Oro child empowerment, civic education measure under study

THE joint committees on women and family relations, and on education reviewed the proposed ordinance seeking to institutionalize civic responsibility, public safety, environmental awareness, waste management, social etiquette, and children’s rights education in Cagayan de Oro City schools.

During the discussion, the City Legal Office raised concern regarding the title of the measure and recommended considering the “one subject, one title” rule to avoid combining distinct or incongruous subjects in a single ordinance.

Acting Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) Department Manager Doy Ramiro supported the proposed measure, citing RTA’s existing traffic education and public information initiatives for schools.

Ramiro said the Traffic Education and Public Information Division of his office is developing materials for school-based activities, including sessions on road safety.

He also cited the agency’s previous collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Pilipinas Shell Foundation on violence and injury prevention, road safety awareness, and teacher training.

Integrating these existing initiatives into a more coordinated school-based information and education program could help make such efforts more effective for students, Ramiro added.

A representative of the Local School Board (LSB), meanwhile, raised concerns regarding the funding provision under Section 13 of the proposed ordinance.

The representative asked whether the general fund could be included as a possible funding source and proposed the inclusion of the LSB in the proposed City Civic Education Coordinating Council, noting the board’s role in facilitating the preparation, finalization, and implementation of the Special Education Fund budget.

Meanwhile, the DepEd representative the potential added workload for teachers and its impact on learners’ contact time, particularly amid education-in-emergencies situations brought about by extreme heat and the use of blended and alternative modes of learning.

While DepEd remains supportive of the ordinance, the representative suggested integrating the proposed activities into existing DepEd programs rather than modifying the national curriculum.

The representative also proposed involving student leaders in information and education activities and school-based training to help them apply and promote the measure’s key concepts.

The representative also suggested involving student leaders in information and education activities and in school-based training programs to help them apply and promote the concepts embodied in the proposed measure.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), for its part, emphasized the need for close coordination with DepEd, which has authority over the national basic education curriculum, to ensure that the proposed ordinance complements rather than independently alter existing curriculum policies.

DILG also suggested revisiting the ordinance’s title and strengthening its provisions on the promotion and integration of existing laws and programs concerning children and civic education.

Other concerns discussed during the meeting included the development of training and information materials and the conduct of seminars and training programs for student leaders, faculty, and school personnel, particularly on solid waste management, road safety, behavioral change, and related areas.

Following the discussion, the joint committees tabled the proposed ordinance pending the incorporation of the corrections, recommendations, and other inputs of the invited resource persons and offices for further study. (JAO/SP)