Environmentalism has been integrated in public curriculum, DepEd Secretary says
Secretary Lapus made the statement in a press conference moderated by the Philippine Information Agency on the occasion of the 34th Anniversary of the Department of Education Regional Office 8 on October 26 at the DepEd Regional Training Center Mess Hall.
“It’s just too unfortunate that we were not able to report to the Supreme Court what DepEd has been doing to help clean up Manila Bay,” Secretary Lapus said as he showed the report that will be submitted to the Supreme Court.
This is the reason why a two-page compliance report will be submitted to the High Court, one day after the reprimand, the good Secretary added.
Secretary Lapus said “environmental responsibility” had been included in the curriculum even before the case on Manila Bay’s cleanup was brought to the courts.
DepEd has also been very active in environmental campaigns, according to the education secretary. He said the Education Department supported the cause of environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa who filed a case in the tribunal to compel government agencies to clean up the polluted bay.
In the report to be submitted to the court, the DepEd said: “The study of environment has long been integrated in the curriculum and is basically taught in natural science.”
“In fact, the DepEd has distributed since 1999 an Environmental Education Guide for use of teachers in basic education at all levels,” the department added.
The report, which Secretary Lapus said, will be filed through the Office of the Solicitor General, also noted that the DepEd had also worked with the DENR in holding annual summer camps since 2000 for students interested and active in environmental awareness and protection.
It would be recalled that the Supreme Court, on August 25, ordered the heads of government agencies who failed to comply with the tribunal’s instructions for the cleanup of Manila Bay to explain why they should not be cited for contempt.
Atty. Jose Midas Marquez, Supreme Court spokesperson, said, at its en banc session, the tribunal came up with the directive that the agency heads were given 10 days to file their comment on Oposa’s urgent motion to cite the officials for contempt.
Atty. Oposa also asked the high court on Monday to throw in jail the officials who failed to submit a progress report on their roles in the cleanup after every 90 days.
The subjects of Oposa’s motion are Lapus, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane and Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya.
Other subjects of the motion are Jojo Allado of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and the heads of the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority and PNP-Maritime Police.
In December 2008, the Supreme Court ordered Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Environment Natural Resources (DENR) and six other government agencies to clean up Manila Bay in accordance with their mandate under existing laws.
While both the MMDA and the DENR have complied with the Supreme Court ruling, the other agencies did not comply with the requirement more than 200 days after the tribunal ordered the cleanup when it ruled on the case of the Concerned Citizens of Manila Bay versus MMDA, et al.
In the report to be submitted to the court, the DepEd said: “The study of environment has long been integrated in the curriculum and is basically taught in natural science.”
“In fact, the DepEd has distributed since 1999 an Environmental Education Guide for use of teachers in basic education at all levels,” the department added.
The report, which will be filed through the Office of the Solicitor General, also noted that the DepEd had also worked with the DENR in holding annual summer camps since 2000 for students interested and active in environmental awareness and protection. (PIA 
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