Kabataan Partylist

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino today said he intends to file a bill against the mandatory ROTC proposal which will instead focus on the strengthening of the community service components of the National Service Training Program (NSTP).

According to Palatino, the proposal to make ROTC mandatory under the pretext of the need for an active citizenry and nation service ignores the fact that there is a current NSTP program with service components: Literacy Training Service (LTS) and Community Welfare Training Service (CWTS).

“The youth should appreciate volunteerism and love of country without the unneccessary initiation to fascistic military tradition,” says the youth solon.

Under the LTS, the youth are trained to be literacy and numeracy teachers to younger students, out-of-school youths in communities, indigenous people and other sectors in the society who needs their instructional assistance while the CWTS implements programs that address the social services of the people in the community such as the enhancement of facilities intended for improving health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and morals of the citizenry.

Palatino’s proposal will contain specifications which will include in the NSTP curriculum disaster preparedness trainings, hands-on teaching in communities, medical missions, livelihood trainings among others.

“If the AFP urges that we need more machinery for disaster response and relief operations, then we should make that as a major component of the NSTP, in fact, some schools at present teach disaster preparedness trainings under NSTP,” said Palatino.

“Ultimately, the service training program should be an enlightening and empowering experience which will breed nationalism among our youth and genuine intent to serve the poor and oppressed. The ROTC obviously failed in that aspect during the time of its implementation; it bred hatred, corruption, violence and docility. There is no reason to revive it,” he said. ##

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino hopes that House Bill 1963 or the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Bill will be passed immediately by the 15th Congress so that when the youth who will seat as new SK officials will be guided by a “strengthened and empowered law”.

“It is better that these SK officials will be off to a good start when they seat as youth leaders. Teach them young how to correct the old practices of traditional politicians,” says the youth solon.

After seeing thousands of youth who are willing to participate in the SK elections during the first few days of the registration, Palatino said that “the more the youth seeks create change in their communities, the more it is necessary for this bill to be passed”.

He adds, “Corruption and inefficient governance are among the major issues causing calls for the SK’s abolition. It is saddening that SK officials, due to the present system, have entered the makings of trapos who engage in corruption and misgovernance but this does not mean we have to kill venues for youth empowerment and governance.”

Palatino filed the SK Reform Bill in the 14th Congress and refiled it again for the 15th Congress last July 29.

According to him, what makes this bill unique is that it underwent consultation and suggestions from the SK national Executive Board, National Youth Commission and community-level SK leaders.

Included in the bill are the following proposals for reforms:

• Changing the age requirement for SK candidates from 15 to 18 years old to 18 to years old to ensure that they have the legal capacity to perform their functions;
• Requiring SK units to deposit their funds in a bank preferably government-owned and granting SK units fiscal autonomy over their allotted budget;
• Requiring SK units to release a quarterly financial report to practice transparency and to curb corruption
• Mandating that the Katipunan ng mga Kabataan (KK) function as the highest policy making body of the SK responsible for holding regular consultations with other youth-based organizations in the community;
• Empowering and encouraging the SK to engage in promoting basic rights such as quality education for all, secure youth employment, sustainable development, human rights and social justice.

Kabataan Partylist also launched their massive information drive on SK elections and registration called Ayos! The said campaign will be implemented in every community on a nationwide scale to promote the youth’s participation in governance.

“Ayos! will be characterized by educational and fun activities that will tackle the functions and roles of the SK, as well as the SK Reform Bill. It is very vital that the youth participate in the SK elections,” he said. ###

Kabataan Partylist in partnership with the National Youth Commission today kicked off the Sangguniang Kabataan registration at the Conference Room 10, Mitra Building, House of Representatives, Quezon City.

“This gathering will embody the thousands of youth who will troop the district, city and municipal COMELEC offices for the next two weeks for the SK registration. We are expecting that the youth will exceed its performance in this year’s SK elections compared to its good participation in the previous national elections,” says Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino.

With a conference room of 100 delegates from various high schools and youth organizations, Palatino says that “this elections will be very significant from the registration to the tenure of the SK officials because this will be the government of the youth. Lawmakers and politicians alike should look into the SK elections because this is the future Philippine government in the making.”

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte was also present during the launching together with NYC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, COMELEC Director James Jimenez and SK National Federation President Jane Censoria Cajes.

Along with the launching, Palatino also stated the qualifications of a good SK leader. “We need young leaders who come from a new breed of youth, those who are principled for a patriotic change in the country. These aspiring leaders must also abide and advocate the youth agenda as their framework of their plans of action.”

Palatino mentioned the qualifications from Kabataan Partylist’s massive information drive for the SK registration and elections called Ayos! The campaign also advocates House Bill 6870 or the SK Strengthening and Reform Bill filed by the said partylist.

Included in the bill are the following proposals for reforms:

• Changing the age requirement for SK candidates from 15 to 18 years old to 18 to years old to ensure that they have the legal capacity to perform their functions;
• Requiring SK units to deposit their funds in a bank preferably government-owned and granting SK units fiscal autonomy over their allotted budget;
• Requiring SK units to release a quarterly financial report to practice transparency and to curb corruption Mandating that the Katipunan ng mga Kabataan (KK) function as the highest policy making body of the SK responsible for holding regular consultations with other youth-based organizations in the community;
• Empowering and encouraging the SK to engage in promoting basic rights such as quality education for all, secure youth employment, sustainable development, human rights and social justice.

“We need to inform the youth and the people that it’s not the youth’s fault why several moves have been made to abolish SK, we must look back to what the youth sees in the government they entered. What we need to do is to clean the loopholes with reforms for an effective and incorruptible type of leadership,” he adds.

“We are looking forward that this new breed of leaders will give us a piece of the youth’s government.” ###

She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named-in-the-Plenary
Privilege Speech of Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino
August 4, 2010

Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues.

I wish to speak about the events this week which I think might affect my duties as a member of this House. We are all adjusting to the new situation: a former president is now a member of Congress.

Sabi ng marami, we are now at the crossroad of history. In the President’s own words, narito tayo ngayon sa isang punto kung saan pipili tayo kung alin ang tatahakin nating landas—ang daang baluktot o ang daang matuwid.

Cliché as it may sound, it is imperative that we assess the previous roads we have taken in order to properly determine the best route towards national progress. It is required that we deliver a post mortem to the previous administration. We should not entirely abandon this duty to the Truth Commission. As the representatives of the people, we have to articulate the sentiments of our constituents. It may not be good news for some, but there are people in this country who do not echo the sentiments of the previous government, who do not equate infrastructure with performance, GDP growth with genuine progress, people who do not live in delusion.

Sa proseso ng paglalagom sa nakaraang administrasyon, it is inevitable that something unpleasant will be delivered on the floor about the previous government. Because the truth Mr. Speaker and fellow representatives, outside this confined space of bright lights and grandeur is a world of darkness, of glaring poverty, of suppressed freedoms.

This is the dilemma, and this is I ask to all of you: How do we perform our duty without offending “She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named” in the plenary? Which should we value more: the sensibilities of House members or the right of the people to hear the truth about the past government?

I fear that 50 years from now, when historians will review our journals, they will only find glowing remarks about You-Know-Who or She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named-In-the-Plenary? Why? Because all the remarks that deal with the unpleasant, the ugly realities of the past government have been removed from the records under the guise of upholding decency and decorum. Sadly, this was backed by the House leadership which is affiliated with the new government that promises an era of change. The same government which proclaims, “there can no reconciliation without justice.”

This week, Representatives Walden Bello and Teddy Casino were accused of disrespecting a fellow member by delivering allegedly “unparliamentary” remarks in their speeches. Parts of their speeches were removed from the records particularly those referring to the corruption and human rights violations of the past administration. Your honor, this sets a bad precedent.

I have been here only for one year, 16 months to be exact, but long enough for me to hear speeches of fellow members criticizing fellow members.

Let me cite a few examples:

June 1, 2009: Former ANAD partylist Representative Jun Alcover blatantly and without basis named progressive partylist representatives as a “scourge of deceit and brutality.” He accused Representatives Maza and Ocampo as adherents of an inhuman ideology.

December 4, 2009: Former Bantay Partylist Representative Jovito Palparan accused Samar Representative Reynaldo Uy of having a private army.

Last day of session of the 14th Congress. Former A Teacher Partylist Representative Piamonte accused Representative Sarmiento of the same partylist of corruption and told him to “resign and shut up.”

In these instances, no one objected. No one moved to strike from the record such accusations that reek of malice and fallacy. The leadership allowed the speech to be included in the records.

My point is this: striking off the perceived unparliamentary remarks is not the only option. The body, the leadership, can tolerate to hear negative remarks. It is not encouraged but we have a practice of allowing members to stand on the floor and criticize, sometimes viciously criticize, a fellow member.

Today, there seems to be this worrisome obsession to find “unparliamentary” words in our speeches. It might send a bad signal to other members, especially to new members, that privilege speeches about the past government is ok, as long as they are not unpleasant in the ears of the supporters of “She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named-In-The-Plenary.”

I listened to the speeches of Bello and Casino, and I didn’t find any shocking expose, no new revelation. To use the words of Minority Representative Lagman, “bitin nga ako.” What they merely delivered was the sentiment of the people. Believe it or not, we have fellow Filipinos who believe that the previous government is guilty of spectacular crimes against the people. And maybe Representatives Bello and Casino think that the use of strong words to drive a point is needed. And the political situation today is such that colorful language must be used to remind us that “She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named-In-The-Plenary.” must be held accountable.

I understnd where Bello and Casino are coming from, especially Representative Casino who was holed up here in Batasan for several months in 2005. They are both part of the movement which attempted year after year to force the Congress to probe the alleged wrongdoings of the past government. The problem is wala kasi tayong closure. Now that the “She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named-In-The-Plenary.” is part of congress, would you expect the two to sing praises for her?

Lahat na lang ba ng negative remarks about “She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named-In-The-Plenary.” ay dapat tanggalin? Should I expect to hear only pro-You-Know-Who speeches in the next 3 years? What if a supporter of She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named stand on the floor and begin to enumerate the so-called achievements of the previous government? What if I also stand on the floor and move for the removal for what is to me offensive words? Would that be allowed by the leadership?

I hope the recent mania to scrutinize the speeches of anti-“She-Who-Cannot-Be-Named-In-The-Plenary.” solons is not a symptom of the reflection of our unwillingness to accept the truth about what happened in the past government.

It is tragic that we are more offended by the use of words that speak to truth, words that refer to acts of crime, rather than with the crimes itself.

My proposal is to give House members, especially members of the former opposition the freedom to speak and speak without fear of being censured about the past government. If it is founded on lies, it will not hold water. No one will believe them. Trust fellow members that they are capable of substantiating these allegations. Do not censor our speeches. Let the people judge. Let history be the judge. Do not purify and cleanse the records in the name of decorum.

In line with the consecutive cases of oil spills, Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today filed House Resolution No. 136 in the 15th Congress to conduct an investigation on all the petroleum service contracts and pipelines franchises granted by the national government to private oil companies.

“Recent reports of oils spills are most alarming given the impact of the British Petroleum oil spill in the United States and the China National Petroleum Corporation in China. The country has already witnessed and realized the grim effect of income-driven projects such as oil explorations to our seas being a nation with abundant natural resources such as petroleum,” says Palatino.

“Oil leaks in Negros Occidental, La Union, Makati, Cavite and Bataan may be a minuscule picture compared to the mark left at the Gulf of Mexico, which could be seen outer space, but it doesn’t mean that we have to lay our heads back,” warns Palatino, “The more we should be vigilant with issues concerning the environment because compared to the United States and China, who are known world-wide in terms of technological advancement, we are pretty much left behind.”

“We are undeniably rich in terms of natural resources yet we are not the ones who enjoy what is rightfully ours. Private investors, majority of which are foreign companies, are given the liberty to drill and extract black gold from our seabed and lay pipes with the ‘blessing’ of the government. What we need to address is that ‘blessing’ should indicate and ensure that possible massive oil spill and leaks will be prevented or dealt with with minimal hazard to the people and the environment,” he adds.

Palatino cited that “28 million hectares of the Philippines’ territory is covered by 69 petroleum service contracts issued by the Department of Energy as of 2009, including 21 million hectares of critical biodiversity-rich seascapes and marine areas in the Visayan Sea, Bohol Sea, Panay Gulf, Sulu Sea and the Palawan Passage.”

The latest oil spill which amassed hundreds of litres of black gold was the Guimaras Oil Spill where the oil reached as far as the shores of Sorsogon. It was dubbed as the worst oil spill in the Philippines. ###

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today asked House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte to host the newly-formed Truth Commission tasked to ferret out the truth with regard to the abuses committed by the previous regime.

The youth solon today filed House Resolution 125 recommending the use of available office spaces and conference rooms at the Lower House to serve as office of the Truth Commission and as venue for its public hearings and conferences.

“Hindi na kailangang magpakalayo ng members ng Truth Commission para mangalap ng ebidensiya hinggil sa mga kaso ng katiwalian at korupsyon ng nakaraang adminstrasyon. Nasa Batasan na ang malalaking mga isda,” Palatino said, referring to former President Gloria Arroyo and some of her previous Cabinet members currently holding office at the Lower House as district representatives.

He added: “It would be both convenient and helpful if the Truth Commission is located at the House of Representatives. It can immediately summon the Former President and some of her officials who may have direct participation or valuable knowledge on the crimes committed by the past regime against its people.”

Section 12 of said Executive Order states that “The Commission may avail itself of such office space which may be available in government buildings accessible to the public space after coordination with the department or agencies in control of said building or, if not available, lease such space as it may require from private owners.”

Palatino said he is willing to give his current office at the North Wing of the Batasan Complex to the Truth Commission and return to his cubicle-office at the 3rd floor of the Main Building which he used during the previous Congress.

“Malapit lang ang office ko sa opisina ni Former President Arroyo sa Mitra Building. Hindi na kailangan ng sasakyan, puwedeng-puwedeng lakarin,” he said.

Meanwhile, the youth solon also echoed the calls of human rights organizations to include in the functions of the Truth Commission the investigation of human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances committed while Arroyo was at the helm of government.

“The grim human rights record of Arroyo must not be relegated to the sidelines. Human rights victims and their families continue to cry for justice and lest these crimes remain unresolved, the cycle of impunity and injustice in this country will not be put to an end,” he said.

Kabataan Representative Raymond Palatino today balked at Rep. Eduardo Gullas’ proposal to restore the mandatory Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and abolish the National Service Training Program (NSTP) among college and university students.

The youth solon said Rep. Gullas’ House Bill 737, which aims to reinstate the mandatory ROTC for all male college students of both private ad public universities and colleges and repeal the NSTP Act of 2010, would “reverse and disregard the gains of students in their fight against an unrightful military training.”

The ROTC was abolished in 2001 as a result of nationwide protests from students and victims of harassment and extortion following the death of University of Santo Tomas student and ROTC cadet Mark Chua from alleged ROTC “hazing”.

Palatino also disputed the bill’s claim that the AFP-ran program would teach the students how to be patriotic.

“The ROTC has taught its cadets how to become blind and docile servants. With its grim and bloody human rights record, the AFP has no right to meddle with the academic affairs of our youth. A war-mongering and mercenary institution must not be allowed to infiltrate schools and teach students,” he said.

Palatino said that the ROTC must instead be scrapped as it is being used to harass progressive student groups critical of the government.

“The AFP uses the program in its red-baiting campaign against progressive student groups. In many ROTC lectures, soldier-instructors conveniently tagged student activist groups as affiliated with the New People’s Army. The ROTC is clearly a threat to academic freedom,” he said.

Palatino vows to contest the bill.

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today filed House Bill 1963 or the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Bill as registration period for the upcoming barangay and SK elections opens on August 6.

“It is our belief that the basic local government unit of the youth should not be abolished as proposed by many. What SK needs is for it to be strengthened and empowered,” said Palatino.

HB is a revised and improved version of HB 6870 first filed by Palatino in the 14th Congress.

“Corruption and inefficient governance are among the major issues causing calls for the SK’s abolition. It is saddening that SK officials, due to the present system, have entered the makings of trapos who engage in corruption and misgovernance but this does not mean we have to kill venues for youth empowerment and governance.”

In its explanatory note, HB 1963 states, “(I)t is believed that the institution as a whole should not suffer from the practices of an erring few – if indeed the few are solely culpable for such crimes related to governance.”

“SK still stands as a representative body of the youth, advancing meaningful youth participation, promoting access to education and youth employment, and struggling for the delivery of basic social services for the youth sector…what the SK needs from the legislative is…a proposal to strengthen it through concrete and specific reforms,” it states further.

Palatino said that HB 1963 was formulated upon consultations with the SK National Executive Board, the National Youth Commission and community-level SK leaders.

Included in the bill are the following proposals for reforms:

• Changing the age requirement for SK candidates from 15 to 18 years old to 18 to years old to ensure that they have the legal capacity to perform their functions;
• Requiring SK units to deposit their funds in a bank preferably government-owned and granting SK units fiscal autonomy over their allotted budget;
• Requiring SK units to release a quarterly financial report to practice transparency and to curb corruption
• Mandating that the Katipunan ng mga Kabataan (KK) function as the highest policy making body of the SK responsible for holding regular consultations with other youth-based organizations in the community;
• Empowering and encouraging the SK to engage in promoting basic rights such as quality education for all, secure youth employment, sustainable development, human rights and social justice.

Kabataan Partylist-NYC tie-up for SK registration

Palatino meanwhile announced that Kabataan Partylist and the National Youth Commission have agreed to engage in a partnership for a nationwide campaign to promote SK registration and awareness.

Dubbed “Ayos! A campaign for youth empowerment and public service,” Palatino said that they are aiming for “a massive awareness and registration campaign in communities and barangays nationwide.”

“Ayos! will be characterized by educational and fun activities that will tackle the functions and roles of the SK, as well as the SK Reform Bill. It is very vital that the youth participate in the SK elections,” he said.

Kabataan and NYC are set to launch Ayos! on August 5. ##

Click here for the text of House Bill 1963

Click here for the text of House Bill 1962

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino said that the youth failed to hear Pres. Aquino’s concrete plans for education in his first State of the Nation Address.

He said that he feared Aquino’s framework of promoting ‘public-private partnerships and more aggressive foreign investments’ would only intensify privatization, commercialization and corporatization of education.

According to Palatino, “Opening further the education sector to private and foreign investors would only make education less accessible to the youth. It does not at all address the need for higher state subsidy nor the yearly tuition and other fee hikes that hound the education sector.”

The youth solon said that the present education crisis is characterized mainly by the commercialization of public education in order to cope with low government spending. “The burden of budget cuts and poor education spending is being shouldered by students through exorbitant tuition and other fee hikes. Aquino failed to present this sorry state of Philippine education in his speech.”

“Instead, by encouraging a more active role for private and foreign investors in education, Aquino had just virtually declared that he is leaving the education sector at their liberty. This is not different from the past government’s thrust of gradually washing its hands off its responsibility to provide quality and accessible education to the youth.”

Palatino also said that Aquino’s proposal of an additional two years for basic education “also means additional expense to parents and students”.

“We urge Aquino to seriously consider and review the youth’s education agenda:

1. Increase state spending on education to six (6) percent of the GDP.
2. Implement a three-year moratorium on tuition and other fee increases in all levels.
3. Promote a nationalist curriculum.
4. Uphold democratic rights of students
5. Improve teachers’ welfare.
6. Improve science, research and technology development.
7. Promote transparency and sanction corruption cases in education programs and contracts.
8. Review existing policies and institutions of education.
   • Repeal Education Act of 1982.
   • Repeal Campus Journalism Act of 1991.
   • Revamp the government policy of reducing the budget of state universities and colleges.
   • Review and strengthen the regulatory powers of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd)

“Funds for counter-insurgency would be put to better use if re-directed to address the education crisis.”

This was the statement of Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino in anticipation of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) today.

“Aquino can hit two birds with one stone by alloting the promised for the intensification of the government’s counter-insurgency campaign to the education sector instead,” he said.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ricardo David Jr. had earlier declared to end counter-insugency in three years wherein Aquino vowed to provide the military all necessities in order to achieve its goal. He, however, had so far not made any categorical commitment to increase the budget for education.

Palatino said that to increase funds for counter-insurgency was tantamount to tolerating and condoning further extra-judicial killings instead of resolutely putting a stop to them. “It sets a deadly encouragement to the military that the past Arroyo administration’s policy of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations against perceived ‘enemies of the state’ is still a go.”

He said that the funds for counter-insurgency could be used to procure additional classrooms and chairs, textbooks, laboratory facilities among others.

“As it is, the budget allotment per capita for education is much, much less than the cost of one bullet (P 11 per student: P 14 per bullet).”

He said, unfortunately, students have been “biting the bullet when it comes to the government’s prioritization of militarization and counter-insurgency over education.”

“Increasing budget allocation for education would also decisively put to stop yearly tuition and other fee increases. The Aquino administration should put the interest and the welfare of the youth over giving license to trigger-happy military elements to kill one activist after the other.”

The youth solon had earlier presented to the new Aquino administration the youth’s agenda for education, first among them the allocation of six (6) percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to education as prescribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Palatino, in today’s SONA proceedings, wore a sablay (graduation sash) printed with the words, “Stop tuition and other fees increases! Stop the killings!”.

The sablay, according to him, signified “every youth’s right to quality education and the youth’s respect for human rights by calling an end to extrajudicial killings”.

Palatino, together with other representatives of progressive partylists, later joined thousands of youth and students who walked out of their classes to participate in the People’s SONA rally. ###

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino expressed dismay over Commission on Election’s (COMELEC) decision today giving multimillionaire and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s son Mikey Arroyo a seat in Congress as the representative of Ang Galing Pinoy, a partylist claiming to represent security guards, taxi and jeepney drivers.

“COMELEC’s decision is a clear mockery of the partylist system. This is a grave insult to the Filipino people. We do not want, and will not allow another Arroyo in the Congress,” says Palatino.

Palatino called on COMELEC to review their decision, saying the move contradicts an earlier ruling disqualifying nominees of Ang Kasangga Partylist. The COMELEC recently ruled in favor of a disqualification case alleging that the first two nominees of Kasangga were not from the marginalized sector.

“For Arroyo to be seated alongside workers, women, farmers, teachers, senior citizens in the Congress is just plain wrong. COMELEC made a very wrong move,” said Palatino.

Kabataan Partylist and other youth groups intend to file a formal motion to call on COMELEC to reverse its decision.

Palatino also stressed the “urgent need” to review the partylist law. “The review and amendment of the partylist lawis must be prioritized in the 15th Congress. There should be clear guidelines to prevent the abuse of the partylist system,” he said. ###

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today welcomed Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Patricia Licuanan’s vow to instill reforms in the higher education sector.

“We look forward to Licuanan’s promise of reforms. We hope that she is up to the task of facing the education crisis head-on,” Palatino said.

Palatino said that to genuinely enact positive changes in the CHED, Licuanan should address yearly tuition and other fee increases and work to make the agency more accessible to students.

“The CHED must practice stronger regulatory powers over the unjust imposition of tuition and other fee hikes. Policies such as CHED Memorandum 13, for instance, need to be reviewed and updated.”

CMO 13 does not include miscellaneous fees in the yearly tuition consultations of private higher educational institutions. In effect, school administrations are given free reign to arbitrarily increase miscellaneous fees either as smokescreen for tuition hikes or on top of tuition rates.

He added, “CHED must also uphold public higher education. Over the years, state colleges and universities (SUCs) have suffered the worst budget cuts resulting in commercialization, privatization and other income-generating ventures at the expense of our poor students.”

“Increase in state subsidy for SUCs should be CHED’s top priority. We hope Licuanan would take up the cudgels for higher state subsidy for education in the 2011 national budget deliberations, ” Palatino said.
Palatino is calling for the allocation of six (6) percent of the Gross Domestic Product to education as prescribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

“We also hope that Licuanan develops CHED into a more pro-student institution that would uphold freedom of speech and expression of students. Until now, not all tertiary schools have their own student councils and campus publications. These institutions are basic rights of students,” he said.

Working to make CHED more accessible to students, he said, would be a major positive development since the CHED Chairman is automatically represented in all Board of Regents of state colleges and universities.

“Lastly, there should be no conflict of interest. She should not dilly-dally in imposing sanctions against school-owners in violation of rules and regulations governing tuition and other fee hikes and other policies. The main problem with previous CHED administrations was their links and bias towards school owners and capitalist educators,” he said.

Palatino also urged Licuanan to support calls to amend laws such as the Education Act of 1982 and Campus Journalism Act of 1991 and review past administrations’ labor export program in relation to the orientation of the educational system.

He said that the Education Act of 1982 “allows school-owners to arbitrarily raise tuition to their discretion”, the CJA of 1991 “has closed down campus publications since its implementation,” and the government’s labor export program “induces higher educational institutions to adjust their curriculum to one-sidedly cater to demands of the global market, driving away our nurses, doctors, teachers and professionals instead of urging them to contribute to national development.”

“We are open to a dialogue with Chair Licuanan to discuss pertinent issues and our proposal for policy reforms in the education sector,” Palatino said. ###

Emergency budget for education can come from OP funds

Kabataan Partylist Raymond Palatino today called on President Benigno Aquino III to make good his word that he will allot six percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to education.

“This coming State of the Nation Address (SONA), we expect Aquino to fulfill his promise that he will allot 6% of the GDP to the education budget,” said Palatino.

Palatino said that earmarking six percent of the GDP for education will mean higher state subsidy to address the problem of shortages, poor quality and to prevent the worsening commercialization of education.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) prescribes that at least six percent of a country’s GDP be allocated to education.

Emergency budget
Palatino also said that while he welcomes Aquino’s statement that he would re-direct funds of the Office of the President to disaster relief, among others, the president can also re-align other items in the OP budget to address immediate needs of the education sector.

“Pres. Aquino can start resolving the education crisis by allotting an emergency budget for education. The sector is beset with problems that cannot wait to be resolved by the 2011 budget proposals and deliberations which start in August or September,” Palatino said.

The youth solon pointed to the condition of state colleges and universities (SUCs) such as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and University of the Philippines (UP) which are in dire need of “rescuing.”

For the present academic year, PUP accepted around 17,000 freshman enrollees this June yet its annual budget can only accommodate 10,000 new students.

“As we speak, the university is at a loss on how to provide more classrooms and facilities, as well as employ more faculty for the needs of the entire student population. We have been receiving reports that the classroom to student ratio in PUP has reached almost 1:80 or more since the start of classes. PUP freshmen and their parents are forced to endure this miserable state because they could not afford to transfer,” he said. Tuition in PUP is lowest at P12 per unit.

Meanwhile, UP’s measly budget has forced yet a fresh spate of laboratory fee increases. In UP Diliman and Visayas Cebu College, the UP Board of Regents has recently approved increases in 38 lab fees and the imposition of 15 new lab fees for AY 2010-2011.

“These are results of yearly budget cuts suffered by SUCs. These can be immediately resolved if Pres. Aquino agrees to sacrifice some items funded for in the Office of the President.”

Every year, the OP has a Contingent Fund worth P640 million. This fund was used mainly by outgoing Pres. Arroyo for her numerous trips and junkets. “If this fund has already understandably been used up by Arroyo, there are still other items from which the emergency allocation can come.”

Among them, Palatino enumerated, are the intelligence funds directly managed under the OP (P650 million), funds for the Visiting Forces Agreement Commission whose functions are not specified (P1.748 million) and the budget for the maintenance of the presidential jet (P1.2 million). ###

Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino welcomes the appointment of former Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption Representative Joel Villanueva’s appointment as the new director general of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority(TESDA).

“Villanueva’s appointment is a good head start to lead TESDA as one of the agencies of the government engaging on education, especially for the marginalized youth,” says Palatino.

TESDA, which focuses on the technical and vocational courses was established to “encourage the full participation of and mobilize the industry, labor, local government units and technical-vocational institutions in the skills development of the country’s human resources” according to Republic Act 7796.

Palatino cited that of the education agencies in the country have been linked to numerous issues on corruption given that the funds on education is second among the highest appropriations in the national budget.

“Most out-of-school youth opt to take up courses provided by TESDA as an alternative for them to the costly formal schooling which is why it plays an important role to not let the marginalized youth be fully left behind. With Villanueva’s appointment, we look forward that that TESDA will function as an education agency that will not be smeared with issues on corruption given his years-long advocacy against corruption,” adds the youth solon.

Former TESDA director general Augusto Syjuco, an Arroyo ally, was the first Cabinet member charged for grave misconduct in 2008 for using TESDA’s Php 9.2 million funds for the printing his book “Salabat for the Soul.”

Palatino added “We hope that Villanueva will ensure that corruption cases will pursue against Syjuco. It is important that the former administration must be accountable for their sins to the youth whom they committed plunder with.”

“With this, we hope the TESDA will provide more scholarships so that youth from the countryside will be empowered and gain access to work and education as a ladder for them to pursue college,” ends Palatino. ###

Schools are not safe anymore

This is not the usual “baril-barilan”.

Even teachers and students are not spared as the third case of extrajudicial killing under the Aquino administration was brought upon Mark Francisco, an elementary school teacher in San Isidro, Masbate and an Alliance of Concerned Teachers Partylist member last July 9.

“Is this the educational environment that Noynoy wants students to have? The administration itself has brought fear upon the people, especially the teachers and the students who find their schools as their second home. ‘Bang-bangs’ have reached the schools in ten days and this is not the usual pellet gun game that children play,” says Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino.

Francisco was gunned down in front of four other colleagues, one was even pregnant. After the killing, 16 schools suspended classes in Masbate, 11 from the south district and five from the northern district while teachers are demanding the local government unit of Palanas and the Philippine National Police to provide protection.

“It seems Noy is too much busy with ‘wang-wangs’ that he could not even hear the ‘bang-bangs’. What shameful record to have a teacher killed under an administration who said he will prioritize education. Such traumatic experience burdens teachers and students to continue going to school with no assurance that the place is even safe, we are talking about elementary students here,” explains Palatino.

“This marks another failure in the current administration to address extrajudicial killings seriously. After all, how could an elementary school teacher be an enemy of the state?” asks Palatino referring to the red-baiting of activists under the content of the Oplan Bantay Laya.

The youth solon added “Hundreds of students are affected by the cold-blooded felony committed by men in camouflage uniforms with faces covered with ski masks. Indeed, camouflaged men justify our long call that the Armed Forces of the Philippines are behind the butchery of activists in the country.”

“We urge Noynoy to protect the remaining places where students and teachers may reside harmoniously. We don’t see any reason why he, as the commander-in-chief, can’t immediately mandate his subordinates to end the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, to end the Oplan Bantay Laya, to remove the red-baiting of leftists as enemies of the state and let the AFP own up to its sins to the people,” says Palatino.

“Trigger-happy men in camouflage uniforms are not what the students and teachers need. Remove these people from the bloody hands of the military,” he ends. ###

Recognizes Ang Kasangga nominee’s disqualification

“We recognize the decision of the Commission on Elections on disqualifying the complained nominees of Ang Kasangga Partylist. Their action towards the tarnishing of the partylist system is a point for the people and serves as an important lesson that the COMELEC should learn from,” says Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino.

COMELEC released a decision last July 7 that the nominees of Ang Kasangga Partylist namely Teodorico Haresco and Eugenio Jose Lacson are disqualified as its nominees after proving that they don’t belong to the marginalized sector. Kontra Daya’s basis for their complaint against the nominees is that one of them is a big businessman while the other is a three-term city mayor.

“The COMELEC should learn from their shortcomings on screening the partylists and their nominees. They, of all government wing, should understand the essence of the partylist system being the avenue of the marginalized sector to be represented in the Congress,” explains Palatino.

“They have been bombarded with numerous complaints on being ‘careless’ of screening partylists who wish to run for the recent elections and disregarded it. It was only after elections that they considered to face the complaints and took action when they could have just taken an intensive review during the course of the application of the partylists,” he adds.

Given the decision, the youth solon also urges the COMELEC to act immediately on the complaint against Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo who is the first nominee of Ang Galing Pinoy, the partylist representing the security guards and other complaints who taint the partylist system.

“This experience must be COMELEC’s stepping stone in order to implement clean and honest elections in 2013 where partylists will again have the opportunity to run. They should be more vigilant the next time they accredit and permit partylists to run. Parallel to that, Kabataan Partylist will push for reforms in the partylist system so that individuals may not use it for their personal interest,” says the youth solon. ###

Blood is on Noy’s hands

Not once, not twice, but thrice.

The Aquino administration, with only ten days of its tenure, failed to deliver its assurance that it will put an end to extrajudicial killings after another peasant and activist leader in Nueva Ecija and an ACT Teachers Partylist member in Masbate were shot dead according to Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino.

“This is the second and third body count under the Aquino administration. When Bayan Muna official Fernando Baldomero was gunned down, Aquino swore to address the killings but the murder yesterday proves his failure to take this seriously,” says the youth solon.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers Partylist member Mark Francisco was gunned down by armed men wearing bonnets last July 9 while Anakapawis Partylist member and peasant leader Pascual Guevarra, 78, was shot dead last July 10 in his house by an unidentified man. Guevarra was the head of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association and Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid na Nagkakaisa 3100. He was shot in the chest while his grandson Ronnel Viloria, 18, was also shot when he tried to help him. The gun man escaped riding a motorcycle with an accomplice.

“Aquino is earning such a body count in a matter of days, two in a row. People behind the murders seem to be on a killing spree and holds no bars, shooting the victims in front of their relatives and hurt them, others even minors,” says Palatino referring to Baldomero’s grand son who witnessed how he was shot.

“Blood now lies in Noy’s hands. He’ll be bathed with innocent people’s blood before he knows it. We held on to his words that extrajudicial killings will not be tolerated under his government and now he will be held accountable to the deaths his predecessor has started,” he adds.

Palatino further states “At this point, he failed the people at the early stage of his presidency. We urge that Noy should address extrajudicial killings with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The army has been pinpointed to be the perpetrators of these killings and disappearances as part of the counterinsurgency program known as Oplan Bantay Laya, killing and abducting one leftist after another.”

“He must reorganize the current orientation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from being butchers and human rights violators to an institution who is able to meet its unattained duty to serve and protect the interest of the people,” urges Palatino. ###

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino today slammed the rumored appointment of former Akbayan Partylist Representative Etta Rosales as chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), calling it an “insult” and a “provocation to spark animosity” between the left and Noynoy Aquino’s government.

“Is there no one else he can choose to be the next human rights chair? Why appoint someone who is known to be antagonistic with the Left? Is Noynoy really serious in addressing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances?” said Palatino.

Leftist organizations and individuals have been the primary victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances under the past administration. Recently, the first case of extrajudicial killing happened under the Aquino administration which took the life of Bayan Muna official and Aklan native Fernando Baldomero.

According to Palatino, appointing Rosales as human rights head is a “grave insult ” to the victims of political killings as she has been known to be among those who “insinuate that leftist organizations are ‘fronts’ of the Communist Party of the Philippines, echoing the military lie that extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances are part of the internal communist purging.”

“Most of the victims of human rights violations, killings and disappearances are members of progressive groups. To place someone like Rosales in the CHR is a slap in the face of the victims and their families. Is Noynoy deliberately provoking animosity between the leftists and the government?” asks the youth solon.

Palatino urges Noynoy to find someone like former CHR chair Leila de Lima’s performance who has shown her independence and willingness to cooperate with activist groups without prejudice.

“The CHR needs someone who is impartial and not someone who has known bias against progressive groups, not especially someone who thinks the same way as the military,” ends Palatino. ###