Kabataan Partylist

With the barangay elections set on October 25, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino expressed the need to strengthen the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) as the basic local unit of government of the youth. The SK was created upon the mandate of Section 13 Article II of the 1987 Constitution recognizing “the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.” SK is recognized as a local government unit alongside the barangay. “The SK plays an important role in upholding the rights and empowerment of the youth in their respective communities. There is an urgent need to strengthen it and enact reforms to improve its functions and capabilities,” said Palatino. Palatino said it is unfortunate that “widespread corruption and inefficient governance” have resulted in calls to abolish the SK. “We must not kill the essence of the youth’s entitlement to uphold their interests in our communities. What we need to do is to reform how the SK functions, determine avenues where they can further develop their leadership skills, practice the democratic processes in creating and executing decisions through consultations,” he said. Palatino said that he is set to re-file early next week House Bill 6870, or the SK Reform Act, which he filed in the 14th Congress. HB 6870 was formulated after Kabataan Partylist conducted consultations last year with the SK National Executive Board and various SK officials in the country. Among the key problems pointed out by the SK were that elected officials themselves have minimal awareness of their role in the community, thus making them vulnerable to manipulation by barangay and other local government officials; projects are limited to conducting “paliga” or tournaments; rampant corruption due to lack of transparency; and, and a loss of direction and authority over its constituency. The SK Reform Act seeks to address these problems by highlighting reforms such as:

• 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.

Voter registration campaign Palatino also reminded youths nationwide to go out and register for the upcoming SK and barangay elections. The Commission on Elections moved the registration period from June to July 25, 2010. The youth solon expressed intent to “coordinate and cooperate with the Comelec” in the voters’ education and registration drive for the youth. “We will be launching a massive SK awareness and registration campaign in communities nationwide. We will also be discussing to them the functions and role of the SK, as well as the SK Reform Bill. It is vital that the youth participate in the SK elections,” he said.###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 7, 2010

Youth solon files anti “no permit, no exam policy” bill anew

In its commitment to push for accessible education, Kabataan Partylist yesterday filed House Bill No. 807 or the Anti “No Permit, No Exam Policy” Act of 2010 in time for the opening of the 15th Congress.

HB 807 is a refined version of a similar bill, HB 6799, which the youth solon filed last 14th Congress.

HB 6799 prompted the Commission on Higher Education to release Memorandum Order 02-2010 directing tertiary school administrations to allow students with arrears to take exams . The memo, however, fell short of enabling the agency to sanction school owners who continued the policy due to the absence of legislation.

In the explanatory note, HB 807 stated, “This directive (CHED Memo 02-2010), however, was proven to be just…an appeal without mandatory directives, and we witnessed how hundreds of schools nationwide ignored the memorandum. This strengthened our resolve that the only way for schools to be forced to follow the directive is through legislation.”

Palatino said that they have re-filed and refined the bill, “expanding its scope to embrace even elementary and high schools to protect deserving students from prematurely halting their studies”.

“We must uphold the State’s right and responsibility to exercise reasonable regulation of basic, secondary and tertiary educational institutions,”  he said.

Kabataan also filed HBs 808 and 809, or the Public Libraries Act and Philippine Traditional Games and Sports Act, respectively. ###

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June 30, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Noy urged to re-direct OP funds to emergency budget for education

Fore-fronting the inauguration of President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III today is a call from Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino to re-channel funds from some items in the Office of the President’s budget to an emergency budget allocation for education.

“Pres. Aquino can start resolving the education crisis by allotting an emergency budget for education as soon as he takes office today. 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).

“Allocation of an emergency fund is a band-aid solution to problems that need ‘first aid.’ In the long run, Pres. Aquino should keep in mind his promise to allot six percent of the Gross Domestic Product to the education budget,” he said.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommends that at least six percent of the GDP be allocated to education. ###

Higher budget, tuition freeze top youth groups’ 8-point education agenda

On his proclamation day, Kabataan Partylist together with youth and student groups presented to President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III an eight-point agenda aimed at resolving the worsening education crisis.

“Gloria Arroyo will leave behind the most shameful and tragic legacy for Philippine education characterized by the lowest education spending, yearly tuition hikes, the highest dropout rate, unresolved corruption, disrespect of students’ democratic rights and freedoms and a systematic neglect of the government of the education sector,” said Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino.

“The youth is expecting much from President-elect Noynoy Aquino who, during the campaign period, avowed to include education amongst his top priorities if elected into office, and who, on the eve of his proclamation, declared that he is counting on the youth to take a more active role in society for change.”

Palatino particularly reminded Pres. Aquino of his promise to allot six (6) 6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the education budget as prescribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Allotment of six (6) percent of the GDP to the education budget is topmost in the 8-point education agenda presented by youth groups, as follows:

1. Increase state spending on education to six (6) percent of the GDP.

a. Utilize increased government revenues to fill the various gaps in the education sector like the shortages in classrooms, books, computers and other learning tools.

b. Repudiate payment for anomalous debt contracts. Realign a significant portion of debt servicing and Malacanang intelligence funds to education services.

2. Implement a three-year moratorium on tuition and other fee increases in all levels.

3. Promote a nationalist curriculum.

a. Adopt Filipino and vernacular language as the medium of instruction.
b. Make History and Human Rights Education mandatory.
c. Strengthen community service courses at all levels.

d. Ensure that vocational/technical education match the actual needs of the local economy. Reform medical and nursing education to meet community health needs.

4. Uphold democratic rights of students

a. Establish student councils and campus publications in all schools nationwide.
b. Expand student participation in decision-making processes. Ensure student representation in policy-making bodies and institutions.

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.

a. Repeal Education Act of 1982.
b. Repeal Campus Journalism Act of 1991.

c. Revamp the government policy of reducing the budget of state universities and colleges.

d. Review and strengthen the regulatory powers of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd)

“What the youth and the country need is a president who will decisively implement concrete changes and who has the political will to instill fundamental educational reforms,” Palatino said.

The youth solon said that Aquino would fare better where Arroyo had failed if he immediately fulfills his promise to earmark at least 20 percent of the national budget to education as well as enact a tuition hike moratorium. “It is time to implement a tuition freeze after the yearly spate of increases for the past nine years,” Palatino said.

Under the Arroyo administration, according to data from the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), the national average tuition rate increased by 94.7 percent, from P257.41 in 2001-2002 to P501.22 this school year. The National Capital Region average rate, on the other hand, increased by 95.54 percent, from P439.59 to P855.20 in 2009.

”For so many years, the government has failed to regulate tuition increases because of the Education Act of 1982 which grants free reign to school-owners to hike their tuition due to a policy of deregulation. As a result, government agencies such as the CHED and DepEd have been deemed toothless and useless in curbing yearly tuition hikes,” Palatino said.

Kabataan Partylist and other youth groups are set to greet school opening on June 15 with protest actions to push for the 8-point education agenda. ###

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino today bewailed the Ombudsman’s latest resolution clearing Pres. Gloria Arroyo, among others, in the still unresolved NBN-ZTE controversy.

“There can never be closure on the controversy for as long as the perceived masterminds continue to be off-the-hook. Neri’s suspension is nothing but a token move, is in fact moot and academic considering that he has a little over a month left in office,” Palatino said.

“What we need is definite closure, a venue for Arroyo, FG Mike and their cohorts to undergo trial for the most bombastic controversy that has hounded the outgoing administration. The Ombudsman cannot expect to appease the public just by zeroing in on ‘little scapegoats and relatively dispensable accessories’ to massive graft and corruption,” he said.

Palatino said that while he welcomed the graft cases filed against Neri and former Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos for their involvement in the scandal, “we cannot genuinely get to the bottom of things unless Arroyo and FG are held accountable.”

The youth solon reminded the Office of the Ombudsman of the recommendation submitted by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which investigated the NBN-ZTE controversy to “prosecute Pres. Arroyo and other public officials involved.”

“Graft raps are still in order for all those involved lest they would want the Filipino public to believe that Arroyo has virtually destroyed checks and balances in government.” ###