PASIG CATHOLIC COLLEGE

Justice Ramon Jabson St., Malinao R.

Pasig, Metro Manila

AN ASSESSMENT OF AWARENESS OF MINOR STUDENTS TO SOCIAL/

POLITICAL ISSUES AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH THROUGH RALLIES OR
PROTESTS

A Research Paper

ESP Junior High School Department

Submitted by:

Charlene Billiones

Leony Daisog

Teresita L. Lacson

Aristotle Luigi A. Regala

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction .. 1-2
II. Background of the Study .. 3-5
III. Definition of Terms and Acronyms . 5-9
IV. Problem Statement . 9
V. Objective of the Study ... 9
VI. Scope and Limitations .. 10
VII. Theoretical Framework . 10-13
Figure 1: Force Field Analysis 10
Figure 2: Ladder of Participation 11
VIII. Review of Literature .. 13-17
IX. Research Methodology 17
A. Methods of Research .................... 17
B. Instrumentation ...................... 17
C. Data Gathering Procedure . 17
D. Data and Method Analysis 19
1. Computation .. 19-20
2. Table 1: Survey Tally . 21
3. Figure 3: Graphical Presentation of Survey . 22
X. Conclusion . 23
XI. Recommendation . 23-24
XII. References . 25
Appendix A . 26

I. INTRODUCTION

History taught us that we are all rational and political beings, even from the

perception of ancient thinkers, we cannot but to live with one another. Harmonious

life is what we seek where tranquility of order in a society is observed and

maintained. But we cannot also deny that conflict and differences within a group of

Page 1 of 26
people is inevitable through various factors like power, benefits, blood line, among

others. Psychology would also teach us that we have different types of personalities

and temperaments to which differing decision making could arise. As generations

pass by and new innovations pop up, relationships among people became complex

as population of people also grow in number. As of now, different ideologies and

stands among various issues that arise from the differing advocacies of people

particularly by leaders and authorities crated faction and division among people. If

before, authoritarian or dictatorship kind of government was observed because of

the panoptical and almost omnipotent faculties of the abusive monarchs, today,

democracy is greatly valued and preserved. That is why differentinternational

communities did their utmost effort and dedication to draft, pass, and implement

laws that will protect ones life and rights. But as the old adage would say, too much

freedom is dangerous and detrimental. There is indeed no perfect solution for a

harmonious living with one another for all is limited. But as we continue with our

struggle against injustices and search for true freedom and justice, we hand in hand

help each other. But as we fight for our rights, we also need to set boundaries and

we also need to know if the cause we are fighting is of the majoritys benefit and not

only for some peoples advantage.

In the Philippine setting, we all know that the beauty of our islands once became

a magnet of interest among colonizers. Our ancestors and heroes fought tirelessly

for our freedom and independence. But as we continue in our present generation

now-a-days, still fight for freedom even on the small sectors of our country are

observed and sadly speaking some are left unheard. Freedom of Expression and
 Freedom of Speech are two important aspects that Filipinos consider. As our 1987

Philippine Constitution Article III, Section 4 would state:

No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, expression, or of the press, or
the rights of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress
of grievances.1

Since we are a democratic country, every individual has the right to express

themselves, their ideas, wisdom and emotions. According to the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of expression is the right of every individual

to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and

ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. From our home where we

develop our first knowledge, school has a major role in nourishing our mind with

factual information that will be our guide in the future. This is considered as our

second home thus they created a huge impact in individuals behavior and attitude.

II. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

During the Philippine presidential campaign last May 2016, one of the most

popular but controversial candidates because of his achievements in Davao city in

Page 2 of 26

Mindanao yet accused of being an authoritarian kind of leader because of his iron

hand type of running his local government provided a platform primarily centered on

the eradication of drugs and its proliferation, and lower crime rate. he was also

controversial because of his indecent behavior and his undeniable preference and
1
http://www.gov.ph/constitutions/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines/the-1987-constitution-
of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-article-iii/
 closeness to the Marcos, to be more specific when he was asked to have a stand

regarding the burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos to the Libingan ng mga

Bayani, he stated that he agrees on it and that we need to learn how to forgive and

move on.

When he became the 16th president last June 2016, a lot of drastic changes

occurred, all the above mentioned that reflect his platform and way of governance

was little by little becoming a reality. Some that were first observed were the curfew

particularly of the minors and the killings of the drug pushers and users in which the

PNP admitted their mistake and the abuses of some of their policemen. 2

While some of the supporters during the campaign period of President Rodrigo

Duterte where loyal, some of the people revolted against his drastic and violent

means in solving some sensitive political issues. Because of these negative

occurrences, a lot of people organized rallies and protests to which our youth

participated. One example of such is the one organized by the USC students in

Cebu city. This students were composed of a number of 30 participants all belonging

to the Political Science department3. They reenacted the violent and bloody scence
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during raids in accordance to their perception and framework about the issue.

Another example of a rally that was organized by the youth was about the curfew

implemented that prohibits the minors to be outside their homes at a certain time in

the evening. They stated that they are afraid that they might be abused if not proven

their valid reason as to why they are still outside their homes. One even confided

that there are times in the school especially in the senior high school where different
2
http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/01/30/17/you-are-corrupt-to-the-core-duterte-tells-cops
3
http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/101939/usc-students-protest-against-drug-killings
 shifts of classes are observed that they will be required to enter late and be

dismissed late in the evening 4. But one of the most attended rallies just this recent

year under the regime of President Duterte is the burial of Marcos in the Libingan ng

mga Bayani.

Last November 2016, there arises a huge uproar among those against the late

presidents burial and called for a nationwide protest to hinder its materialization. A

lot joined these numerous protests including personnel and difference youth

organizations coming from schools, colleges, and universities. As a part of the news

stated in Rappler:

Students from various universities in Metro Manila marched to Luneta with other sectors,
saying they share with the older generation the fight to seek justice for Martial Law victims
and to make sure one of the darkest periods in the country's history is not repeated.5

But sadly speaking there are also schools who asked their minor and relatively

young students to participate in these rallies/ protests. Particularly in the case of St.

Scholasticas College6.Just as what is indicated in the introduction, freedom of

expression and speech must not be taken for granted for it is not just ones legal

right but most of all a moral right of every human being. But does it always follow
Page 4 of 26 the

correct ideologies in all instances? At first glance some protests/ rallies it could

reflect patriotism and nationalism for it conveys and stresses the significance of

human dignity and history but it also somehow entails somefoul plays in the place of

the young and innocent minor students for they have been left vulnerable to different

verbal and non-verbal abuses. That is why in this policy paper, the researchers

4
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/138434-youth-group-against-curfew-minors
5
http://www.rappler.com/nation/153669-students-anti-marcos-rally-november-25
6
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/153527-st-scholastica-statement-anti-marcos-protests
would like to assess if the students really know the public issues, their source, and

lastly their preference on their freedom of expression and speech. This will be further

elaborated in the statement of the problem.

III. DEFINITION OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS

Definition of terms

1. Minors- as term used in our policy paper is generally legally defined as a

person under the age of 18.

2. Child- a human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law
applicable to majority is attained earlier. This is ratified by 192 of 194 member
countries. Biologically, a child is generally anyone between birth and puberty.
(The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child)

1. Rally- common term used in our paper which aims

To call together for a common purpose and to reassemble and restore to order

3. Protest- this means to express a strong objection to (something) and to

participate in a public demonstration in opposition.

4. Assessment- indicated in our policy paper as we define it as the evaluation

or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something.
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5. Awareness- as used in this paper has a definition which concern about and
well-informed interest in a particular situation or development and it is a
knowledge or perception of a situation or fact

6. School- an institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning

environments for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of
teachers.

7. Issue- A point or matter of discussion, debate, or dispute

8. Public Issue- a matter of public concern that is currently happening in the

society.
9. Social issues- as mentioned in our paper is a problem that influences a
considerable number of the individuals within a society. It is often the
consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's social issue is the
source of a conflicting opinion on the grounds of what is perceived as a
morally just personal life or societal order.

10. Freedom of Speech- The right to speak without censorship or restraint by

the government

11. Freedom of expression- Right to express one's ideas and opinions freely
through speech, writing, and other forms of communication but without
deliberately causing harm to others' character and/or reputation by false or
misleading statements.
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12. Abuse- use (something) to bad effect or for a bad purpose; misuse.

13. Teachers- a person who teaches, especially in a school.

14. Bureau- as used in our policy proposal paper means an office or department
for transacting particular business

15. Education -is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of

knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits

16. Participation- the action of taking part in something

17. Human Rights- a right that is believed to belong justifiably to every person

18. Social Media- websites and applications that enable users to create and
share content or to participate in social networking.

19. Citizenship- as commonly used in this work means the position or status of
being a citizen of a particular country

20. Empowerment- authority or power given to someone to do something.

21. Justice- an equal evaluation and a just behavior or treatment.

 22. Government- is the system by which a state or community is controlled. In
the case of this broad associative definition, government normally consists of
legislators, administrators, and arbitrators

23. Innovative- introducing new ideas; original and creative in thinking and
featuring new methods; advanced and original.

24. Tokenism- the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolicPage

effort to do
7 of 26

a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from

underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial
equality within a workforce.

25. Violence- behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill
someone or something.

26. Gender- the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to
social and cultural differences rather than biological ones).

27. Age- the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed

28. Knowledge- facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through

experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a
subject

29. Protection- a person or thing that prevents someone or something from

suffering harm or injury.

Acronyms

1. DepED- Department of Education

2. UNCRC- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

3. RA- Republic Act

4. PAA -Public Assembly Act

Page 8 of 26
 5. CRC- Convention on the Rights of the Child

6. ALS Alternative Learning System

7. USC- University of San Carlos- Cebu

IV. PROBLEM STATEMENT

This research will focus on answering the following questions:

1. Are minors fully aware of the global and national political and social issues
affecting our current generation?
2. What are the sources or factors contributing and influencing minor students
awareness to these issues?
3. What do minors prefer in expressing and exercising their freedom of expression
and speech? Rallies versus other forms such as social media, etc.?
4. Are rallies/protests on the streets appropriate to the age and maturity level of the
minor studentsinvolved?

V. OBJECTIVE

This research aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. To identify if minor students are fully aware and informed of the public issues
2. To know sources or factors contributing and influencing to the awareness of
students to public issues
3. To know if minor students are more fitted to other forms of freedom of
expression such as social media, etc rather than protests/rallies.
4. To improve and enhance the existing DepEd Childs protection policy that
would protect the minor students rights toward their freedom of expression
yet not compromising their love for their nation.
5. To suggest a black and white, and long term solution that would guide the
schools both public and private on their freedom and limitations towards their
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students.

VI. SCOPE AND LIMITATION

 This study is focused on minor students in private schools wherein
Department of Education (DepEd) has no power or control over with.

VII. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The researchers will employ the Force Field Analysis by Kurt Lewin to identify the
different forces which either produce or hamper awareness in political concerns of
minors.

Figure 1: Force Field Analysis

Citizenship represents the collection of rights and obligations that define the
members of a community. These rights and obligations encompass legal empowerment
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and justice, political participation and decision making, social engagement, economic
rights and access to resources. Citizenship has two complementary aspects: citizenship
rights and citizenship practice. (Marshall and Bottomore,1992; Lister, 2003; 2006)
 The Ladder of Participation,
a metaphor used by Sherry
Arnstein in 1969 to discuss the
degree of citizen participation in
political issues, is employed by
theUNICEF in its study to explain
eight levels of participation by
young people in projects. Non-
participation includes
manipulation, decoration, and
tokenism. Participation will only
come on levels: (a) assigned but
informed, (b) consulted and
informed, (c) adult-initiated,
shared decisions with children, (d)
child-initiated and directed, and (e)
child-initiated, shared decisions
with adults.

Ideally, the last level child-

initiated, shared decisions with
adults is the desired state which
is indicated in the center of the Figure 2: Ladder of Participation (Arnstein)
Force Field Analysis as shown in
Figure 1.

The last rung in the ladder implies that young people and adults share
decision-making. This may be characterized by the following activities undertaken by
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the young people: (a) Researching, designing and executing public campaigning
work; (b) Media spokespeople; (c) Co-planning work with adults; (d) Research to
help understand young peoples needs; (e) Developing materials for a youth
audience; (f) Planning and organizing events and conferences; (g) Fundraising
development work; (h) Lobbying and advocacy work; (i) Recruiting staff; (j) Advising
staff to make Save the Children UK more accessible and child-focused; (k) Training
adults (e.g. staff inductions and young people); (l) Reviewing and evaluating Save the
Children UKs progress; (m) Peer education; and (n) Governance (e.g., Global
Childrens Panel)

All negative and positive forces can either produce positive changes or
produce obstacles which will lead to the desired state.

Factors which yield positive changes are under the Driving Forces. In this
study, these are the available literatures suggesting that the Philippines values the
importance of children participation.Article III Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution
states that, No law shall be passed abridging xxx the right of the people peaceably
to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

In the same manner, local legislations and regulations were approved

pursuant to the Constitution. Batas PambansaBlg. 880, An Act Ensuring the Free
Exercise by the People of their Right Peaceably to Assemble and Petition the
Government for Other Purposes was approved in 1985. Department of Education
Order No. 10 s. 2010, Clean Schools, Clean Election was signed in 2010.

Further, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes

the right to freedom of opinion and expression which includes freedom to hold
opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers.

In the advent of technology, citizens of the world have been confronted with
various social media platforms which become the venue not only of disseminating
public information but also of airing political and societal concerns.As youth are
generally inclined to using social media platforms, these therefore promote youth
Page 12 of 26
participation to a certain level.

It is for this reason that the 1987 Philippine Constitution, legislative

measuresensuring the right to self-expression, various International Treatieson self-
expression, and proliferation of various media platforms as avenues to air political
concerns are considered to be driving forces which yield positive changes toward the
desired output.

On the other side of Figure 1 is the Restraining Forces. These are the factors
which produce obstacles toward the attainment of the desired output. This includes
absence of legislation concerning particularly on youth participation and absence of
specific guidelines and/or regulations for compliance of schools with students who
wish to be involve in political activities.

Lack of this legislation may pose threat to the vulnerability of the students to
undue influence and coercion. Otherwise, existing laws may be revisited in
conformity with other legislations protecting childrens rights (i.e., Child Protection
Policy by the Dept. of Education).

VIII. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Citizenship represents the collection of rights and obligations that define the
members of a community. These rights and obligations encompass legal
empowerment and justice, political participation and decision making, social
engagement, economic rights and access to resources. Citizenship has two
complementary aspects: citizenship rights and citizenship practice (based on
Marshall and Bottomore,1992; Lister, 2003; 2006).

The State, in the exercise of parenspatriae, has the inherent duty to defend and
care for its citizens considering the special care they need vis--vis the right to press
freedom and the right to expression. It is for this reason that Batas Pambansa Blg.
880, The Public Assembly Act of 1985, was approved on October 22, 1985 which
ensures the free exercise by the people of their right to peaceably assemble and
petition the government and for other purposes. Said legislative measure, which is a
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response to the clamor for a peaceful assembly and exercise of self-expression,
stipulated those locations which require permits when used for organizing protests or
rallies. Should there be violence in the assembly, however, the BP allowed the law
enforcement officers to interfere.
 After the fall of the administration of the late President Ferdinand Emmanuel
Edralin Marcos, the crafters of the Constitution included the above-mentioned
privileges in the supreme law of the land thereby making these fundamental rights
which has to be enjoyed by all citizens. Article III Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution
states that, No law shall be passed abridging xxx the right of the people peaceably
to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Parallel to this, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states

that Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

The academe, one of the major catalysts in the historical 1987 EDSA revolution,
acknowledges these fundamental rights through enacting Department of Education
Order No. 10, s. 2010: Clean Schools, Clean Elections. It prohibits teachers and
staff of the concerned school to form political meetings or organize assembly during
school days. This Act is only applicable during election period and is supplementary
to BP 880.

In the exercise of parenspatriae, the State is duty-bound to extend its care to the
children. Article II Section 13 of the Constitution states that, The State recognizes
the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their
physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the
youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and
civic affairs.

Children is defined by Article 234 of the Executive Order No. 209 as those
who have not yet attained the age of majority or those whose ages
Pageare
14 of below
26

eighteen years old.

The Department of Education aims to protect children through DepEd Order

No. 40 s. 2012, DepEd Child Protection Policy. It includes protection from all forms
of violence that may be inflicted by adults, persons in authority as well as their fellow
students which includes bullying. It also provides special protection to children who
are gravely threatened or endangered by circumstances which affect their normal
development over which they have no control, and to assist the concerned agencies
in their rehabilitation and to ensure that such special protection from all forms of
abuse and exploitation and care as is necessary for the childs well-being, taking into
account the primary rights and duties of parents, legal guardians, or other individuals
who are legally responsible and exercise custody over the child.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child has significant implications for the
improvement of young peoples participation in society. It makes it clear to all that
children are independent subjects and hence have rights. Article 12 of the
Convention makes a strong, though very general, call for childrens participation and
encourage States Parties to assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her
own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child,
the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and
maturity of the child.

It goes on to argue in Article 13 that the child shall have the right to freedom
of expression. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in
print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the childs choice. It is
encouraged that children shall not be deprived in forming their opinions and point of
view. They are free to choose any means of expressing their views and opinions.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989) is the first
human-rights treaty to explicitly recognize childrens civil rights. However, the CRC
does not extend political rights to children. Rights of a child pertaining Page
to freedom
15 of 26 of
expression were emphasized in Article 13 and 15 as follows:

Article 13:

1. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include
freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds,
regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or
through any other media of the child's choice.

Page 16 of 26
 2. The exercise of this right may be subject to certain restrictions, but these
shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:
b. For respect of the rights or reputations of others; or
c. For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of
public health or morals.

Article 15

1. States Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and
to freedom of peaceful assembly.
2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of these rights other than those
imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic
society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre
public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights
and freedoms of others.

Participation of young adults is seen to be an important antidote to traditional

educational practice which runs the risk of leaving youth alienated and open to
manipulation. Through genuine participation in projects, which involve solutions to
real problems, young people develop the skills of critical reflection and comparison
of perspectives which are essential to the self-determination of political beliefs. The
benefit is two-fold: to the self-realization of the child and to the democratization of
society. (Hart, 1992)

In general and as provided for in the existing laws, national or international, a

child has an absolute right to freedom of expression in any form or means he/she
wishes to. However, since children are still in the stage of forming their own views
and opinions, they must be guided accordingly and utmost protection must be given
to them. As such, this study will further assess as to what minors prefer to express
their thoughts, views and opinions.

IX. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

 As this policy paper is centered on the assessment of the involvement of the
minor students in the rallies or protests and its impact. The group included and
conducted a research methodology that would give substance and support in the
formulation of our conclusion and recommendation. In details, the group outlines the
strategy used, the questions developed that would help us answer our policy papers
statement of the problem, procedure which includes the participants and materials,
data and method analysis which includes the techniques used like the statistical
equations and formulae, and lastly the scope and limitation of our research.

A. Methods of Research

This study will use the descriptive research design. A descriptive

research design can be used to describe phenomena as it exists at present.
This design is appropriate where a study is concerned with specific
predictions, narration of facts and characteristics concerning individual
situations. Both qualitative and quantitative were adopted in this study.
B. Instrumentation

This study used the following in data gathering:

Researcher Made Questionnaire
o Respondents were students from Pasig Catholic College
Interview
o Respondent was a regular employee from DepEd Division of
Pasig
C. Data Gathering Procedure
Page 17 of 26
The survey questionnaire is a paper and pencil instrument that were

administered by our group to 60 students in Pasig Catholic College whose

age ranges from 10 to 16 (grades 5 to 10) with heterogeneous gender to

measure their knowledge about social, political, and economic issues,

their source of such knowledge, their stand against injustices, and their

action to voice out their stand regarding these injustices. We asked the
permission of the Junior High School principal, Mrs. Jennifer Apolinario,

MaEd and assistance of the schools psychometrician, Mr. Mary Ann

Adrao, Rpm to give validity to our survey questionnaire.

Interview was scheduled and conducted on February 23, 2016 held

at the office of Department of Education Division of Pasig in Pasig City

with Mr. Ernie Pamor, a permanent government employee, holding a

position of Education Program Specialist, and is currently a supervisor and

consultant under the ALS program. The advantage of this method is that

follow-up questions can be asked and it can also provide better

understanding of the answers of the respondent.

During the interview we asked him on the stand of DepEd regarding

rallies and protests participated by minor students and what measures like

DepEd orders or programs have been implemented to give solution to

these problems. Mr.Pamor highlighted the Child Protection Program of

DepEd safeguarding the rights and holistic personhood of the child. He

also suggested that there should be a lot of conditions if students would

be allowed to go outside campus since teachers and the school itself is

Page 18 of 26

locus parentis or the second parent of the students in which their parents

entrusted under our care. He candidly admitted also that DepEd has no

full supervision to private schools, particularly the accredited ones since

they are given freedom towards their curriculum, programs, etc. The only

DepEd can do is to monitor them and answer complaints against their

school in which it should be properly screened before it can be

 investigated. Lastly, he suggested to reopen the house bill 2914, to open a

bureau that will focused on the close monitory of the private schools.

D. Data and Method of Analysis

In quantitative research that we conducted, we used a survey form that

reflects Likert scale to determine the choices of the students with regard to

our research questions. We used the weighted means under central

tendency to arrive to the weighted average of their choses on the survey.

The following are the questions reflected in the Likert scale 8:

1. I learn about social, political, and economic issues through mass

media like news from the internet, television and radio.

2. I learn about social, political, and economic issues in school through

classroom teaching and academic programs.

8
Please see appendix B

3. I learn about social, political, and economic issues through my parents

and relatives at home. Page 19 of 26

4. My views regarding social and political views are shaped by teachers

and other personnel at school.

5. Students should be actively involved in social, political, and economic

issues.
6. I have a strong sense of social justice through the teachings and help

of our school.
7. I am given academic freedom to express my views about social issues

without constraint by our school.

 8. I want our school to join protests and rallies since it is a very important

tool for struggle for justice.

9. I am aware of the risks or violence that may happen during rallies and

protests in the streets.

10. I do not want our school to participate in protests and rallies, instead,

provide nonviolent means for students to voice out their stand

regarding certain social issues like editorial writing, social media, etc.

Computation

The step in order to get the weighted mean of the conducted survey is as follows:

step 1, collection of all Likert scale survey questionnaire, step 2 is by recording and

tallying the responses per item, step 3 per item you will get the sum product of the

number of respondents corresponding their specific choice divided by the sum of

number of participants. You need to continue this until you finish all the items Step 4,
Page 20 of 26
for the average of the weighted means per item, you need to add all the weighted

means and divide it into total number of questions. The formula below shows how it

was computed:

Table 1: Survey Tally

Page 21 of 26
 Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree
1. 15 41 4 -

2. 17 38 4 1

3. 20 35 5 -

4. 15 44 8 2

5. 28 25 7 -

6. 17 36 7 -

7. 20 38 1 1

8. 10 21 14 6

9. 29 26 5 1

10. 21 23 11 6

Figure 3: Graphical Presentation of Survey

 The horizontal line reflects the number of items which is 10, while the vertical line

one the left reflects the choices as reflected in the Likert scale. The following are

the findings based on the data provided through the survey:

Most of the students learn about social, political, and economic issues

through their parents and relatives at home.

They want to take part and be actively involved in social/political

injustices.
They do not want to join protests/rallies to voice out their stand against

social/political injustices but instead venture in placid and creative means

like editorial writing, social media, etc.

X. CONCLUSION

Based on the results of the survey, minor students are aware of the social,
Page 22 of 26
political and economic issues and most of them learned it from their parents and

relatives at home. They are willing or we may say interested to be part of and

wanted to actively be involved in social/ political injustices. Most of them also prefer

other forms or means of freedom of expression over participation to rallies/ protests.

Since these children are still in the development stage in forming their beliefs,

views and opinions, parents and school are responsible in guiding them in the

process. The school as a second home and teachers as the childrens second

parent, will play an important role in educating them academically as well as values

in life.
XI. RECOMMENDATION

Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are few of the basic rights of a child;

hence, they must be guided accordingly and protected at all times. The researchers

strongly believed that children at a very tender age, may be given restrictions in

participating in rallies and protests. The following are our recommendation

1. To DepEd, to create a clear and long term policy or guidelines to be followed

for those minor students who want to join rallies/protests.

* Children must be accompanied by at least one parent or guardian to guide

them in practicing their freedom of expression. Should there be any violence;

children will be protected by an adult.

2. To congress, to give priority to the house bill 2914 for creation of a bureau that

will closely monitor, supervise and guide private schools in all of its activities.
3. To schools, to accommodate innovative means of freedom of expression instead
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of protests/rallies (e.g. creation of a blog or video presentation for computer

subject, oration reflecting the plight of the victims of injustices for Filipino subject,

editorial writing for English and debate about human rights issues for Religion

subject)

Page 24 of 26
XII. REFERENCES

1. http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/01/30/17/you-are-corrupt-to-the-core-duterte-tells-
cops
2. http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/101939/usc-students-protest-against-drug-
killings
3. http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/138434-youth-group-against-curfew-minors
4. http://www.rappler.com/nation/153669-students-anti-marcos-rally-november-25
5. http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/153527-st-scholastica-statement-anti-marcos-
protests
6. https://lithgow-schmidt.dk/sherry-arnstein/ladder-of-citizen-participation.html
7. http://www.gov.ph/1992/06/17/republic-act-no-7610/
8. http://www.gov.ph/constitutions/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-
philippines/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-article-iii/
9. http://www.lawphil.net/consti/cons1987.html
10. http://pcij.org/stories/abridging-freedom-of-expression-reneging-on-freedom-of-
information/
11. https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/quotes/universal-declaration-of-human-
rights-article-19
12. http://www.humanrights.com/what-are-human-rights/violations-of-human-
rights/expression.html
13. http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/bataspam/bp1985/bp_880_1985.html
14. PROTEST ACTIONS AND THE LAW: IMPERATIVES OF A DEMOCRACY
ANGEL M. ESGUERRA III* NOEL V. SAN PABLO*
15. http://www.deped.gov.ph/orders/do-10-s-2010
16. http://www.deped.gov.ph/sites/default/files/advisory/2010/DA_s2010_010.pdf
17. https://www.pap.org.ph/includes/view/default/uploads/dep_ed.pdf
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child
19. http://childrensrights.ie/childrens-rights-ireland/un-convention-rights-child
20. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/childrens_participation.pdf
21. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/100
22. Citizenship, Marshall and Bottomore,1992; Lister, 2003; 2006
23. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx

APPENDIX
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