EDUCATION Secretary Armin A. Luistro on Wednesday assured President Aquino that the students, under the K to 12 Program, will have a full grasp of Philippine history.
“I assured the President that Philippine history, including local and national heroes, is taught in Grades 4, 5 and 6 in the new K to 12 curriculum,” Luistro said.
The President was bothered by the question of students who watched the movie Heneral Luna why Apolinario Mabini was sitting throughout the movie.
President Aquino made the remark when he conferred the 2015 Apolinario Mabini Awards to outstanding persons with disabilities and advocates for their welfare.
The Apolinario Mabini Awards was launched in 1974 to give recognition to individuals with disabilities, and professionals and various groups that have rendered outstanding service to people with disabilities.
Luistro said he would discuss with school supervisors the students’ apparent lack of knowledge about the country’s history.
“In any case, I committed to discuss this concern with our curriculum supervisors, validate if the majority of the students have similar deficiencies, and ensure that we do not just simply dismiss the issue without a fair assessment of the real situation,” Luistro said.
In an interview, the actor who portrayed Mabini narrated that he was approached by three students who asked him why he was sitting during the entire film.
The actor said he asked the students if they knew who Apolinario Mabini was, and they answered “no.”
Reacting to the actor’s revelation, the President asked: “What have we been teaching these kids in our history classes?”
Mabini—the country’s first prime minister who is known by his historical moniker as the “Brains of the Philippine Revolution” and the “Sublime Paralytic”—lost the use of both his legs to polio.
“I believe the comments Mr. [Epy] Quizon heared from three students are not reflective of the students’ level of our heroes,” Luistro said. “We have extracurricular activities that touch on the lives of prominent Filipinos.”
