In the News: Mob vs CHED over budget cuts, Six will Fix! Challenge to Congress
Breaking News/Metro
8 students shave heads to protest low education budget
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Straight ahead!
courtesy of Titus Tan, Chairperson of UP Kaisa
FDC includes Six will Fix! call in its 12-point Fiscal Agenda, Presidentiables respond favorably
The Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), a coalition of people’s organizations, non-government organizations, and social movements campaigning on the issue of debt and power and water privatization, published a 12-point Fiscal Agenda that outlines its policy proposals for the next administration of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and the 15th Congress (House of Representatives and Senate).
It included as one of the proposals our call for the Six will Fix! campaign.
It specifically includes item:
10. Pass a law Automatically Appropriating Funds to Education pegged at 6% of the GNP as prescribed for developing countries by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The proposal was embodied in House Bill 5423 filed in the 14th Congress.
Breaking News: Rep. Padilla files Six will Fix! Bill
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Introduced by Honorable Carlos M. Padilla
Last October 14, 2008, known education champion Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla filed House Bill 5423, which effectively legislates an automatic appropriations for education pegged at 6% of the GNP. Committee on Public Information Chair Rep. Bienvenido Abante, who happens to be the father of National Youth Commission (NYC) Commissioner Princess Abante, and Committee on Food Security Chair Rep. Leonila Chavez, are co-authors of the bill.
The bill is now in the hands of the Committee on Appropriations, headed by Committee Chair Rep. Junie Cua and Vice Chair Rep. Edcel Lagman - the HoR’s primary debt champion.
Sk8 to Educate!: A Skating Competition and Rock-Rap Concert against Debt
Sk8 to Educate!: A Project of Youth Against Debt and United Antipolo
Congress told: Give more to Education in 2009 Budget
Youth group demands additional P 536. 72 million to schools recognized as centers of excellence, non-payment of illegitimate loans and an end of automatic debt payments.
Youth Against Debt, Front-page in Malaya
Students from various state colleges and universities led by the Youth Against Debt (YAD) staged a noise barrage in front of the House of Representatives (HoR) today to demand higher state subsidy to public tertiary education in the proposed P 1.45 trillion 2009 National Government Budget. The said activity coincided with Congress’ deliberation of the respective budgets of state colleges and universities (SUCs) based in the National Capital Region.
Complete with whistles and noise gadgets, the student protestors from the University of the Philippines (UP), Philippine Normal University (PNU) and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) demanded from Congress an additional budget for higher education amounting to P 536.72 million covering P 47.82 million in additional budget for capital outlay and P 488.89 million worth of tuition subsidy to students belonging to 31 SUCs recognized as centers of excellence and development. (more…)
Skaters: 2009 Budget Violated Int’l Standard on Education Spending
Youth skaters storm Congress, demand 6% of GNP to Education, Repeal of Automatic Debt Servicing Provision
Congress had a taste of the “latest” protest action from the youth—skateboarding.
YAD Skaters Storm Congress
So it seems when about 50 members of the Youth Against Debt (YAD) staged a “creative action” in front of the main gate of the House of Representatives (HoR) coinciding with Congress’ budget deliberation of the 2009 education budget. The youth group protested the blatant violation of a widely accepted international benchmark on education spending in the proposed 1.415 trillion 2009 National Government.
Complete with ramps and rails, YAD activists sent their message across by performing skate tricks and inspired maneuvers to awed bystanders. Stephanie Tan, YAD Spokesperson said this specific form of action is a vindication that more and more youths of different predilections are accepting as fact that education in the Philippines is not that rosy. (more…)
Lapus admits: 2009 DepEd budget, “not adequate”, “not at norm with international standards”
From: GMANews.TV: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/119616/Proposed-2009-budget-for-DepEd-insufficient-below-intl-standards—Lapus
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) may have the biggest proposed budget for 2009 among government agencies but its budget still falls below international standards, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said on Thursday.
During the House Appropriations committee briefing on the proposed DepEd budget, Lapus said the proposed P167.94 billion DepEd budget for 2009 – which includes P2 billion for school building program – remains below international standards.
Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus
YAD Cebu calls for Moratorium on Debt Payments, 6% of GNP to Education
From the weekly column of Atty. Gloria Estenzo-Ramos of the University of Cebu College of Law, Green Forum, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines- National Environment Action Team (IBP-NEAT), published by Cebu Daily News yesterday.
“Moratorium,” according to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, means “suspension of an activity.” Recently, Youth Against Debt (YAD) called for a debt moratorium and for government to prioritize funding for education. The 1987 Constitution mandates the State to “assign the highest budgetary priority to education,” yet education spending was only 2.26 of the Gross National Product (GNP) in 2007. This falls below the accepted international standard for financing education, called the UNESCO Delors Benchmark, which set the education expenditure of developing countries at six percent of the GNP.
Mar Roxas supports 6%-of-GNP government spending for education
Below is a news article from the Sun.Star Network Online. It is also published in page 2 of Sun.Star Cebu today. The portion where Mar Roxas said he supports the call of youth groups for gov’t to spend 6% of GNP for education had been highlighted. The local GMA7 news program “Balistang Bisdak” also made a similar report yesterday afternoon.
Sen. Roxas: “At six percent, we are only at par with other countries in Southeast Asia . We need a little bit more than that.”
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Opening of classes in C. Visayas ‘smooth’
By Elisabeth P. Baumgart and Katrina A. Balmaceda
Correspondents
CEBU CITY — About 90 percent of the expected 1.3 million students showed up in schools all over Central Visayas Tuesday, yet no major problems were reported to the Department of Education (DepEd) 7 office.
