Revival of GMRC a must these days
Lately, a favorite topic in public discussions is the proposal to revive the teaching of good manners and right conduct (GMRC) as a full school subject and for it to be added to the curriculum of the K-12 program.
For the youngsters who most likely do not know, the GMRC is a school subject that teaches kids about the importance of having basic morals, values, qualities and ethics.
In the past — and this includes my generation — the GMRC was taught in schools and students are not only graded for it. There is also a certain award or medal that is given for anyone who excels in the subject and shows perfect application via behaviour in school.
Recently, we only hear of the term ‘GMRC’ in admonitions or criticisms about one’s upbringing. When someone shows ill behaviour and is chided for it, we usually hear the words, ‘maybe he was absent when GMRC was being taught in school.’
In my opinion, bringing back GMRC as part of every student’s learning process in this day and age is necessary and long overdue.
I’m sure many would share my observation on wide-ranging occasions where one could only sigh at the lack of GMRC on the part of today’s youth.
In public transportation units and other public places including Churches, you will see millennials — boys at that— sitting comfortably and pretending to be either asleep or checking on their cellphones while a pregnant woman, a mother with a baby, a handicapped or an elderly stands right in front of him or her during the entire trip or event.
These days too, you see milennials taking pictures of their food before eating instead of saying grace. The words ‘po’ and ‘opo’, the blessing of the hands of the elderly and saying ‘please’, ‘excuse me’ and ‘thank you’ have become like gems. They are that rare already when during the olden days, they were basic good manners.
The level of discipline and respectful behavior among children and teens of today is unquestionably at an all-time low.
Notice that even in restaurants, you see a table with family members who do not even talk, since they are all preoccupied with their gadgets. Youngsters these days no longer respect food and what we call as ‘hapag-kainan’ and treat eating as a sideline while they are on their cellphones.
I read somewhere that most of the generation of today are on the internet for as long as ten hours a day. Given this situation, I hope that the GMRC, should it be really revived, be taught with the kind of approach that would make it compatible to the prevailing lifestyle which revolves around technology.
There is no doubt though, that there is a current urgent need to institutionalize the GMRC as a subject in both elementary and high schools and yes, maybe even all the way up to college.
Senator Joel Villanueva, who filed Senate Bill 860 or the proposed Comprehensive Values Education Act, mentioned in a hearing: ‘We can’t discount the fact that Values Education or Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (ESP) is already included in the Department of Education curriculum, yet there is a clamor for the revival of GMRC in the curriculum, and this clamor is indeed proper, given realities that we observe in our manner of conducting affairs in various aspects of our daily lives as Filipinos.’
The problem with ESP is that it is reportedly being taught in public schools for only 30 minutes. This is certainly not enough.
Beauty tip—For those who don’t like piling on the products, simply choose makeup with built-in sunscreen to make it easier to protect your skin against the damaging UVA and UVB rays. (Source: Dr Rosary May Canay-Diaz of Californian Bloom Aesthetic Institute and Medical Spa /4108424/4669596/09178038240/ 025053987 )
Jokjok (from Boying Yllana of Roxas District, Quezon City)—ITAY: Oy, Juan!! Bakit bagsak ka sa History?/ JUAN: ‘Tay, kasalanan po ng titser!/ ITAY: At bakit,aber?/ JUAN: Lahat po kasi ng tanong nya, nangyari bago ako pinanganak!
Direct Hit entertains comments, suggestions or complaints. Please have them emailed to [email protected] or text 0927-7169778.
OCTOBER 27, 2022
- INQUIRER.NET
- F&B REPORT
- Headlines , Parenting
Good manners, right conduct: Will it bring back decency and respect in the behavior of kids?
- BY Pocholo Concepcion
- July 22, 2020
A paradoxical scene: President Duterte signing Republic Act 11476 or the Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education Law. Here was the country’s head of state, notorious for his rogue ways and offensive language, formalizing the mandatory teaching of decency and etiquette in elementary and high school.
GMRC was already a subject taught in primary school until it was scrapped in 2013 upon the implementation of the K-12 curriculum.
But are today’s kids really more bratty? Is technology a factor in today’s youth’s lack of decorum and proper behavior? Is bullying more rampant now than in previous generations?
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author of the bill in the Senate, believes that students who will be taught GMRC will learn to be analytical when confronted with a situation that challenges their sense of right and wrong.
For instance, Zubiri points out, if a child’s parents are prone to cursing, the child can decide that it’s not good to have a foul mouth. Children with a strong foundation in GMRC may even call out their parents, says Zubiri.
In an email interview with Lifestyle, Zubiri says he saw the need to bring back GMRC as a school subject because of “rising criminality and moral values degradation in the streets and inside our homes committed by youngsters,” and what he observed was a “downgrading of values education (in terms of focus and time allotment) in the curriculum when we implemented K-12 program in 2013.”
Among the law’s salient points: “GMRC shall inculcate among the students the concept of human dignity, respect for oneself, and giving oneself to others in the spirit of community for the effective and holistic development of the decision-making of the child. The curriculum shall also focus on the basic tenets of GMRC, such as caring for oneself, upholding discipline and order, cultivating sincerity, honesty, obedience and love for country.”
Marivic Limcaoco, a mother of two daughters aged 17 and 19, says she’s glad GMRC is back: “At least there’s an attempt to stop the ‘normalization’ of bad behavior we see all around us.”
Character formation
Lawyer Hilario Caraan, former director in the discipline office of De La Salle University (DLSU), believes GMRC starts with character formation.
“I strongly believe that the character of every individual is significantly molded during the fragile formative years, particularly in school, because most of the interactions of the young happen in an outside home environment.
“No matter what we do, as a nation, in making our criminal laws (on rising criminality and moral or values degradation) more stringent or strict, we might not be successful in achieving our national goals if we neglect the core of the problem: character formation initiatives for every individual from their tender years.”
While character formation starts at home, Caraan says: “School teachers and administrators, in the exercise of their ‘special parental authority and responsibility,’ as mandated by the Family Code, must perform their complementary role.”
Zubiri says that when the bill’s version in the Senate was being drafted, the prevalence of kids spending a lot of time online was a major factor. But he didn’t anticipate that new coronavirus disease (COVID-19)would force schools to adopt online classes.
“Kids are going to be home all day, learning in isolation from their peers. They’re not going to have the natural avenues for empathetic learning that spring from face-to-face interaction with their peers and with their teachers. Hopefully, a strengthened GMRC and Values Education program will make up for that.”
Limcaoco says, “Today’s children have opinions and are more vocal and expressive. Because of technology and social media, they are exposed to different cultures, trending news and aberrant behavior. During our time, we were exposed only to our school, a limited community and TV. As martial law kids, we were not even encouraged to have opinions.”
Bullying in school was another compelling factor, says Zubiri: “The number of bullying cases is still quite alarming. A 2018 United Nations data reveals that around 130 million, or one in three children worldwide, experience bullying. According to a Department of Education report, there had been a total of 19,672 cases of bullying in public and private elementary and high schools during the school year 2016-2017. This does not include the bullying committed by students against their teachers.”
GMRC, Zubiri adds, will teach “the values of tolerance and acceptance of our differences, whether based on religion, race, sexual preference and physical attributes, among others.”
Caraan, chair of the student discipline formation board whose task is to investigate major discipline cases at DLSU, says: “A person who has experienced a climate of fear and harassment somewhere will probably learn how to utilize aggression and retaliation as his/her first lines of defense . . . to be offensive so as not to experience the same fate. This could be a genesis of how a bully’s behavior is developed.”
An individual with bully behavior, says Caraan, derives satisfaction from using power to control a situation all the time without due regard to the sensitivities of other people.
He adds, “If not addressed in a timely manner, the behavior could be carried over by that person as an adult, as a parent, as a workplace manager, and even as a government leader.”
To Caraan, the “power bully” can nurture a new generation of individuals with bully behavior.
Limcaoco says, “Unfortunately not all leaders are role models. They probably realize that future generations can do better than them in that department.”
But with GMRC back in school, Limcaoco says, “At least there will be no lack of talking points in the classroom with the type of leaders we have in the world today.” INQ
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .
MOST VIEWED STORIES
- LIFESTYLE.INQ Culture , LIFESTYLE.INQ Latest , LIFESTYLE.INQ Noli Soli
Thinking of getting a Baybayin tattoo? Here’s how to get it right
- BY Lala Singian
- August 21, 2024
- LIFESTYLE.INQ Design , LIFESTYLE.INQ Latest , LIFESTYLE.INQ Ria Recommends
Powder rooms: Luxury in ebony
- BY Ria Prieto
- LIFESTYLE.INQ Latest , LIFESTYLE.INQ Noli Soli
These shows from August to September deserve to be on your theater watchlist
- BY Pauline Miranda
- August 20, 2024
- LIFESTYLE.INQ Latest , LIFESTYLE.INQ Preen , Preen
Chappell Roan would rather go to jail than act. She’ll do a cameo only if it’s silly
- BY Christian San Jose
TOP STORIES
MORE FROM LIFESTYLE.INQ
FROM THE NICHE TITLES
Together We Flavor 2024: A celebration of culinary diversity and indulgence
By jar concengco.
Federal Land hosts successful Meadowcrest Backyard Adventure Run in Biñan
Love the Philippines even more and discover its wonders ‘Juan by Juan’ with Cebu Pacific
Get to know the Filipino actors in ‘Bridgerton’
‘Hunger Games’ fans, we’re finally getting Haymitch’s story—in book *and* film
CURRENT. DYNAMIC. INSIDER.
The latest in global fashion, beauty, and culture through a contemporary Filipino perspective.
CONNECT WITH US
- instagram.com/lifestyle.inq
- facebook.com/lifestyle.inq
- youtube.com/lifestyle.inq
- [email protected]
Stay in touch and get the latest stories from the LIFESTYLE.INQ newsletter
- ENTERTAINMENT
- HUMAN INTEREST
COPYRIGHT © LIFESTYLE INQUIRER 2022
Home / Essay Samples / Life / Manners / Student’s Manners: Reimplementing Gmrc Now Matters
Student’s Manners: Reimplementing Gmrc Now Matters
- Category: Life
- Topic: Manners
Pages: 2 (1114 words)
Views: 1759
- Downloads: -->
- Clipa, O., & Lorga, A. M. (2013.). The Role of school-family partnership on Moral Development. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813006411/pdf?md5=b43284400f041f7ee3379e1aea3f51cb&pid=1-s2.0-S1877042813006411-main.pdf&_valck=1
- Legaspi, A. (2020). Senate approves GMRC bill on third and final reading. GMA News. Retrieved from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/726286/senate-approves-gmrc-bill-on-third-and-final-reading/story/
- Mary, J. (2016). ROLE OF PARENTS IN INCULCATING VALUES. Retrieved from http://ijariie.com/AdminUploadPdf/ROLE_OF_PARENTS_IN_INCULCATING_VALUES_c1264.pdf
- Moral Development. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Children's Health. Retrieved from http://www.healthofchildren.com/M/Moral-Development.html
- Senators seek the return of GMRC in basic education. (2019). Manila Bulletin. Retrieved from https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/10/29/senators-seek-the-return-of-gmrc-in-basic-education/
- The Relationship of Morality and Technology. (n.d.). Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/all-about-ethics/the-relationship-of-morality-and-technology/
--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.
Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?
are ready to help you with your essay
You won’t be charged yet!
Honesty Essays
Honor Essays
Laughter Essays
Tolerance Essays
Thankfulness Essays
Related Essays
We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.
By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.
Your essay sample has been sent.
In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.
samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->