DepEd's 2020 module depicting Leni Robredo in a bad light resurfaces ahead of May elections
The Department of Education (DepEd) has figured in another controversy as its self-learning module (SLM) printed in 2020 has recently gone viral for seemingly depicting Vice President Leni Robredo in a bad light.
DepEd's senior high school SLM titled “Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person,” meant to instruct students about "methods of philosophizing, curiously contained multiple-choice questions that are apparently critical of Robredo with no basis and no proper context.
Twitter account @IamCharotism shared snaps of the module in question early April 7, which is just less than a month before the May 9 polls.
Hi @DepEd_PH mukhang nagagamit ang module ng mga estudyante at manipulahin ang isip ng mga bata laban kay VP Leni Robredo. Kasabwat ba kayo dito? Charot! pic.twitter.com/TjyU3zyQC2
— Charot! (@IamCharotism) April 6, 2022
Based on the photo, Item No. 7 asks students to identify which headline "has no errors in terms of grammar, spelling, and content." The choices are:
- Robredo Chides Government for Unclear Communication on New Quarantine Rules
- Robredo Blames the Government as They Don’t Have Clear Rules in Quarantine
- Robredo Charge the Government as Culprit for Confusion in Quarantine
- Robredo blames those in Executive Branch for Communication’s Unclear.
For Item No. 8, students are instructed to identify "which statements contain substantiated generalizations." The choices are:
- “Drug war a massive failure” – Robredo
- Robredo lies to the world, shames the nation and herself in UN message
- The real albatross on Leni Robredo’s neck
- Let Leni plan on her own drug war
"Hi @DepEd_PH mukhang nagagamit ang module ng mga estudyante at manipulahin ang isip ng mga bata laban kay VP Leni Robredo. Kasabwat ba kayo dito? Charot!" @IamCharotism wrote in a tweet, which has over 3,700 likes and 2,000 retweets to date.
DepEd has allotted P9 billion for the printing of learning modules for academic year 2020 to 2021.
Many netizens called out the agency for the blunder.
"They are corrupting the mind of the children, what kind of generation would u expect on this kind of education they are giving to our youth?" a user wrote.
"Ang pathetic ng mga gumawa. Nakakahiya. Ginagamit ang pagiging teacher para sa kasamaan. Unprofessional!" another user wrote.
DepEd has yet to issue a statement on the matter.
At a Senate hearing in June last year, DepEd Usec. Diosdado San Antonio said there had been a total of 155 errors found in its learning materials from October 2020 to June 2021. Errors included the usage of a Filipino vulgar word.
In August that year, The Commission on Audit flagged DepEd over "several deficiencies" in the use of its P8-billion COVID-19 funds, marked by the non-submission of contracts, purchase orders and other supporting documents, delayed procurement and delivery of SLMs, flawed and incomplete SLMs, and undisbursed funds.
Robredo, meanwhile, is the biggest victim of disinformation or negative messaging online according to fact-checking initiative Tsek.PH.
The results, derived from 200 fact-checks in January, was presented at Senate committee hearing on Feb. 2. In the same report it shared with senators, Tsek.PH also said that a "substantial volume" of disinformation are largely positive of Robredo's closest rival, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.