Proposed curriculum tackles trolling, red-tagging, EJKs

MANILA, Philippines — Grade 10 students may soon discuss in class contemporary human rights issues such as red-tagging, trolling and extrajudicial killings (EJK).

The three topics were specifically identified in the draft revised curriculum for Grade 10 Araling Panlipunan (AP) released by the Department of Education (DepEd) last week.

While details have yet to be released on how the topics will be tackled in class, the draft stated that these would be taught during the fourth grading.

Red-tagging is defined as the baseless act of linking groups and individuals to communist groups, while trolling involves incidents of online harassment often committed by anonymous individuals.

Extrajudicial killings, meanwhile, is defined by the United Nations as the “deliberate killing of individuals outside of any legal framework.”

While it is an issue hounding the Philippines for years, it became a major concern during the previous administration due to killings related to the so-called war on drugs.

Earlier this month, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) filed a red-tagging complaint against Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte before the International Labor Organization.

ACT secretary-general Raymond Basilio said the complaint cited the series of DepEd statements linking the group to communist rebels.

These include Duterte’s statements on March 4 and 6 in relation to the transport strike, as well as on March 27, 29, 30 and 31 that connected the Masbate armed conflict to ACT’s call for the hiring of 30,000 teachers.

The group also cited the joint press conference of the DepEd and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict on April 4, which claimed that its leaders are members of communist groups.

“Red-tagging our legal and legitimate unions is a violation of the freedom of association and poses grave dangers to the life of our organization and leaders, as records show that rampant red-tagging preceded all harassments, intimidation, illegal arrest and detention and extrajudicial killings perpetrated against unionist in recent years,” Basilio said.