CHIZ: MORE MONEY NEEDED FOR EDUCATION
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Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday said the national government should immediately increase the
allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd) to strengthen the country's educational system, which
now lags behind its neighbors.
Escudero said that although the Constitution mandates that education should have the highest budgetary
priority, the reality is that it is not a matter of national policy.
“We have not been following this constitutional policy since our charter was enacted in 1987. In reality, the
highest budgetary priority being given money-wise is debt servicing. The second is the Internal Revenue
Allotment or IRA of government units. DepEd only ranks third,” he said during a forum sponsored by the Anvil
Business Club Friday night in Makati City.
The senator noted that the 2009 DepEd budget is roughly P160 billion, which pales when compared to
about P600 billion allotted for national debt servicing and the P260 billion allocated for IRA.
“How were they (national government) able to circumvent the Constitution? By considering IRA and debt
service as off book budget items or off budget items. They say it is automatically appropriated by law,” he
explained.
With the budget allocated for education, Escudero said the country is only spending an equivalent of $138
per student per year, which is considered measly when compared to its neighbors like Thailand, Singapore
and Japan, which spend $853, $1,800 and $5,000 per student each year, respectively.
“So we should not be surprised if the quality of education here in the Philippines is not at par with
international standards,” he said.
Escudero also noted that instead of improving and strengthening the education system in the country, what
the government did was make it harder and more expensive for anyone to land a job in the country.
“The government increased the qualifications for employment. For example, to be a member of the police
force one needs to be a college graduate, which was not the case before,” he said.
In other countries, he added that one is qualified to work after completion of primary and secondary
education because the system is good.
“Here, as the quality of education deteriorates, the qualifications for employment increases. It should not
cost an arm and leg to get a job here in the country,' Escudero said.
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CHIZ APPEARS AS TOP OPPOSITION BET VS. NOLI DE CASTRO IN LATEST PULSE ASIA
POLLS
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Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero appears as the top opposition bet against Vice President Noli de Castro if
elections were held today based on media reports on the latest Pulse Asia poll survey.
Escudero, who has yet to declare his bid for the presidency, moved to second spot with 17 percent, in a
virtual tie with perennial frontrunner De Castro who got 18 percent. De Castro is being eyed as candidate of
the recently merged Partido Lakas-Kampi-CMD.
At third place is former President Joseph Estrada, 15 percent; followed by Senator Manuel Villar, who was
down at fourth with 14 percent. Trailing at fifth is Sen. Manuel Roxas with 13 percent.
The survey was conducted nationwide from May 4-17. It was based on a sample of 1,200 representative
adults, 18 year and above, the report said.
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