The ASEAN Key Element of Education 1 is to promote ASEAN awareness through strengthening Southeast Asian history and indigenous knowledge. We, Filipinos, can contribute to the awareness of ASEAN History as we are the product of many races that invaded us in the past through our History, culture, sub-cultural units, traditions, local languages, values, beliefs, customs practiced and people that influenced greatly our rich history. It is important not to remove Filipino and Araling Panlipunan as subjects taught at K-12 Curriculum to remind the next generation of the richness of our culture and to pass the baton to the next generation.
We cannot share the richness of our history if we do not know anything about it so as our students. They may not remember everything in our history but at least some parts of it that they can still remember can contribute to the root of our race and of our country. We should instill on every student the value of our history so that we can share to the world that despite the invasion of Spaniards, Americans, Japanese and others who tried to conquer us, we stand tall having the control on our own nation though we cannot fully say that we are totally freed. Even if we are not under the power of the president of the United States of America, we share the line of defenses with US Military in our country, the band of friendship and unity that we can show the world as ASEAN promotes the relationship and cooperation of each country in Southeast Asia towards its goals. Even if we are not the sub-capital of Korea, we can see millennials listening and watching K-pop and K-drama. While others can view it negative, we can show our adaptability towards what other nation can share to us. Because of that adaptive character, we can expand our relations to other countries. It is so hard to build relationship if we do not know anything about others. Even if our country is distant from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, some words in their language share commonality on us though they might mean different things. This means that the formation of those similar words rooted on something we share in the past. Even if Philippines has a lot of indigenous tribes with different cultures, the uniqueness of every tradition is not overlooked by others but adored and is still respected. Even if our national heroes are long gone, people still know about Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo that show the problems that occurred in our community during Spanish regime and KKK that shows that Filipinos can fight through weapons lead by Andres Bonifacio. Though millennials watch a lot of BTS, Blackpink and Momoland nowadays and no matter how boring it may seem, educators should continue to teach them about the traditional dances once danced in the Philippines when traditional clothings are still worn like cariñosa, tinkling and pandanggo sa ilaw.
The rich history that we have becomes the richness of ASEAN not only because we are a member of it but because the world has the right to know that it is our pride to share our history with them and we are the product if that history.
By: Ms. Ana Rosette S. Garcia | Jose Rizal Institute
