailand and published in 2003 in
Bangkok as one book entitled Human Rights Lesson
Plans for Southeast Asian Schools.
15	See Claude, Richard Pierre. 1996. Educating for
Human Rights: the Philippines and Beyond (Quezon
City: University of the Philippines Press).
16
Ana Elzy E. Ofreneo, “Human Rights in the
School Curriculum: Issues and Trends in the Third
Millenium,” The Human Rights Journal, vol. 2, no.
2/vol. 3, no. 1, July – December 1996 & January–June 1997, pages 108-112.

40



HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSANNEX ASUMMARY OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS TEACHING EXEMPLARS – PRIMARY LEVELGRADE 1TITLE

SUBJECTENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPT

1. Child, you shouldgrow up

Civics andCultureAble to recognize the rights ofFilipino children

One session

Every child should enjoy her/his
human rights

2. This is Mine!

Civics andCultureAble to explain why humanrights are important

One session

Every child has a right to own
property

3. Song, Letter, Number
and Others

Civics andCultureAble to explain why humanrights are important

One session

Every child has the right toeducation

4. Good Manners,
Teach Me!

Civics andCultureAble to recognize the rights ofFilipino children

One session

Every child has the right to be
educated on good manners

5. Its So Nice to Live!

Civics andCultureAble to discuss how theFilipino children can enjoy
their rights

One session

Every child has the right tosufficient and nutritious food,clothing, healthy body, tidy andhappy home

6. Listen to Me!

Civics andCultureAble to discuss how theFilipino children can enjoy
their right

One session

Every child has a right to beheard and to express her/his
opinion

7. I am Mario, aFilipino!

Civics andCultureAble to say that he/she is a
Filipino

One session

Every child has a right to a nameand nationality

8. Be Clean to Become
Healthy

Civics andCultureAble to explain why humanrights are important

One session

Keeping oneself clean is a way toa healthy body. It is the right ofthe child to have a healthy body

9. Food on the Table,
Let Us Eat

Civics andCultureAble to recognize the rights of
the Filipino child

One session

All children have a right to food

10. My Health, My
Right

Civics andCultureAble to recognize the rights of
the Filipino child

One session

Every child has a right to behealthy

ENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPTGRADE 2TITLE

SUBJECT

1. I will respect therights of others

Civics andCulture(BEC III.A.3) Able to explainthat every right has acorresponding obligation

One session

The rights of the child should bevalued2. A B C D... Child

Filipino(BEC Pakikinig) Able toanswer the questions
regarding the details of thestory

One session

Every child has a right to quality
education

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  41

3. I have the right to be
loved by you

Civics andCulture(Pambansang Karapatan
BEC III.1)
Able to recognize the right ofthe child to have other needs

One session

Loving and caring for children isan obligation of the parents

4. Father, Mother,
Please Love Me

Filipino(BEC Pagsasalita) Able
to use respectful words ingreeting others

One session

It is the right of every child tobe loved and cared for by theirparents

5. Right to Worship
FreelyCivics andCultureAble to describe religious
celebrations

One session

Respect the religious belief ofother people

6. You have a Partner

Civics andCulture(BEC III.A.3) Able to explainthat every right has acorresponding obligation

One session

Every right has a corresponding
obligation

7. I Can Do It, We Can
Do It!

Civics andCultureAble to describe the one’s
competence or the task that
one can do

One session

Valuing one’s capabilities helps
strengthen one’s dignity as aperson8. I Am Proud of YourWork!

Civics andCulture(BEC C.10) Able to explain
the importance of the humanresource of a country

One session

The rights of the workers should
be valued

9. Listen...Please!

English(BEC 9) Able to write
sentences based on a picture
stimulus

One session

The child has the right to express
her/himself

10. I Made This!

Sining(BEC II. A.I) Able to express
one’s thoughts, feelings andimagination through drawing
or paintingOnesessions

The freedom to express one’s
thinking is a right that a childshould enjoy

11. Let’s Watch!

Civics andCulture(BEC III.A.I) Able to recognize
the rights of a child to satisfy
other needsTwosessions

An intelligent way of choosing
what to see for entertainment
enhances the child’s right torecreation and to obtain the rightinformation

12.
Rights

Civics andCulture(BEC III B.I) Able to explainthat every child, even withdisabilities, has distinct
capabilities

One session

The society has the duty to takecare of persons with disabilities

Civics andCulture(BEC 1 B9.9A) Able
to discuss the ways ofpreserving the nation’s
wealth.

One
Session

It is the duty of every citizen to
take care of the environment

ENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPT(BEC III.A.5) Able to value theservices received from thegovernment

One
SessionThe right to receive the servicesof the government should be
supported

Even Us Have

13. Tree of Life!

GRADE 3TITLE
1. One, Two, Three
Steps for Rights

SUBJECT
Civics andCulture42

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

2. Right to proper
information

Civics andCulture(BEC II.A.4) Able to discuss
the opportunities in the
country that support thedevelopment of one’s talentOne
Session

It is the right of a child to obtainaccurate information fromdifferent sources

3. Service of thegovernment to its
citizens

Civics andCulture(BEC III. A.1) Able torecognize the services being
received from the government

One
SessionRight to receive the services of
the government

4. Save the Planet
Earth Please…

Science and
Health(BEC 1V. Earth 2.3) Able todescribe ways of conserving
the natural resourcesOne
SessionWe all have the right to a cleanand safe environment

5. Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Science and
Health(BEC VI. 6.1) Able to describe
the weather for the dayOne
SessionEvery child has the right tocorrect information

6. Our Duty

Civics andCultureAble to show throughdrawing and painting ways ofpreserving the environment

One
SessionWe have the right to live in aclean and orderly environment

7. I Feel so Special

English(BEC Speaking. 2.1) Able torecite a poem with gesture

One
SessionWhile children have special
rights, they have duties andresponsibilities to observe

8. Home Sweet Home

EKAWP

(BEC II A.1.1) Able to express
the desire of the Filipinos tomeet their basic needs

One
SessionEvery child has a right to a home

9. Helper Only?!

Filipino(BEC Pagbasa) Able toanswer the questions of who,
where, which and whenOne
SessionRespect for a person will
strengthen her/his dignity

ENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPTGRADE 4TITLE

SUBJECT

1. Advocacy for the
Rights of the Indigenous
Peoples

HEKASI(BEC IV.2 Pambansang
Karapatan) Able to discuss
the rights of the citizens in thepresevation and developmentof their culture

Two
Sessions

The rights of the Indigenous
Peoples should be respected

2. Respect for the
CultureHEKASI(BEC IV A-3) Able to discuss
the obligations and the
responsibilities of the citizen
in preserving their own culture

One
SessionThe children of the Indigenous
Peoples have the right to enjoy
their culture and tradition

3. Nationality, My Right

HEKASI(BEC II A.3) Able to describe
the geographic traits of every
regionOne
SessionLet us be proud of our nation andour nationality

4. 3,2,1,0... Where
have all their rights
gone!

Mathematics(BEC V A-1) Able to read andinterpret data in a bar graph

One
SessionProtection of children should be
our great concern

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  43

5. Health is Wealth

English Reading(BEC Reading 4.1) Able tofind the answers that are
explicitly stated in the text
(e.g., Editorial) on the who,
how and why questions

One
SessionEvery child has the right to thebest possible health and medicalcare

6. Child, do you needto earn?

EPP(BEC B.1) Able to discuss theimportance of responding to
the needs of the family

One
SessionThe children who are forced
to work are deprived of theiropportunities in life

7. Filipino Culture

HEKASI(BEC IV A.2) Able to discuss
the rights of the citizens topreserve and develop theirown culture

One
SessionParticipate in activities which
will develop their culture andpreserve their identity

8. Freedom of Religion

HEKASI(BEC IV A.3) Able todiscuss the obligation of thecommunity in preserving its
own culture

One
SessionEvery child has the right toexpress her/his religious belief

9. Change of Heart

Science(BEC IV 4.4.4) Able to identify
ways of preventing land, airand water pollution

One
SessionEveryone has the right to a clean
and green environment

10. Go On, Say it! But...

English,Reading,
Language(BEC Speaking #9) Able
to use words that describe
persons, animals, ideas andeventsOne
SessionResponsibility goes with theright to freedom of opinion andexpression

ENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPTGRADE 5TITLE

SUBJECT

1. Polo y Servicio

HEKASI(BEC ii A.3) Able to describe
forced labor.

One
SessionChildren have the right tobe protected against “child
exploitation”

2. I have the right to be
loved by you!

EPP

(BEC A.2.2.1.2) Able todiscuss the obligations of theparents toward their children

One
SessionEvery child has the right to becared for by parents

3. Education: Towards
a Meaningful LifeHEKASI(BEC 5.1-5.4) Able toexamine the educational
system introduced by theAmericans

One
SessionA child is prepared even more to
face her/his future life if she/heis able to enjoy her/his right toeducation

4. Live and Let others
Live Too!

Science and
Health(BEC, Animals #3.1) Able todescribe how animals adapt
to a particular environment forprotection and survival

One
SessionEvery child has a right to adecent standard of living.

44



HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSGRADE 6TITLE

SUBJECTENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPT

1. Right to Engage in
Business

EPP(BEC 13.4) Able to sell very
well

One
SessionPutting up of own business andlivelihood is a right to make aliving2. I Will Study!

HEKASI(BEC, Pagbasa) Able togive relevant information
whether explicitly or implicitly
mentioned in the text

One
SessionThe right to education should bevalued by parents and children

3. Rights,
Responsibilities of theGovernment

HEKASI(BEC III A.5) Able toidentify the agencies of thegovernment that can respondto the needs of the citizens
and the role each agency
plays

One
Session

It is the duty of the government
to provide services to the people
in order for them to enjoy theirrights4. Child, Child, What
happened to You?

HEKASI(BEC III D.4) Able to discuss
the circumstances that hinder
the enjoyment of rights

One
SessionViolating the rights of the child isinhuman

5. Right Against Abuses

Filipino(BEC Pagbasa) Able tochoose the details that
explain or develop the main
ideas

One
SessionEvery person, child or adult, manor woman has dignity and rightsthat should be respected

6. Positive Attitude ofa Child

HEKASI(BEC III D.3) Able to examinesome ways that help protect
rightsOne
Session

It is the right of the child to beprotected from practices thatare harmful to her/his health,education and development

7. I Think Its Mine

HEKASI

Able to discuss theimportance of rights in
one’s own writing or
correspondenceOne
SessionThe right of the child to own
something should be respected

8. Truthful Linkages

HEKASI(BEC III A.8) Able to discussin detail the means by which
the government protect thewelfare and safety of thepeopleOne
SessionThe rights of the people should
be realized

9. The Child Named
Momot

HEKASI(BEC V C.9) Able to identify
some of the country’s
problems like drug abuse andchild abuse that hinder its
development

One
SessionThe parents and the government
should advocate the rights ofthe child

10. Report It

HEKASI

Able to discuss the factorsthat hinder the enjoyment ofrightsOne
Session

It is the right of the child to beprotected against any kind ofabuse

11. A Child is Human
Being Who Gets Hurt

HEKASI(BEC III.D.4) Able to discuss
the factors that hinder theenjoyment of rights

One
SessionEvery child has a right to beprotected against abuse andviolence by anyone

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  45

12. To be Free

HEKASI(BEC III.D.2) Able to express
the basic rights and freedoms
enjoyed by Filipino citizenry
under the Constitution.

One
SessionEvery citizen has a right to befree

13. To Whom It May
Concern

English(BEC VI.Writing 311) Able torespond in writing based on
stimuli and triggers - editorials

One
SessionEveryone has the right tofreedom of expression

14. To get Married is not
a JokeEPP(BEC A.1) Able to fully takecare of oneself.

One
SessionGetting married is the right of aperson who is of legal age and isprepared for it

15. Different But theSame

English(Reading)(BEC Reading 4.2) Able tostate the explicit or implicit
main ideas of a paragraph

One
Session

Human beings regardless ofrace, color and ethnicity haveequal rights and dignity worthy ofrespect and protection

16. Being a Filipino, My
Right

HEKASI(BEC III.D.1) Able to discuss
who are the Filipino citizens
according to the Constitution

One
SessionEvery person has the right tochoose and have a nationality

17. Clean Community
for my Own Safety

HEKASI(BEC III.A.8) Able cite eachway by which the government
protects the welfare andsafety of the people

One
Session

It is the right of the child to have aclean commnity/environment

18. Participation in
Developing the Country

HEKASI(BEC V.C.1) Able to cite
the importance of the roleof an honest citizen in thedevelopment of the country

One
SessionParticipating in efforts to develop
the country

Notes:EPP - Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan(Home Economics and Livelihood)
HEKASI - Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika(Geography, History and Civics)
EKAWP - Edukasyon sa Kagandahang Asal at
Wastong Pag-uugali (Good Manners and Right
Conduct)

46



HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Annex BSUMMARY OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS TEACHING EXEMPLARS – SECONDARY LEVELFIRST YEARTITLE

SUBJECTENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPT

1. To the Best of My
Abilities

Social Studies(BEC VII. 1.10) Able toexplain the various forms ofparticipation of the citizens in
the political processes

One
SessionThe right to participation shouldbe learned and experienced
starting from childhood

2. My Country, I Love

Pilipino(Reading, Third Grade 4.4.1)
Able to share one’s opinions
on the characteristics of thetext based on their relevanceto society, truthfulness,credibility, and appeal

One
SessionA nation has the right to be free

3. Child Exploitation

English(BEC, Speaking 42) Able
to agree/disagree withstatements, observations
and responses made when
discussing issues affecting
children in particular and thecommunity in general

One
Session*Children have the right against
economic exploitation*Children have the right to playand leisure

4. Me...My Fellow
Human Being...We
Have PowerSocial Studies(BEC VII 1.1.8) Able toanalyze the rights andobligations of a citizen

One
Session

There are no human rights
violations when there is equitable
distribution of power

5. The Twins

Social Studies(BEC VII. 1.9) Able to analyze
the rights and obligations ofa citizen

One
SessionEvery right of the child has acorresponding obligation

6. Environment-friendly
Technology

Science andTechnology I(IV. 4.4.1) Able to explain theconservation of soil, forest,
wildlife, water and air

One
SessionEvery child has a right to a cleanand safe environment

7. Emotions...Opinions...
Ideas

Social Studies(BEC VI.1.16) Able to givethe meaning of the word
democracy

One
SessionThe right to express one’s
emotions, opinion and ideas ispart of democratic life

8. You, Me, Them...All
Have Human Rights

Social Studies(BEC VI.1.1.9) Able to value
the rights of the children,
women and laborers

One
Session

There are international laws on
human rights

9. The Greatest Love All

English(BEC, Reading 5.5.5) Able
to make predictions andanticipate outcomesOne
SessionEvery child has the right to dignity

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  47

SECOND YEARTITLE

SUBJECTENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPT

1. How Literate are We?

Communication
English(BEC Reading 4.4.1) Able
to interpret and compare
orally or in writing information
presented in tables, charts,
graphs, etc.

One
SessionEvery child has the right toeducation

2. The Best Thingsin Life: Am I Getting
Them?

English(BEC LC 4.1) Able to interpretand compare orally or inwriting information presented
in tables, charts, graphs, etc.

One
SessionHealth is wealth, a basic right

3. Women Have Rights,
Too!

English(BEC Reading 2.2.1) Able touse different reading styles
to suit the text and one’s
purpose for reading

One
Session

Women have rights that should
be respected

4. Respecting One’s
Views

English(BEC Literature 5.5.3) Showthe relationship between themain and significant details

One
SessionChildren have the right toparticipation

5. In the Claws of the
Beast!

Social Studies(BEC IV-1.6) Able to explain
the primary issues andsacrifices faced by thePhilippines due to the current
political and socio-economicchanges in Asia

One
Session

It is the right of children to beprotected against various typesof abuse

6. The Two Sides of
the Coin

Science andTechnology II(BEC IV.2.2.1) Able toevaluate the potential
economic importance oforganisms

One
SessionEvery child has a right to a cleanand safe environment

7. Escape School

English(BEC II Speaking 2.2.3) Able
to give information obtained
from the mass media:
newspapers, radio, television

One
SessionEveryone has the right to life,
liberty and security of person

8. I Want to Decide

Education on
Values(BEC I 1.1.6) Able toanalyze the value ofeffective communication in
relationships among people

One
SessionChildren should receive correct
information for them to makecorrect decisions

9. Mission I: Protect Our
Forests

Science andTechnology II(BEC II – 2.2) Able tosuggest ways of minimizingor preventing ecologicalproblems

One
SessionEvery child has a right to a cleanand safe environment

48



HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

10. From Womb to
CradleScience andTechnology II(BEC: Unit VIII 3.3.2) Able
to describe the stages ofdevelopment of the fertilized
embryo and fetus

One
SessionEverybody including the unborn
has the right to life

11. The Sound of Music

Music, Art,
Physical
Education and
Health (MAPEH)(BEC-1) Able to learn bylistening to the native tunes
with socio-cultural values
like serenades and songs
for various occasions in
the different regions in the
country.

One
SessionLove of country can be expressedin many ways

12. Unless You Be Like
ChildrenEnglish(BEC II. Literature 5.5.1)
Able to choose appropriate
details from a selection(i.e., contrasts, illustrations,etc.) used by an essayist to
attain her/his objective (topersuade, to inform, to callattention, etc.)

One
SessionChildren have the right to beprotected from all forms of abuse

SUBJECTENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPT

1. The World in My
Hand

Education on
Values(Sustainable Development
BEC II.2.2.6) Able to explain
the meaning of natural
capacity for development

One
SessionThe right to live in a clean
environment

2. The Gates of Respectfor Human Rights

English(BEC II. B) Able toparaphrase, analyze andsynthesize the ideas andinformation explicitly stated in
the reading material

One
SessionEvery individual has rightsthat should be respected andappreciated by others

3. Your Right is My
Right Too

Social Studies(BEC IV.1) Able todemonstrate a critical study ofissues and current events

One
Session

Human rights cover civil, political,
economic, social and culturalrights4. Mining, Mining, Who
Will Inherit?

Social Studies(Sustainable Use, BEC,
I-1-10) Able to distinguish theright values of the Filipinos
in tapping natural resources
by respecting laws onconservation, sustainable use
and environment

One
SessionThe citizens have the right andpriority to enjoy the fruits of thenatural resources of their own
country

5. Nightmare!

Social Studies(BEC III-1.24) Able to analyze
the effects of World War II in
Europe, Asia, Africa and theColonies

One
Session

It is our right to live in a safe andpeaceful environment

THIRD YEAR
TITLE

Philippine Commission on Human Rights: More than Two Decades of Promoting Human Rights in Schools  49

6. Sometimes...It’s Hard
to Breathe

Social Studies(BEC IV.1.1.1) Able to present
the ideologies being observedby the different countries

One
SessionRespect the human rights ofothers7. Golden Clock

Education andValues(BEC Third Quarter III.3.3.7)
Able to value the proper wayof using timeOne
SessionThe child has the right torecreation, to play and toparticipate in creative and artistic
activities

8. Water is Life

Science andTechnology(BEC II 2.2.1) Able to citeelements and compounds
which are basic to our daily
existence

One
SessionPeople have the right to abalanced and healthful ecology
in accord with the rhythm andharmony of nature

9. How True?

Pilipino(BEC IV:1.1.3) Able torecognize meaningful andmeaningless paragraphs

One
Session

It is the duty of the citizenry toanalyze well whether or not themessages being exposed by
the various media are just andtruthful

10. Theirs is theKingdom of HeavenEnglish(BEC #2.5) Able to analyze
and explain how theenvironment influences aperson’s character

One
SessionChildren have the right to special
protection against abuse andexploitation.

FOURTH YEARTITLE

SUBJECTENTRY POINT

TIME
ALLOTMENTCONCEPT

1. Child, Child, Are You
a Worker?

Social Studies

Able to explain the conditionof children in India under the
caste system

One
SessionAn established societal systemthat violates the human rights ofchildren should be opposed orchanged2. Save the Children

Music, Art,
Physical
Education and
Health(MAPEH)(BEC Third Quarter 1.1.2)
Able to perform the duties ofeach member of the family insolving health problems

One
SessionEvery child has the right toreceive the highest standard ofhealth service

3. Say No...Say Yes...
Say Something

Values
Education(BEC VI.1.1.6) Able toexpress agreement to justacts and to protest against
undesirable, unjust andenslaving systems andpracticesOne
SessionExercising our freedom of
expression safeguards our rightto protection against exploitationand tyranny

4. Ours to Enjoy, Ours
to Respect

English(BEC 5.6) Able to react toassertions and statements
in a text and how they arepresented

One
Session

Human rights are inherent topeople and universal to all men
and women, and are exercisedwith corresponding obligations

5. Being a Parent

MAPEH-Health(BEC 1.1.3) Able to point out
the duties of the parents totheir children and the children
to the family

One
Session

It is the duty and responsibility of
the father and the mother to rear
their children and it is the duty of
the government to support thewelfare of all children who haveno family