The National Security Council (NSC) is in discussions with the Department of Education (DepEd) about the possibility of integrating West Philippine Sea issues into the school curriculum.
“The National Security Council represented by Jonathan Malaya is currently in talks with the Department of Education as to how we can be able to include the West Philippine Sea issues in our curriculum,” said Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum.
“Even at a young age, they would know what the West Philippine Sea is and why it matters to the next generation,” Tarriela noted.
In January, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) released a comic book titled *“Ang mga Kwento ni Teacher Jun” (The Stories of Teacher Jun)* to promote the government’s position on the West Philippine Sea.
Tarriela disclosed that the PCG has donated copies of the comic book to several schools in Metro Manila. So far, nearly 20,000 copies have been produced, he added.
Relations between the Philippines and China have been strained over their territorial dispute on the WPS.
Philippine authorities, notably the Philippine Coast Guard, accused the Chinese Coast Guard and militias of incessant harassment of Filipino-owned vessels and fishing boats even within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The WPS crisis developed as Beijing ignored a ruling by The Hague Arbitral Tribunal that resoundingly favored Manila, declaring that China’s arguments, including the nine-dash line had no legal basis and therefore, unlawful.
Expectedly, China reacted negatively to the decision, claiming it was “null and void.”
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Gov’t seeks West Philippine Sea studies integration into school curriculum”