DBM urged to use GAA format in reporting status of projects

MANILA-Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph G. Recto today batted for a “new budget accountability form” that will promote transparency by showing if a project, activity or program authorized in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) had indeed been implemented.

Under his proposal, the government will be following the same text and format used in the GAA to prove that it had implemented its provisions.

“The idea is for the executive to return to us the same GAA but this time it will be in annotated form. Every funding item in the GAA of the previous year will carry a corresponding note indicating when it was completed and the amount spent for its completion,” Recto said.

“If a line-item in the GAA says that P100 million is appropriated for this road, then what we want is for the government to submit next year the same GAA with a status report opposite the line-item,” Recto said.

“If the GAA authorizes the recruitment of, say, 10,000 new policemen and 50,000 new teachers, then what we want is for the executive to superimpose in that GAA a note stating the actual number of policemen and teachers hired, “ Recto added.

“Sa post-implementation, GAA format pa rin ang gagamitin, pero modified na kasi nakasaad na doon kung ang proyektong ito ay naimplement nga ba o hindi,” Recto said.

“Sa madaling sabi gusto natin ang GAA ang siya ring magsilbi bilang checklist kung natupad nga ba ang nakasaad dito,” Recto explained.

“The beauty of this approach is that lump-sum funds can be disaggregated. Kung halimbawa block fund ang Calamity Fund, sa proposal ko itemized na sa post-budget reporting kung saan pumunta,” Recto said.

Recto noted “that at present it is hard for Congress or for its constituents to check whether a specific project authorized in the GAA has indeed been completed, or has been realigned or has had its funds impounded.”

The reason for this is that the familiar budgeting format used during the first two phases—Budget Authorization and Budget Execution—is not applied during the Budget Accountability phase.

He was referring to three of four budgeting phases:

1. Budget Authorization, when the budget is being debated in Congress,

2. Budget Execution, when the GAA is being implemented; and

3. Budget Accountability, when projects funded by the GAA are audited.

The first phase, budget preparation, is when details of next year’s spending are hammered out in the executive and collated in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) or the President’s Budget.

The NEP later evolves into the General Appropriations Bill which in turn becomes the General Appropriations Act.

“The problem is that what should have been a seamless progression of the budgeting process is interrupted in the accountability phase because there is no feedback as to the status of the projects, programs and activities sought to be funded,” lamented Recto.

“Kung meron man, mahirap ma-flesh out. Pero kung GAA pa rin ang format, mas madali,” he explained.

Recto said that the Commission on Audit need not make the status report. “DBM, whose recent radical reforms allow it to keep tabs on each and every project, can render the report,” he said.

“At ang status report na gusto natin ay hindi kilometric ang haba. One-liner lang or one brief sentence pwede na. In some cases, pwede nilang sabihing “fully implemented” and that would already suffice,” Recto said. 

Instead of piecemeal amendments, better to codify budget laws and rules - Angara

MANILA-Instead of piecemeal amendments to budget laws, Congress should instead "codify" laws, rules including “best practices and reforms” on public sector budgeting, Senator Sonny Angara emphasized, in reaction to reports that Malacanang will push for a bill redefining budgetary savings and governing its use.

“The time has come to revisit all laws on public expenditures,” Angara said, explaining that the two principal laws guiding budgeting were conceived “when desktop computers were still alien in the bureaucracy.”

The senator, who is a lawyer by profession, was referring to the 37-year-old Presidential Decree 1177, issued by Ferdinand Marcos in 1977, and Executive Order 292, or the Administrative Code of 1987, which came into force a year after Corazon Aquino assumed power. 

“In fact, according to budget experts, whole sections of PD 1177 were attached to the Administrative Code. To a large degree, the portion on national government budgeting, which is Book VI, was copy-pasted from PD 1177," the lawmaker said.

Angara also noted that the two measures were “executive issuances.”

“They were not products of the legislative branch, but by a presidency possessing lawmaking powers,” he said.  

“But that should not be the excuse for consolidating all laws pertaining to government budgeting under one code. The main reason should be the wealth of experiences, reforms, initiatives, lessons of the Philippine budgeting system,” Angara pointed out.

“For example, in 1987 when the present Administrative Code took effect, the national budget was P121 billion. It has grown by 21-fold since. For next year, the proposed budget is P2.6 trillion,” he said.

Another factor which was not there when the two budget laws were drafted is the revolution in information technology, Angara said.

“Wala pang e-budgeting and paperless transactions noon. Budget issuances then were sent through snail mail. ‘Di tulad ngayon na hindi lang emailed, nasa Twitter pa. It won’t hurt if new technologies would be supported by a new legal infrastructure," the former congressman from Aurora said.

Angara explained that judicial decisions on budget aspects, such as the nullification of DAP and PDAF, might also require some corresponding adjustments in the law.

"There is also the need to future-proof the budget against an executive branch who will treat the “treasury as its own personal piggy bank,” the neophyte senator said.

“Ayos lang kung matino ang nakaupo. Pero paano sa darating na panahon kung merong gusto umabuso sa kaban ng bayan?" he exclaimed.

INCOME DISPARITY A ROADBLOCK TO INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT Rosy economic outlook must be coupled with institutional, labor market reforms

MANILA-The economic gains in the 5^th State of the Nation Address by President Benigno Aquino III must be coupled with reforms that will promote inclusive, broad-based development. This includes reforms to even out the rural-urban wage gap, which remains a barrier to many sectors of the population from enjoying the fruits of economic reform.

In his penultimate SONA, President Aquino touted the upgrade in the country’s investment grade rating, saying the country is now more open to business. He also emphasized the improved revenue collection efforts and said the country’s debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio went down, and thus funds for interests went to social services.

Experts note, however, that the Philippines’ overall ratio of rural-urban wage gap at 67 percent has remained constant over the last decade. Differences in labor policies between commercial industries and rural labor reinforce the disparity.

Such income disparity has brought about social inequalities between the rural and urban populations. Reversing this pattern of uneven development requires initiating policies and institutional reforms.

Within this context, the Angara Centre for Law and Economics presents the second roundtable discussion of the Andrew Tan Lecture Series on the topic “Promoting Inclusive Growth: Identifying Opportunities for Focused Reform” on 20 August 2014, Wednesday, at the Malcolm Hall, College of Law, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

This lecture is part of a joint study undertaken by the Angara Centre with the World Bank to identify the areas of persistent underperformance and inequality in the Philippines.

Among the questions the roundtable will center on are: 1) What is the extent of disparity between regions? 2)What is the response of labor markets? and 3) How do political institutions limit reform and distort the outcome of economic policies?

Teams of economists and leading researchers from the Philippines and abroad will present their study and recommend actionable policy initiatives. Leading this lecture are Dr. James Robinson of Harvard University, Dr. Pablo Querubin of New York University and Dr. John C. Nye, Frederic Bastiat Chair in Political Economy at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University and Research Director at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

Legarda Laments Low Conviction Rate on Media Killings

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda renewed her call for continuous inquiry on the increasing incidents of media killings in the country as she lamented the low conviction rate in cases of slain journalists.

Legarda, a former broadcast journalist, filed anew a Resolution calling on the Senate to conduct an inquiry on incidents of media killings and said that, “the unresolved killings of media practitioners in the country will remain a threat to the constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms of expression and of the press - two elements which are critical for genuine democracy to flourish.”

In a Senate hearing on media killings conducted last May, the Philippine National Police reported that of the 48 incidents of media killings recorded since 2001, only six were resolved with convictions even as 36 cases were filed in court and 12 are on trial. Six of the cases were archived, five were dismissed and four were resolved with acquittal by the courts.

Legarda noted that the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) 2014 Global Impunity Index ranked the Philippines third among countries “where journalists are slain and the killers go free.”

Iraq and Somalia ranked first and second, respectively.

Meanwhile, the 2013 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, which monitors the attitude and intention of governments towards media freedom, ranked the Philippines 147^th among 179 countries covered by the report.

“We have to put a stop to the killing of journalists and media practitioners. We need to know what hinders the immediate resolution of these cases so we can find solutions and propose appropriate measures. We cannot condone these crimes and we must not tolerate a culture of impunity,” said Legarda.

ONLINE OAV for 2016: Drilon

MANILA-Senate President Franklin M. Drilon urged today the Commission on Election (Comelec) to already make a reality in the 2016 national elections what overseas Filipino dream about – to be able to register and vote online under the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) Act of 2003 which he principally authored.

“It is high time that the Comelec adopt all the necessary technologies that would empower the about 10 to 12 million overseas Filipinos to use the internet to register and vote in 2016 and onwards, without leaving their jobsites or residences abroad,” stressed Drilon.

Drilon expressed his own frustration about the very low turnout of OAV registrants, more so of actual voters despite the huge funds and enormous efforts poured in all past elections.

He pointed out the perennial complaints from OFW groups, as well as from Filipino immigrants, seafarers and Filipino students abroad qualified to vote, that travelling far to OAV centers in Philippine embassies and consulates have discouraged many of them from participating in electing the country’s leaders in the past.

 “Overseas Filipinos risk their lives even in strife-torn countries like Libya now not only for their families, but also to prop up our economy with their over US$20 billion in remittances each year. We should make it easier for them to vote and to participate in all democratic processes by utilizing the power of the internet. Technological advances should already be utilized to surmount all overseas voting challenges in the past. The bigger voice of overseas Filipinos must be heard now!," he stressed.

“Online absentee registration and voting is already practiced in about 20 countries, including the US, France, Germany, Italy and Australia. So, I see no reason anymore why it can’t be done in the Philippines as well,” said Drilon, who added that the security of online registration and voting can be addressed through the use of sophisticated data encryption and other available technologies.

The present modes of registration and voting under the OAV law (Republic Act 9189 as amended by RA 10590) – through mail or personal appearance at the Philippine embassies or consulates abroad – limit overseas voter registration and actual voting.

In fact, only  2.5 percent or a little over 200,000 of the estimated 10-12 million overseas Filipinos (including OFWs, dual citizens, seafarers, etc.) have cast their votes in past national elections.

While Filipinos overseas  in countries like Hong Kong or Singapore have easy access to OAV centers, the same is not true for their counterparts in many countries in the Middle East and even in the US and Europe, where Philippine consulates and embassies may be located far away from many worksites or residences.

The Comelec Advisory Council (CAC) recommended “the use of new technologies such as, but not limited to, Online Voting and recent innovations in Direct Electronic Recording (DRE) equipment.”

“If we are to have online registration and voting in 2016, then we must already do the spadework now, starting with looking at the different technologies being utilized by countries where Internet voting is already practiced, and implement it right now in time for 2016," said Drilon.

According to Drilon, in France alone, more than 1.5 million absentee voters cast their votes through the Internet, which means it is doable.

Registration under the OAV has been low that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has issued Foreign Service Circular No. 16-2014 instructing Philippine foreign service posts to determine if overseas Filipinos applying for passport renewal are registered under the OAV. Despite such efforts, registration turnout was dismal and voting percentage did not improve significantly.

“If the (passport) applicant is not registered, the post shall register him or her as an overseas voter first before proceeding with the renewal of the passport. This procedure applies to all Filipino immigrants, overseas workers, seafarers, dual citizens and qualified students studying abroad,” said the DFA in its circular.

  

Drilon has called on the CAC and the Comelec to work closely to ensure that online registration and voting be implemented soonest. He likewise assured them of the Senate's unequivocal support to jumpstart the plan.

"The Senate is behind the Comelec in making sure that there are no more disenfranchised overseas Pinoys come 2016. Let’s make it happen!" said Drilon. 

Aurora Police Arrested Big Time Drug Pusher

DIPACULAO, Aurora-As the fight against illegal drugs continue, Dipaculao Police and operatives of the anti-illegal drugs operation task group (AIDSOTG) led by Police Inspector Robert Prado arrested a suspected drug pusher who is also a big time businessmen in his motorcycle spare parts store at Brgy. South Poblacion, in this town, last Thursday afternoon in coordination with PDEA.

Police identified the suspect as Danilo Manzanillo y Diego, businessman, former brgy. councilor at Brgy. South Poblacion, 49, married, a resident of Barangay South Poblacion, this municipality.

Report disclosed that the police conducted a buy-bust operation at the said place where the suspect sold a sachet of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride locally known as shabu to the authorities.

The operation resulted to the recovery of two small sachets of alleged shabu weighing 0.0315 grams and 0.2405 grams and the P1,000 marked money bill bearing serial number DX447000 from the possession of the suspect.

The suspect is temporarily detained at Dipaculao Police Station while the case for violation of R.A. 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, is readied against him in court.

The confiscated drug items were forwarded to the Crime Laboratory Office at Brgy. Calabuanan, Baler, Aurora for the qualitative and quantitative examination. (Jason de Asis)

RAPED PINAY NURSE IN LIBYA NOW IN PHL EMBASSY CUSTODY – VP BINAY

MANILA-Vice President Jejomar C. Binay Friday assured that the Filipino nurse reportedly raped in Libya is now under the custody of the Philippine embassy in Tripoli.

“Na-contact na namin ‘yong ambassador natin sa Libya at nasa embassy na ngayon ‘yong OFW at binibigyan ng kanyang mga pangangailangan,” Binay said in an interview in Butuan City.

“Talagang peligroso ngayon d’yan para sa buhay n’yo dahil sa higpit ng labanan,” he added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had raised alert level 4 in Libya.

As Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFW) Concerns, Binay appealed to OFWs to heed the government’s call for them to come back home.

“Nananawagan ako sa ating mga kababayan sa Libya na sundin ang tawag ng DFA para sa immediate and mandatory evacuation,” Binay said.

"Agaran kayong makipag-ugnay sa mga opisyal natin sa embahada nang masiguro ang kaligtasan ninyo,” he added.

The Philippine Embassy in Libya is in KM 7 Gargaresh Road, Abu Nawas, Tripoli. Embassy staff may be reached at (+218) 918244208, (+218-21) 483-3966, as well as tripoli.pe@gmail.com and tripoli.pe@dfa.gov.ph. 

Legarda: Industries Should Innovate, Go Green to Adapt to Climate Change

MANILA-Senator Loren Legarda today said that the corporate sector should innovate towards sustainability and green development, or continue to face the growing threats of climate change.

Speaking before more than a hundred advertisers representing different companies, Legarda named industries, such as building and construction, finance, and food and beverage, which are threatened by risks posed by environmental trends.

“In general, climate change affects operating costs, markets for products and availability of raw materials, and the changing weather patterns and extreme weather events could also cause business interruption and infrastructure damage,” she said at the General Membership Meeting of the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA).

Citing a 2013 report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), GEO-5 for Business: Impacts of a Changing Environment on the Corporate Sector, Legarda said that the increasing temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere, while seen as a threat, should actually promote ingenuity and innovation in the private sector.

For instance, in the building and construction industry, higher material costs due to availability constraints will be a challenge. But there will be a growing demand for green and sustainable infrastructure and buildings that are disaster-resilient.

Green building designs can generate up to 30% in energy savings, reduce carbon emissions by 35%, reduce water use by 30 to 50% and save 50 to 90% in waste output.

Meanwhile, in the insurance industry, a great concern is the increased cost of insurance claims resulting from extreme natural hazards. Re-insurer Munich Re experienced a 38 percent quarterly drop in profit partly due to the severe floods in Australia in 2010 to 2011, when claims exceeded US$350 million.

The industry can adapt by developing insurance products that would promote climate change adaptation and mitigation such as paying claims that encourage rebuilding homes and commercial buildings that are more energy-efficient after a loss.

The UNEP study also showed that the food and beverage industry is likely the most exposed to the effects of climate change because it is dependent on water resources and various raw materials from agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

“Companies should know and make known the risks and how climate change could affect their business. Mitigate and adapt to the changing climate by reducing the company’s negative impact on the environment. Create business strategies that advocate for ecosystems protection and consider the environmental changes ahead. Have a business continuity plan (BCP) that ensures business resilience and the welfare of employees following the impact of a disaster. Mainstream disaster risk reduction into corporate planning and investment decision-making. Work with the government and other sectors in finding solutions,” Legarda explained.

“The changing environmental landscape poses various challenges that would likewise transform the business landscape, but forward-thinking companies will see adaptation as an opportunity to innovate and contribute to improving the environment,” she added.

PNoy appoints NE Governor as RPOC Chair

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga-President Benigno Aquino III has appointed Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelio Umali as the new chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC).

 

“Your role as RPOC Chair of Region III is very significant in the light of the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police’s efforts to keep the streets of Central Luzon free from crime and lawlessness.  Ensuring peace and order and public safety is a common goal that we share, and we look forward to a fruitful and productive partnership with you as we continue to keep the communities of Central Luzon safe and sound,” Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas told Umali in a message read by Regional Director Florida Dijan.

 

Moreover, Police Regional Director CSupt. Raul Delfin Petrasanta was appointed Vice Chair of the council.

 

“RPOCs, per Executive Order Nos. 739 and 773 are responsible for the orchestration of internal security operations efforts of civil authorities, agencies, military, and police at the subnational level,” Dijan explained

 

Its membership is made up of all provincial governors, mayors of highly urbanized cities, chapter presidents of municipal mayor’s league, regional directors of national government agencies, a representative from the mayors of component cities, infantry division commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the area, and three representatives from the private sector. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu)

Measure passed granting scholarship to top 10 graduating high school studes

MANILA-A bill granting automatic college admission and scholarship to the top 10 graduating public high school students was approved by the Senate on third and final reading today.

Sen. Pia Cayetano, chair of the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2275, said the measure, also known as the Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014, seeks to make quality higher education more accessible to the underprivileged youth.

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon also hailed the passage of the measure, saying that such initiatives can help address the challenge of providing complete and quality education for the Filipino youth.

“Binilisan natin ang pagpasa nito, upang sa susunod na pasukan ay maging ganap na batas na ito at mapakinabangan ng ating mga kabataan. Sa batas na ito, kahit mahirap ka, basta magaling ka, ikaw ay may laban na makapasok nang libre sa mga state universities and colleges,” he said.

Under the proposed legislation, Cayetano said, the top 10 public high school students of their graduating class would be accorded automatic admission to State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) of their choice within their provinces or nearby provinces, depending on the size of the SUCs and their course offerings.

However, she said, the University of the Philippines (UP) will be excluded in the list of SUCs due to its institutional autonomy as the national university unless it would come up with its own scholarship program for the top 10 public high school students.

“It is an unfortunate fact that college education is out of reach of majority of the Filipinos,” Cayetano lamented during her sponsorship speech.

Cayetano cited a study conducted by the Department of Education which showed that out of the 45 students who graduate from high school, only 26 students actually enrol in college. According to the study, the high cost of education is the primary reason for the low turn-out of enrolees in college.

            “The youth are either employed or would rather search employment. The quality of higher education must be more accessible to the students,” Cayetano stressed.

            She said once the bill was enacted into law, the scholars would be provided with free tuition fees, textbook allowance and a monthly living allowance.

 “The Iskolar ng Bayan Program provides a big incentive for high school students to work hard and excel in their academics in order to rank within the top 10 of their graduating class and be afforded the benefits of this measure,” Cayetano said, adding: “Poverty and lack of opportunities will not hinder the crème de la crème of our public high school system from pursuing higher education.” (Patrishia Catilo)

Entrepreneurship subjects soon to be taught in schools

MANILA-The Senate today approved on third and final reading a bill which seeks to instill business acumen among the Filipino youth by introducing entrepreneurship and financial subjects in the curriculum.

            Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, chair of the Committee of Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship and sponsor of Senate Bill 2212, said the measure seeks to encourage Filipinos to go into businesses for themselves as an alternative solution to unemployment and underemployment.

“As the number of unemployed youth in the country grows each year, we really have to create new ways of thinking to address the epidemic,” Aquino said in his sponsorship speech.

            “Through training and exposure, young people would have an option of choosing to be their own bosses and start their own businesses as an option, instead of being an employee for a company that is not their own,” he added.

            Under the bill, Aquino said, the Department of Education would develop and integrate subjects and competencies in entrepreneurship in the curriculum for the primary, secondary and alternative learning modules.

            In addition, he said, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other private institutions would develop entrepreneurship and financial literacy modules for the tertiary and post-secondary education.

           

            He said financing and grants would also be provided for the students, together with mentoring and the much-needed market linkages.

            “Financial literacy in the basic education system is a good foundation for entrepreneurship in the future. Let us enable an environment where these young people can harness their innate energy and creativity and provide them the opportunity to start on their own and build their own businesses,” Aquino said. (Pilar S. Macrohon)

Senate moves to repeal old law that discriminates women

MANILA-In a move to further uplift the welfare and dignity of women, the Senate today moved to repeal an outdated law which penalizes widows who remarry within three hundred and one days after the death of her husband.

Senate Bill No. 1647, filed by Sen. Nancy Binay under Committee Report No. 47 and sponsored by Senator Pia Cayetano, chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Family Relations and Gender Equality, repeals Article 351 of the Revised Penal Code, which punishes women who contract premature marriages.   

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon lauded the lady senators who took the lead in the latest effort of the Upper Chamber to eliminate discrimination and promote gender equality.

“This measure enjoyed the full support of the Senate, for it is only right to abolish laws that serve no purpose other than to perpetuate discrimination against women,” he said.

Known as “Crime of Premature Marriage,” Article 351 also covers women whose marriages have been annulled or dissolved, if she marries before the expiration of the period of 301 days after her legal separation.

Violators face punishment of one month to six months jail term and a fine not exceeding P500.

“Since there has been no known conviction for violation of Article 351 of the Revised Penal Code, it is high time that we in Congress take the necessary step to abolish antiquated laws which serve no other purpose other than to perpetuate discrimination against women,” Binay said.  

“Approval of the measure by a male dominant-Senate is the right step towards ensuring the equality of law between men and women,” she added.

For her part, Cayetano said that there should be no room for laws that “perpetuates discrimination against women in our laws.”

Senators Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar and Binay signed the committee report. (Apple Buenaventura)

Senate ok’s 2 bills for poor, working students

The Senate today approved on third and final reading two bills seeking to make education more accessible to poor and working Filipino students.

Approved were Senate Bill No. 2272, also known as the Ladderized Education Act of 2014 and Senate Bill No. 2274, or the Act which seeks to expand access to education through open learning and distance education.

SBN 2272 was sponsored by Sen. Pia Cayetano, chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, and co-sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Villar while SBN 2274 was sponsored by Cayetano and co-sponsored by Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Jinggoy Estrada, Antonio Trillanes IV, Miriam Defensor Santiago, and Villar.

 Senate President Franklin M. Drilon welcomed the passage of the bills in the opening of the 16^th Congress, saying that the improvement of the national education system “remains as one of the most important in our legislative agenda.”

“These approved measures are designed to remove barriers to the effective delivery of education throughout the country, such as poverty, distance and age. We really need to make our education more readily accessible to all for a better future,” he said.  

Institutionalization of Ladderized Education

SBN 2272 seeks to institutionalize the ladderized education program established under Executive Order 358, series of 2004, which provided for the mandate and legal framework for a wider-scaled-and accelerated -implementation of ladderized education nationwide, according Cayetano.

Ladderized education is a system of education that allows students to progress between technical-vocational education and training (TVET) and college, and vice-versa, while at the same time opening opportunities for career and educational advancement for working and non-working students.

Under the ladderized system of education, Cayetano explained, a student who has completed two years of tech-voc training will receive a certificate, allowing him or her to gain employment as soon as possible. A student may proceed to further studies if he or she would choose to.

“Many Filipino youth and adults take tech-voc courses because they cannot afford the expenses of a regular education.  Tech-voc training by itself is a viable career option because it is rapid, flexible, jobs-oriented and competency based,” Cayetano said.

She cited a Philippine poverty and education profile report published by the University of the Philppines-School of Economics on September 2013 which showed that out of 100 children who entered elementary schools, only 45 students graduated from high school and 13 completed college.

Cayetano said the enactment of SBN 2272 into law would address the present compartmentalization of tech-voc courses, along with college degree programs that hinder the recognition and accreditation of tech-voc competencies in college degree programs. She said the bill synchronizes tech-voc and college degree programs, thereby allowing individuals to progress between tech-voc courses, college degree programs and, ultimately, gainful employment.

For her part, Villar, who authored and led the passage of 28 bills on higher or technical education when she was the chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education from 2004 to 2010, said that a ladderized education system would benefit the poor by helping them attain higher or further education. 

She said the ladderized system would allow graduates of tech-voc courses to pursue higher educational courses offered in colleges and universities without having to start all over again, as the system allows the transfer of credits earned from tech-voc courses to a degree program.

Expanding Open Learning and Distance Education

According to Cayetano, Senate Bill No. 2274 or distance education, is a mode of delivering education and instruction “on an individual basis to students who are not physically present in a traditional setting, such as the classroom.”

“Even though students and teachers are separated through time and space, the measure allows for instruction to be delivered through specially designed materials and methods, such as the use of more advanced technologies like the Internet,” she said.

Students enrolling in open learning systems can get their education through the use of different learning technologies and multimedia material, which strictly follow an approved curriculum, Cayetano further explained.

Under this measure, she said, distance education at the tertiary level will be at par with existing standards, and comparable to formal educational systems, giving more Filipinos more access to quality education and employment.  (Yvonne Almirañez)

Umali convenes water summit as Ecija braces for El Niño

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–The provincial government has set for tomorrow a water summit among various national government agencies and local government units to prepare Nueva Ecija against the adverse effects of the dreaded El Niño phenomenon on food production and water supply in the country’s rice granary.

          Gov. Aurelio Umali will preside over the summit which will gather such agencies as the Department of Agriculture, the National Irrigation Administration, water districts, LGUs, farmers’ representatives and irrigators’ associations towards formulating an action plan against El Niño.

          Umali, who conceptualized the summit said the event will try to identify the areas in the province which will potentially be hit hard by the prolonged dry spell and mitigate its impact on local farmers.

          The summit, he said, will try to come out with projection on the extent of damage, adding they expect a significant decline in palay and rice production which, if not addressed, will impact on food security targets on a nationwide scale.

          “We will include the farmers in our consultations because they are the ones who will bear the brunt of El Niño,” he said, adding that they will also look into improving the operations of irrigation canals to reduce water loss from the source to distribution areas.   

          Last week, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration advised Filipinos to prepare for below normal rainfall in the last quarter of the year, as scientists are predicting the development of a “weak to moderate” El Niño during the period.

          Pagasa administrator Vicente Malano said below normal rainfall is likely in most areas of Luzon and the Visayas while near normal rainfall conditions are expected over Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Albay, Eastern and Central Visayas and most areas of Mindanao in the months of October, November and December.

          The last time El Niño hit the country was in 2009 and experts said the phenomenon happens every four to five years.

          Umali said the province will have to be prepared for El Niño particularly since water elevation in the Pantabangan Dam continues to drop at an alarming rate.

          Last week, water level at the dam was at 179.04 meters above sea level (masl) and according to the National Irrigation Administration, it would take only 22 days of zero rainfall for the water level to shrink to its critical level of 171 masl, which happened nearly two decades ago.

          If its water level continues to ebb, the dam, which services over 100,000 hectares of farmlands in Nueva Ecija and parts of Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac, will be able to irrigate only 60 percent of these areas, Umali said.

          To address the drop in the dam’s water level, Umali said the provincial government released P1 million to bankroll the initial stage of cloud-seeding operations, which is apart from financial support pledged by First Gen. Corp. and other private entities.

          He said prior to the water summit, an inter-agency dialogue convened by the provincial government saw the need to rationalize irrigation use during the dry spell.

          Umali said the province, being the home of the Pantabangan Dam, should be prioritized in the utilization of irrigation water over other provinces such as Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac which also source their supply from the dam.     

          “Servicing other provinces over Nueva Ecija is just unacceptable,” he said.

          At the same time, Umali said the summit will pave the way for the creation of an inter-agency group that will look for other alternative sources of irrigation water to lessen the province’s dependence on the Pantabangan Dam.

          With the dam not fully operational, they will utilize the Penaranda River, the Tayabo Dam and other upstream water sources to augment supply. (Manny Galvez)