By ALMA B. SINUMLAG
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — With the national coordinated action of teachers here calling for greater education budget led by the ACT Teachers partylist on August 25, the Kabataan Partylist (KPL) – Cordillera launches its signature campaign with the same cause.

Theresa Manglicmot-Panem, the regional coordinator of KPL said the signature campaign which aims to collect at least 100,000 signatures in the region until December is also a way to express the youth sector’s anger against the continuing budget cut for education. On October before the session of the present Congress ends, they are planning to submit the 50,000 votes.

Other activities like educational fora, mobilizations and others will be organized by the partylist to gather signatures.

Panem said, with the proposed budget for 2012 subject for congress hearing, they are dismayed that budget alloted for education is even lower than that of 2011 budget. “So wala na talagang aasahan ang sector ng edukasyon ni singkong duling man lang na pagtaas ng capital outlay,” (So, the education sector is not expecting for an increase in the capital outlay) she added.

Capital outlay, she said, is the budget alloted to erect new school buildings, maintain and develop facilities. This she added is contrary to what PNoy promised that he will construct world class schools and facilities that will produce world class and globally competitive scientists and engineers.

If PNoy, she said, is sincere in that plan to produce globally competitive students, then the government should adapt the United Nations (UN) standard which is allotting 6% of the national annual budget to education.

Panem explained that for every year, 50% of the national budget goes to debt servicing. If the budget for the military she said will be added, it will be 70%. The remaining 30% will be shared by numerous government line agencies, pork barrels of congressmen and pork barrel of the president which she said “amazingly increased by almost 50%”.

With these data, Panem said, it clearly shows that the government can only allot a meager budget for the basic services.

She even hit the conditional cash transfer (CCT) which is the government’s solution to alleviate the people from poverty. This program she added ate P34 billion for this year compared to last year’s P10 billion. “Wala naman itong malaking impact sa alleviation ng mga tao mula sa kahirapan,” (It has no impact in the alleviation of the people from poverty) she poited out adding that Dinky Soliman had already accepted that fact.

The government Panem said should reallign the budget for the CCT into other basic services specially for education. # nordis.net