Schools asked: Display 10 Commandments

CITIZENS Battle Against Corruption Party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva urged the new education secretary — to be named by the President soon — to display the biblical «Ten Commandments» in every school nationwide.

Villanueva made the call after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that he would announce by the end of June the new chief of the Department of Education (DepEd) to replace Vice President Sara Duterte.

The founder of the Jesus is Lord movement also said that the posting of the Ten Commandments would promote the spiritual and moral well-being of Filipino youth as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.

Citizens Battle Against Corruption Party-list Rep. Eddie

«This is a fitting initiative for schools as a complementary institution of the church in strengthening the moral fiber of our youth. I hope the incoming DepEd head will support it,» Villanueva said.

Quoting the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, Villanueva said that if one teaches children in their prime years the foundational values that would make them God-centered and humane citizens, they would live out those lessons throughout their lifetime.

«By displaying and teaching the Ten Commandments in our schools, we will be able to raise our youth in the fear of God, which is a key element for a stable and successful society. In fact, the measure would be a cost-efficient way of reviving our country's moral health because we would have already nipped in the bud various moral, social and political problems,» Villanueva said.

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Also, the Ten Commandments is not a mere religious tenet exclusive to Christianity, as both Christians and non-Christians have acknowledged the universal applicability of the Decalogue in molding good citizens, he added.

«It is more than just a set of religious teachings; the Commandments are a guide for nation-building and social cohesion,» Villanueva said.

He said that he would file a bill that would institutionalize the posting of the Decalogue in schools, adopting a law in Louisiana, USA, which does the same.

Villanueva prayed that the new education secretary would integrate it into the Good Manners and Right Conduct subject of the K–12 curriculum.

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