Why to justify budget cuts?
by Lualhati Madlangawa-Guererro
Last time, I sought a writeup, made by a certain person named Dennis Relojo, justifying the need for a budget cuts in Education, and he said that he agreed to cut SUC's budget so that could increase subsidies to public elementary and secondary schools.
However,
Speaking of his own cause, how come he say so? Aside from reading the post made by the Communist Party of the Philippines in condemning the budget cuts in SUCs? Of believing on what Budget Secretary Butch Abad, who said that SUCs should tap their own resources and earn through the collection of tuition and livelihood projects such as the rent of land? It seems that person is affirming that privatization, commercialization of education is justifiable, not noticing that the biggest chunk of the national budget goes to Debt servicing and of funding anti-insurgency campaigns such as Oplan Bantay Laya.
Another thing more, since he supported the budget cut and telling to the readers that the state should focus "much" on primary and secondary education, of telling us about one teacher to every 60-70 pupils in crowded and unhealthy classrooms, how about this?
According to Mon Ramirez, in regards to the proposed budget cut on state funded tertiary level education:
"What the students cannot understand is why PNoy would cut P1.1 billion in the SUCs' budget when he could increase by so many billions the following budget:
* Pork barrel funds for legislators will be increased by more than P13.9 billion for a total of P24.8 billion.
* Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be given an additional P2 billion in pork barrel funds.
* Lump-sum (read: corruption) funds for 2011 total P245 billion. Of this amount, P68 billion represents audit-free Presidential pork barrel.
* Dole-out and patronage funds under the Conditional Cash Transfer program of the DSWD has a budget of P29 billion.
* The military, notorious for violating human rights and killing civilians, will be awarded a P10 billion increase in its budget for a total of P104.7 billion.
* Debt servicing eats the chunk of the budget, getting an increase of P80.9 billion with P823 billion in total spending for both interest payments and principal amortization.
The young are our future, and we reduce our spending for them to increase the pork barrel, debt servicing, military budget, etc."
Speaking of Technohub, yes, it increases UP's budget yet it doesn't mean that we need to commercialize the entire institution, of giving away land through the use of private-public partnerships. The UPIS buildings are ought to be demolished to gave way into commercial establishments proposed by UP and Ayala, if so-how about the students of UPIS? Where will they put into? The old, dilapidated residence halls? They tell us, readers that UP's budget is increasing, yet how come the athletes, despite the laurels given in UAAP, still endure the rust, dust and dilapidated whatsoever in the College of Human Kinetics?
Even the unpopular UP President Emerlinda Roman, responded negatively with Abad's statement, as she said:
"What [the] government wants us to do is to use up our savings. Where will that lead us?...We try to save but it seems government's message is "Do not save - use up all your funds!"
even this:
"I have heard and read statements of heads of other countries pledging to support their universities...Sad to say I have not heard any pronouncement from our national government. It is slowly abandoning the SUCs although they cite that their focus is on basic education. I can understand their position but it is difficult to understand a withdrawal of support for higher education."
However,
Speaking of his own cause, how come he say so? Aside from reading the post made by the Communist Party of the Philippines in condemning the budget cuts in SUCs? Of believing on what Budget Secretary Butch Abad, who said that SUCs should tap their own resources and earn through the collection of tuition and livelihood projects such as the rent of land? It seems that person is affirming that privatization, commercialization of education is justifiable, not noticing that the biggest chunk of the national budget goes to Debt servicing and of funding anti-insurgency campaigns such as Oplan Bantay Laya.
Another thing more, since he supported the budget cut and telling to the readers that the state should focus "much" on primary and secondary education, of telling us about one teacher to every 60-70 pupils in crowded and unhealthy classrooms, how about this?
According to Mon Ramirez, in regards to the proposed budget cut on state funded tertiary level education:
"What the students cannot understand is why PNoy would cut P1.1 billion in the SUCs' budget when he could increase by so many billions the following budget:
* Pork barrel funds for legislators will be increased by more than P13.9 billion for a total of P24.8 billion.
* Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be given an additional P2 billion in pork barrel funds.
* Lump-sum (read: corruption) funds for 2011 total P245 billion. Of this amount, P68 billion represents audit-free Presidential pork barrel.
* Dole-out and patronage funds under the Conditional Cash Transfer program of the DSWD has a budget of P29 billion.
* The military, notorious for violating human rights and killing civilians, will be awarded a P10 billion increase in its budget for a total of P104.7 billion.
* Debt servicing eats the chunk of the budget, getting an increase of P80.9 billion with P823 billion in total spending for both interest payments and principal amortization.
The young are our future, and we reduce our spending for them to increase the pork barrel, debt servicing, military budget, etc."
Speaking of Technohub, yes, it increases UP's budget yet it doesn't mean that we need to commercialize the entire institution, of giving away land through the use of private-public partnerships. The UPIS buildings are ought to be demolished to gave way into commercial establishments proposed by UP and Ayala, if so-how about the students of UPIS? Where will they put into? The old, dilapidated residence halls? They tell us, readers that UP's budget is increasing, yet how come the athletes, despite the laurels given in UAAP, still endure the rust, dust and dilapidated whatsoever in the College of Human Kinetics?
Even the unpopular UP President Emerlinda Roman, responded negatively with Abad's statement, as she said:
"What [the] government wants us to do is to use up our savings. Where will that lead us?...We try to save but it seems government's message is "Do not save - use up all your funds!"
even this:
"I have heard and read statements of heads of other countries pledging to support their universities...Sad to say I have not heard any pronouncement from our national government. It is slowly abandoning the SUCs although they cite that their focus is on basic education. I can understand their position but it is difficult to understand a withdrawal of support for higher education."
Efren Penaflorida, CNN hero for 2009, even opposed Aquino et al.'s budget cut on state-sponsored tertiary education, as he expressed sadness and hoping that he wanted education for all, better than his "Dynamic Teen Company" and his "Kariton."
More and more people are venting enough opposition despite government's and apologetics' attempts to justify the said budget cut, Dennis Relojo, a student in a state university, told us to accept the reality, of telling the students of SCUs not to be "Greed", if so-then tell it to the rest, especially to those with poor backgrounds, after all he may brag that there's a scholarship program and all students with poor backgrounds but exellent grades are ought to attain with-but still, NOT ENOUGH!
Why to justify budget cuts? These are the first ideas an affected student studying in a SCU thinking about, and since Mon Ramirez spoke about the budget being allocated, then these will be the next pop up question: WHY NOT REDUCE THE BUDGET ON MILITARY SPENDING, DEBT SERVICING, DOLEOUTS, GLORIA et al's PORK BARREL, AND HAD IT ALL BE BENEFITED IN ALL LEVELS FROM PRESCHOOL TO COLLEGE? sounds funny but true.
In the end, more and more will reply to the apologetic replies of Relojo, not from those studying in SCUs, Elementary and High Schools, but also in private educational institutions affected by Tuition and Other Fee Increases, simple but meaningful...and of course, agitating:
For sure Relojo would think about what he said so.
For the writeup made by an "apologetic", here:
http://www.dennisrelojo.com/2010/12/01/sucs-budget-cut-nararapat/
More and more people are venting enough opposition despite government's and apologetics' attempts to justify the said budget cut, Dennis Relojo, a student in a state university, told us to accept the reality, of telling the students of SCUs not to be "Greed", if so-then tell it to the rest, especially to those with poor backgrounds, after all he may brag that there's a scholarship program and all students with poor backgrounds but exellent grades are ought to attain with-but still, NOT ENOUGH!
Why to justify budget cuts? These are the first ideas an affected student studying in a SCU thinking about, and since Mon Ramirez spoke about the budget being allocated, then these will be the next pop up question: WHY NOT REDUCE THE BUDGET ON MILITARY SPENDING, DEBT SERVICING, DOLEOUTS, GLORIA et al's PORK BARREL, AND HAD IT ALL BE BENEFITED IN ALL LEVELS FROM PRESCHOOL TO COLLEGE? sounds funny but true.
In the end, more and more will reply to the apologetic replies of Relojo, not from those studying in SCUs, Elementary and High Schools, but also in private educational institutions affected by Tuition and Other Fee Increases, simple but meaningful...and of course, agitating:
"EDUCATION IS A RIGHT!"
"BOOKS NOT BULLETS!"
"EDUCATION NOT WAR!"
"BOOKS NOT BULLETS!"
"EDUCATION NOT WAR!"
For sure Relojo would think about what he said so.
For the writeup made by an "apologetic", here:
http://www.dennisrelojo.com/2010/12/01/sucs-budget-cut-nararapat/
