Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — The Department of Education (DepEd) plans to include lessons on red-tagging, trolling, and extrajudicial killings in the revised curriculum for Grade 10 students as part of lectures on human rights violations.
In the proposed curriculum released by the DepEd last week, the topics fall under Araling Panlipunan or Social Studies subject for Grade 10, which focuses on contemporary issues and societal challenges.
Red-tagging is the practice of publicly labeling individuals or groups critical of the government as “communists” or “terrorists” — in effect, discrediting their statements and putting their lives at risk. Among common victims are human rights defenders, political activists, and journalists.
Red-tagging has been used by the Philippine government for decades in its counterinsurgency efforts, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
The groups also said red-tagging has intensified and become “deadlier” during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, father of incumbent Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
The terms “extrajudicial killings” and “trolls” also repeatedly made their way to headlines after the elder Duterte took office.
The Duterte administration has received widespread criticism for its bloody anti-drug campaign where thousands, mostly urban poor, died in police operations — a number of which were considered extrajudicial or unlawful executions. It has also been accused of hiring trolls to go after critics, something officials denied.
Same-sex union, other gender issues
The proposed Grade 10 social studies curriculum also covers a range of gender-related topics.
It includes same-sex union, the privileges it carries, and its difference from same-sex marriage. The Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, does not recognize either of the two.
Also included are lessons on gender-based discrimination, such as hate crimes, and on local and international laws ensuring the protection of the LGBTQ+ community.
In an earlier report, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said cases of bullying against the LGBTQ+ community, including students, increased due to widely held heteronormative views that foster and justify the violence and discrimination against them.
The CHR noted that existing laws and policies are still largely insufficient in protecting their rights and urged the DepEd to include discussions on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) in classrooms.
