A invoice searching for to ensure spiritual freedom in academic establishments and defend the scholars’ beliefs was filed within the Senate.
Senator Robin Padilla filed Senate Bill 1609 or the proposed Protection of Students’ Religious Belief Act to present the learners the “liberty to disassociate and excuse themselves from participating in any religious classes and activities that interfere with his religious tenets or faith without the fear of expulsion, sanction, or reprimand.”
“Over the years, there have been accounts of how educational institutions fall short, if not totally fail, in distinguishing students by the basis of religion and similarly, prescribing religious classes in their curriculum that are offered to all students in general,” Padilla wrote in his explanatory notice.
“However, the problem arises when students are compelled to enroll in religious classes and attend academic activities that interfere with their religious tenets and practices. Without the discretion to exclude themselves or exemption from these religious classes, students are inclined to practice and engage in religious beliefs different from their faith,” he added.
The senator asserted that the 1987 Constitution “protects and forever allows” the free train and delight of non secular occupation and worship with out discrimination or desire.
Citing Section 3(3), Article XIV of the Constitution, Padilla additionally talked about that faith is allowed to be taught in public elementary and excessive faculties inside the common class hours by instructors designated or accredited by the spiritual authorities to which the youngsters or wards belong, on the choice expressed in writing by the mother and father or guardians.
Further, Padilla cited the Supreme Court jurisprudence within the case of Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines, Inc. v. Office of the Secretary in July 2003, which said that freedom of faith is “designed to guard the broadest attainable livery of conscience, to permit every man to imagine as his conscience directs, to profess his beliefs, and to stay as he believes he should stay, in keeping with the freedom of others and with the widespread good.
The lawmaker mentioned that the SC ruling places emphasis on two essential aspects that are the liberty to imagine and the liberty to behave on one’s beliefs.
Under the invoice, academic establishments shall make sure that all college students should not discriminated in opposition to on account of their spiritual perception, affiliation, or engagement in any spiritual exercise; shall respect each pupil’s proper to precise or put on their spiritual clothes contained in the campus or throughout school-related actions exterior the varsity premises; shall be prohibited from requiring college students to take part and attend any spiritual exercise or their efficiency.
SB 1609 additionally states that no pupil shall be required to be taught with, to be enrolled in, or to take a non secular worth, lesson, topic, or course completely different from his or her faith with out the written consent of the scholar.
If the scholar is a minor, the invoice gives {that a} father or mother or authorized guardian shall execute the written consent on behalf of the learner.
Under the invoice, violators might face a P500,000 effective and/or undergo imprisonment of not lower than six years.
If the violation was dedicated by a company, group, or any related entity, the officers and workers straight concerned shall pay P2 million effective and/or undergo an eight-year imprisonment.
The invoice additionally mandates the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Commission on Human Rights to conduct consciousness and academic actions to be able to promote the proposed regulation.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
