NSC, DepEd discussing inclusion of West PH Sea issues in curriculum

An aerial photo taken by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the wide expanse of Escoda (Sabina) Shoal coveted by China within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. (INQUIRER FILES)

MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) is now in talks with the Department of Education (DepEd) for possible inclusion of the West Philippine Sea issues in the academic 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,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said 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,” he added.

In January, the PCG also produced a comic book titled “Ang mga Kwento ni Teacher Jun (The Stories of Teacher Jun)” which promotes the government’s narratives in the West Philippine Sea.

Malaya previously told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the government is in discussion with the DepEd to use the book in schools.

Tarriela said the PCG has donated its West Philippine Sea comic books to several schools in Metro Manila.

To date, Tarriela said the PCG produced almost 20,000 copies of the West Philippine Sea comic book.

Such an initiative comes to counter Beijing’s continuous assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea.

In 2012, Manila and Beijing had a tense standoff over Panatag Shoal, with the former withdrawing its ships from the shoal that led to the latter having an effective control of its lagoon to date.

A year later, Manila lodged an arbitration case against Beijing after this standoff, which led to a historic 2016 arbitral award that effectively rejected the latter’s sweeping claims in the West Philippine Sea through its then nine-dash line — now ten-dash-line — after the inclusion of another line in the eastern section of Taiwan in 2023.