The collaboration between the Supreme Court and the Department of Education on the propagation of the rule of law among the country’s youth is at once a welcome initiative in the development of responsible citizenry.

Understanding the rule of law as an agenda for the nation under the tutelage of the High Court through the Education Department is seen even at this late hour as a prime catalyst towards national renewal.

This becomes more urgent in the face of the challenges posed by the increasing incidents of waywardness committed by both the young and old against established norms and behavior in society – and the law.

Certainly, a true appreciation and respect for the rule of law is worthy of our high hopes and expectations as a free people.

As last Thursday’s Manila Bulletin editorial, “A partnership to promote the rule of law,” put it: As we face a world filled with danger, where individualism is resurging, especially among the young, the future of our nation rests on instilling among the young importance
of preserving the rule of law, putting a premium on the good of the collective, the respect for law and all established institutions.

It pointed out that “The young should be fully committed to the fundamental principles of democracy that protects us not only from those thought to be as enemies of the state, but more importantly from the innate human frailty of self-centeredness.”

Actually, the concept and practice of the rule of law has its origin in American soil when its people dreamt and decided to live under a regime of freedom and justice and liberty. It was in the aftermath of such awakening that they promised to themselves not to allow kings or tyrants to ever wield authority on them again even as they vowed to govern by themselves under the rule of law and the principle of due process.

That was America’s heritage.

That the Supreme Court and the Department of Education are pushing with great interest the propagation of the rule of law is a prime necessity to keep alive the nurturing of its concept not only for the young but for all to strengthen the democratic ideal.

Under their collaborative program called Public Education of the Rule of Law Advancement and Support (PERLAS), teachers in public schools are trained to educate the young students, using exemplars that have already been identified in earlier studies.

The purpose is “to bring about a greater appreciation among the students of the value of the rule of law and subsequently activate them to be defenders of the principle that has served the democracies around the world.”

While at it, however, perhaps it may be well to emphasize that without the Rules of Court to enforce the Rule of Law, the Constitution is a meaningless document having no power of its own whatsoever. According to some authorities, the Rules of Court alone enforce the Rule of Law: There is no other way to look at it, they say.

But that is another story.

What is important is that, as has been said, the rule of law lives in the hearts of free people everywhere. (zhern_218@yahoo.com)