Groups say ‘Katas ng VAT’ nowhere near Arroyo P1.3T education debt

By ANGELO L. GUTIERREZ

From abs-cbnNEWS.com

President Arroyo’s recent unveiling of the P1-billion “Katas ng VAT Pantawid Aral” could have made her look like a generous leader, but education advocacy groups said Friday that the amount is nowhere near her administration’s incurred debt to the education sector.

Based on the Delors Benchmark, the internationally-agreed benchmark for education budget since its presentation to the UNESCO in 1996, the Arroyo administration was short of P272.4 billion in education spending for 2007, said the education advocates.

Put Money Where Your Mouth Is – YAD

by Youth Against the Debt

One week from now, classes will formally open subjecting new and old students to the same old list of problems besetting the ever-dismal state of Philippine education. Yet, we from the Youth Against Debt (YAD) said that amid the political rhetoric, the often-ritualistic protest actions, and empty populism of our national leaders, little if none is said about the grave yet unnoticed wrongdoing – the blatant non-compliance to international standards on social spending by our succeeding governments from the time of Fidel V. Ramos up to Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.