Electronic Newsletter Volume 2 Issue No. 4

29 November 2011

What is Happening With Our Quezon City Partners By: Jette S. Gonzales MATINIK: Women in the Home Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City – As a first attempt at implementing a local action initiative, the Malayang Tinig ng Kababaihan sa Komunidad (MATINIK) gathered together approximately 100 mothers, teachers and children to a short presentation and forum last 15th October 2011 to campaign for the practice of positive discipline in the classrooms and the home. Before the start of the program, MATINIK coordinator and ARTS Zone Project liaison Ms. Rosal Palma-Peciller quoted a study that shows 80% of the households in Brgy. Tatalon manifest incidences of violence in the home related to child-beating interpreted as disciplinary measures against offending children. According to Peciller, parents, mostly mothers, use a variety of implements when carrying out these disciplining methods – spanking with an open palm, hitting with a closed fist, clothes hangers, a broom, a metal pipe or even a chair – for reasons varying from a child forgetting to clean up after himself/herself, to not being able to do his/her assignment or in incidences of petty thefts.

To many of us, the situation may seem extremely brutal and even criminal. To some, the acts may appear to be simply forms of discipline. But such beatings inflict pain, both physical and psychological, and to a child’s frail physiology, it may be too much. More often than not, it is too much. Children are human beings, entitled to the same protection as their adult counterparts. They need their dignity. They need to be treated humanely. Through the forum, it is hoped that the

practice of corporal punishment may slowly be eradicated, promoting a more nurturing atmosphere for children to grow in.

University of the Philippines Professor Marco Lagman, brother to Quezon City Councilor Edcel Lagman, Jr., opened the program by discussing the policy legislative of Coun. Lagman with regards the pending law preventing corporal punishment. He says that while the law does promote the protection of children, there remain questions that need to be clarified specifically on the concerns of a parent/adult on their right in carrying out disciplining measures as they see fit. There are also parameters of the bill that need to be polished to avoid misinterpretation including the repercussions and penalty for adults who are caught carrying out corporal punishment. He invited the members of the audience to submit suggestions and comments with regard their views on positive discipline. Latus, a drama-documentary on incidences of violence against children was shown next. Latus, in Bisayan vernacular meaning ‘beating,’ was produced by the Tambayan Center for Children’s Rights, Inc. It is being shown in towns and schools in Mindanao as part of the Mindanao Action Group for Children’s Rights and Protection or MAGCRP’s campaign against corporal punishment of children and violence against children. Finally, a forum ensued where, although there were a few negative views on discarding corporal punishment, mostly the views raised were that indeed, positive discipline is a better option for both child and adult. For children, because they are treated better, foregoing the degrading, painful means just to achieve discipline. For adults, because they are spared from the stress of having to deal with meting out disciplining measures.

IN SERVICE TRAINING FOR TEACHERS: ARTS Zone goes to the academe Corporal punishment is not something confined in the home. It also happens in the academe. This was the take of the seminar conducted for teachers of the Commonwealth Elementary

School – Main (CES-Main) and the Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Elementary School (BSA,Jr.ES), both located in Manggahan, Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City. A total of some 150 to 200 teachers from the two schools were in attendance for the short talk given by Ms. Mariz Nepomuceno (at CES-Main) and Prof. Rhoda Nicdao (BSA,Jr.ES)., respectively.

In both talks, one matter the speakers emphasized on to help instill discipline in children is to create a routine for them. Children need to form a habit of doing what they need to do when they need to do them. E.g., parents need to make sure the child does his/her homework as soon as he/she gets home. Then, he/she can have an hour’s worth of TV, or whatever other recreational means is preferred. This is followed by dinner and finally bedtime. If this is accomplished, adults are spared from being labeled sirang plaka (broken record) and they need not fret over things not being accomplished. Both speakers also stressed how our disciplining methods must be relevant as well as commensurate to the lapse committed. Case in point: A child is caught vandalizing. The normal reaction has been to spank the child or have him/her skip dinner as a punishment. This, however, does not emphasize ‘teaching the child a lesson’ related to his wrongdoing. This method will appear, to the child, that when he vandalizes, he will get spanked or go hungry and eventually, when he/she is used to getting spanked or going hungry, he has not learned that vandalizing in itself is wrong. The more ideal means would be to ask the child to clean up his mess, without the hysterics, without the pain. That way, the ‘punishment’ is more directly related to his/her wrongdoing.

Of course, again, there is the growing concern that with the propagation of positive discipline, and with the impending passing of House Bill 4455 (Promote Positive and Non-violent Measures to Discipline Children), the adults are possibly being ‘robbed’ of the right to discipline the young. It is with further forums and seminars such as these conducted at the public elementary

schools that can help adults understand that all the bill is hoping to achieve is to eliminate the unnecessary violence that children experience and to explore a more positive, more nurturing, more didactic means of instilling values in our children.

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About PETA The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) was founded on April 7, 1967 as a non-stock, non-profit theater institution dedicated to the pursuit of artistically excellent theater aesthetics and pedagogy towards the empowerment of people and society. PETA has been home and cradle to hundreds of artists who share their talents and expertise in theater, film and television, print and education, reaping a rich harvest of recognition and awards while interacting and bonding with local and international organizations and educational institutions. About ARTS Zone ARTS Zone Project (Advocate Rights to Safety Zone for Children) is an educational theater campaign, spearheaded by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), on children’s rights to safety and protection from any form of violence and abuse. It aspires to ensure a child’s positive growth towards reaching his or her full potential. By creatively raising the Filipino families’ and communities’ awareness on children’s rights and its related issues, the project hopes to build a nurturing environment in the homes, schools and communities. Through creative seminar-trainings, theater workshops and consultations, adults as ‘duty-bearers’ and children as ‘rights-claimers’ are educated and informed on human rights and justice and are assisted on exploring alternatives of conflict resolution and child-rearing. The ARTS Zone Project is made possible through the support of Terre des Hommes Germany and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). About ARTS Zone E-News The ARTS Zone E-News is an occasional electronic newsletter published by the PETA Arts Zone Project. It provides updates through timely release of news and information on the activities of the project. The E-News also serves as a venue for partners and network members to share experiences and effective approaches to promoting a safe and nurturing environment for the children.