DepEd to parents, teachers: Vote based on what’s best for the country

MANILA, Philippines – Vote based on what’s best for the country, not your personal needs.

This was the message delivered by Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro in a statement on Saturday, May 7, just two days before the Philippines takes to the polls. (READ: Guide to the 2016 Philippine elections)

Luistro, addressing “parents, teachers, and colleagues in the education sector,” called the right to vote “the greatest power we possess,” and challenged voters to exercise their right responsibly.

“You may have already made your choice at this point, but let me bring you back to the crossroads and remind you that in making that choice, you should base your votes on the needs of your nation and not your own,” he said.

“It is your duty to ‘protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based and complete basic education’ so that they ‘form values and competencies’ that will ‘enable them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation.'”

Luistro added that while “everyone wants change” – similar to how the educational system “warranted a major overhaul through the K to 12 program” – it should be change that would build on the Aquino administration’s gains.

“The kind of change that we need the most at this point is the one that shall build on the foundations of education reform that we have already painstakingly laid and not the kind that will seek to undo this,” he said.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the front runner in the presidential race based on voters’ preference surveys, is positioning himself as the country’s last card to heal generations of “fractured Filipinos.” His campaign slogan – “Change is Coming.”

The DepEd secretary urged voters not to make their choice based on “survey results, big promises, or mass popularity” but to select based on “core values” which “promote an environment that is child-friendly, safe, nurturing, and value-driven.”

“Choose someone who is God-fearing and who lives out a compassionate, honest and moral life. Our nation needs someone who respects the rights and dignity of every human being, and promotes truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace,” he added.

The country’s public school teachers play a key role in the polls as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI). DepEd Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali estimated in January that around 233,487 teachers would be needed to assist in the elections. (WATCH: Guide for teachers on duty on election day)

“Be the change that you want for our country by making the well-informed vote that our nation deserves. At the end of this electoral process, let us accept the outcome with graciousness in our hearts and a continued resolve to promote the welfare of our learners,” said Luistro. – Rappler.com