History

THE SLOW DEATH OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY IN HIGH SCHOOL
Author: Jamico D. Ignacio
Words Highlighted
Conduit – a channel for conveying water or other fluid; a tube or trough for protecting electric
wiring.
Constraints – a limitation or restriction; stiffness of manner and inhabitation in relations
between people.
Distortions – the action of giving a misleading account or impression.
Espoused – adopt or support (a cause, belief, or way of life)
Hyper partisan – extremely biased in favor of a political party.
Impending – be about to happen; loom
Inquisitive – curious or inquiring; unduly curious about the affairs of others; prying
Malleable – easily influenced; pliable
Non-partisan – not biased or partisan, especially toward any particular political group.
Pedagogical – relating to teaching
Resuscitate – revive (someone) from unconsciousness or apparent death; make (something such
as an idea or enterprise) active or vigorous again
Susceptible – likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing
1. What is the purpose of the author?

The purpose of the author regarding to the article is, he wanted to visualize here the
importance of the History, he even gave some examples regarding to the situation now in
this present generation and even in the past. He wanted to state here that history is important
in our lives and not just in the school, it is not just a subject because let’s admit it, it is part
of our lives. Having a history subject in every school let us know the happening before.
History is our key for every information that we wanted to know because in the history
subjects, it has the information of every presidents that we have, the national heroes, dates
and so on.
2. What are the questions on the article?

 Does learning the history has an impact in our lives?
 Why do we need to study the history? Is it that important?
 Why does other people or students find history as boring and hard to study?
 Why did Department of Education (DepEd) removed the Philippine History as a
dedicated course in High School?
 Why did other people wants to return the History Subject?
3. What are your assumptions?

For me, I think learning history has an impact in our lives because without history
one thing is for sure, we don’t know where we came from. We need to study the history
because it is important, it has the information just like the things or happenings that what
we need to know and what we want to know. Other people or students find history as boring
and difficult subjects because there are so many events, dates, names, and so on that need
remember and memorize, but they must keep in their mind that, what are written in the
history books are the reasons why we are here and living this freely here in our country and
even outside the country. Department of Education removed the Philippine History as a
dictated course in High school because just like what is written here in the article Araling
Panlipunan is already taught in Elementary level and it must not be a redundant that’s why
they decided to removed it as a subject in the High School level. But there are also some
people who wanted to bring back the History as a subject because just like what they want
to say, it is hard for the student to copped up the lesson because of the long gap and it can
pose a problem especially to college students because there is a subject entitled Philippine
History subject. History must be taught in both elementary, secondary and tertiary.
4. What information and facts could you get from the article?
 Since 2014, many calls have been made to return Philippine History to high school.
This was brought about by the Department of Education (DepEd) Order 20, 2014
that effectively removed the Philippine History as a dedicated course in high school.
 Unfortunately, no changes were made with the Araling Panlipunan (AP)
curriculum. Organizations such as the Teacher’s Dignity Coalition (TDC),
Suspended K-12 Alliance, and Tanggol Kasaysayan made objections about the
decision early on. Partisan and progressive groups all came along to call for the
return of Philippine History in high school. These were made alongside their
overarching advocacy of condemning K-12 altogother.
 Tackles government representatives responded by saying that Philippine History is
already integrated in other Araling Panlipunan (AP) subjects such as Asian History.
There was no need to make it redundant since it is already taught in elementary.
This was made painfully clear when, in 2017, current DepEd Secretary Leonor
Briones expressed the following in a Philippine Daily Inquirer article entitled, “Not
‘Kuri-kulam’ but ‘Cure-iculum’”
 From my educational perspective, integration does not work given that AP is only
3 hours or 3 contact sessions a week in junior high school. Compared to other
subjects like English, Math, Science that has 4 (or in some schools, 5) contact hours
per week, AP is at a disadvantage. Logistically, it is nearly impossible to integrate
Philippine History in Asian History or any other non-AP subjects given the
constrain.
 Effectively, there are 6 whole years (4 years in junior high school and two years in
senior high school) where a students does not learn Philippine History as a
dedicated subject at all. A Grade 6 student might learn it in elementary, but the next
time he or she will learn it will be in college, under the Readings in Philippine
History course. The huge 6-year gap can pose a problem.
 So, in August of 2018, I started a petition in Change.org to return Philippine History
in high school. It calls on the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA) and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to prod DepEd
to return Philippine History to high school. It also asks the DepEd to review the AP
curriculum in the hopes of returning Philippine History to junior high school and
perhaps even senior high school. It likewise urges Congress to enact legislation to
make it mandatory to have Philippine History in all tranches of education,
especially in high school. Ultimately, our petition hopes to have Philippine History
in Grade 10 synthesized with Contemporary Issues while adding an advance subject
on Philippine History in Senior high school.
5. What inferences could you formulate?

The best inferences that I think I can formulate is to bring back the Philippine
History not just as a subjects in every schools but as a History in ourselves, because just
like what I said in other questions history is important not just important but it is so
important in every individual here in the Philippines, and also the continuation of the lesson
is a must so that there will be no gap and the students doesn’t have to struggle copping up
with the subject.
6. What concept could derive from the article?

 Those teenage years in high school are said to be most formative according to
principles of developmental psychology, such as those espoused by Erik Erikson.
This is an age bracket where they are most socially, developmentally, and
politically malleable. With no room for a mature conduit for discussion, they lend
to be susceptible to distortions in history and the worsening of historical amnesia.
 If things were bad before, things have gotten worse because of the effective removal
of Philippine History in high school.
 I am a professional teacher, not an activist, I have no other agenda other than the
return of Philippine History in high school. I am not against K-12 per se; I only
desire for reforms in the system.
 True enough, there were many Filipinos who were not even aware of the removal
of Philippine History in high school. Upon knowing this, many patriots
immediately signed the petition.
 These curious boys and girls have finally become patriotic men and women.
 Perhaps Jose Rizal’s proverbial words, cliché as they may be, do ring true in this
situation: Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan (The youth is our nation’s hope).
7. What point of view do you have after reading this article?

After reading the article, I can say that there is still a chance for the History to
survive. People is the key for the history to survive. If people are still reading and curious
about the Philippine History then the History can still be survive. History must remain, so
that I suggested that every Philippine History lesson in the book must be taught in
elementary, secondary and tertiary.

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THE SLOW DEATH OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY IN HIGH SCHOOL

Author: Jamico D. Ignacio

1. What is the purpose of the author?

2. What are the questions on the article?

3. What are your assumptions?

5. What inferences could you formulate?

6. What concept could derive from the article?

7. What point of view do you have after reading this article?

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