BENHAM RISE, 7,641 PH ISLANDS MUST BE IN OUR TEXTBOOKS, SAYS CONG. BELARO
New-found 534 Philippine islands, the Benham Rise, and the exclusive economic zone are among the recent developments and concepts which should be included in the country's new textbooks on social studies, geography, geology, maritime, and marine life, 1-ANG EDUKASYON Party-list Representative Salvador B. Belaro, Jr. said in a news release.
"Our National Mapping and Resource Information Agency (NAMRIA) is doing a great and indispensable job charting all our islands, the Benham Rise, and the limits of our exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Their output must be included in our textbooks," Belaro said.
The party-list congressman and former university professor noted that it was in February 2016 when then Environment Secretary Ramon Paje revealed NAMRIA's discovery of 534 new Philippine islands using new technology.
"Now the Benham Rise is a hot-button issue but the general public, school teachers, and their students know very little about the Benham Rise and the 7,641 islands of the Philippines," Belaro also said.
More detailed information can be given to students in the form of printed and electronic brochures, the congressman also said.
"Updating our textbooks need not be a solo effort of the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education. Private foundations, advocacy groups, and private firms can also help by producing teaching kits and conducting specific training for teachers," Belaro said.
He also said updating textbooks is "usually a long and tedious process, but it is high time we make sure those textbooks are updated and as quickly as possible."
"The UN arbitral tribunal ruling on our South China Sea claim and our latest Supreme Court decisions about the country's territory, continental shelf and EEZ should also be in our textbooks," Belaro said. (END)
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=86276.0