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.

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

Arroyo told: Don’t use students to justify VAT

MANILA, Philippines – Two days before the formal opening of classes, members of Youth Against Debt (YAD) lambasted Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s additional P1-billion fund for students saying it is a cheap trick to use students and their accessibility problem to education as basis for the justification of the widely hated value-added tax (VAT).

In a statement, the youth group described Mrs. Arroyo’s VAT-powered Students Assistance Fund for Education for a Strong Republic, or “Safe for SR” as pure gimmickry, shallow and not enough to be of any ambulatory measure to help the students compensate for the rising cost of education.