A SENIOR leader of the House of Representatives has pushed for the approval of a bill to make the study of Moro history, culture and identity mandatory in the curricula of all levels of schools in the country to plant the seed of a deeper multicultural understanding among Filipinos—Christians, Moros and Lumads alike.
House Bill 270, or the proposed Moro History, Culture and Identity Studies Act, mandates the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) “initiate and maintain regular programs and special projects to provide venues for information and discussion of Moro history, culture and identity, including the utilization of informal education and other means to stress the importance of respect therefore.”
In filing the bill, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora sought to highlight the positive relations among Filipinos, especially Moros and Christians, as well as their common origins and other points of commonality.
“We may have our differences but we have more in common, on top of which, is the clamor for peace,” said Angara, chairman of the House’s Committee on Higher and Technical Education.
“We all, as Filipinos, must build on the understanding and appreciation of these values. It is not impossible for unity to flourish in diversity,” he added.
Angara underscored the need for a deeper understanding of the so-called Moro problem which he considers as a “historical and systematic marginalization and minoritization of the Islamized ethnolinguistic” groups in the Mindanao islands.
“This happened first during the colonial powers Spain then the US, and more recently by successor Philippine governments dominated by an elite with a Christian-Western orientation,” said Angara.
The legislator said his measure should be able to redirect the educational system toward equity and justice among all citizens of the republic.
“It is said that peace begins in the hearts and minds of persons. One of the most important institutions for this is the school or educational system,” Angara said.
He believed that the vertical top-level peace negotiation with Moro groups should be complemented with horizontal people to people peace among the Moros, Christian settlers and their descendants, and the Lumads, especially at the community level.
