Pinoys react to P-Noy's SONA
by: Jessa Grace T. Olesco
SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan— The masses expressed their opinions as President Aquino boasted improvements on the country’s education and youth development in his 4th year term as the country leader in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, July 22.
People’s pulses
While the latest SONA was the most applauded of all, some nevertheless were dissatisfied with P-Noy’s report card as it had never discussed the status of tertiary education and the employment rate as well in the country.
According to Faith, a Theater Arts student in BulSU, said that P-Noy should have prioritized the employment with the government giving job assistance to the people as many graduates or graduating students from college are still or about to be unemployed.
Rejeleen Mallari, a freshman BSEd student, told that while the President makes improvements on the government, she said that she does not readily feel it when it comes to education.
“May nasabi naman siya about improvement natin sa education... Hindi [ko ramdam pero] nagha-hire naman daw sila ng maraming teachers at yung mga kakulangan sa classrooms at textbooks tsaka mga chairs napupunan naman daw. Yung sa sweldo siguro [sa teachers] dapat taasan tapos dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga mahihirap na estudyante na walang financial support,” she stated.
Bulacan News Catcher President Jose Roy Reyes from Bulacan Press Club cited Aquino’s 4Ps as a separating gap between the rich and the poor in the country.
“Dun ay nilinaw ng Presidente kung paano ang paghihiwalay ng mahirap at tsaka mayaman. Kung papaano lumaki nang lumaki ang mayaman at kung humirap nang humirap ang mga Pilipino... Nakita niya dun sa SONA na may pag-asa pa pero di pa nararating... Ang kabuuan ng SONA ay matagumpay dahil nakita dun lalong umuunlad ang mayayamang Pilipino... Lalo lang lumalaki ang agwat ng mayayaman sa mahihirap,” he insisted.
He further added that the said program was not enough and instead the government should teach the poor to be a small capitalist.
“Kung yan [mga mahihirap] tinuturuan mong magtrabaho at binibigyan mo ng kahit maliit na puhunan, mas mainam... [Sa 4Ps] tinuturuan mo sila mamuhay nang panandalian pero di mo sila tinuturuan mamuhay nang pangmatagalan na maaari silang umunlad... Maaari silang maging negosyanteng mahihirap,” reasoned Reyes.
Reyes even called P-Noy’s program ‘ampaw’ and gave a performance rating of five with ten being the highest because of a good speech yet not felt and seen by the majority.
“Balot ng maganda pero yung loob ng programa ng SONA ni P-Noy maituturing na isang ampaw kasi nga walang laman. Puro harap lang ang inilaman... 5 [rating] kasi nga mahusay ang talumpati niya pero hindi maramdaman. Tumawid lang ang tulay na ang tulay ng mayaman ay iba at ang tulay ng mahirap ay iba. Bakit merong sinasabing tuwid na daan pero di nawawala ang discrimination,” he explained.
On the other hand, there are also those who are in favor of the current administration and are willing to give the government a chance.
Karen Mae Zapata, a student from CBA, defended the President’s side on paying more attention to TESDA scholars in his remarks.
“Siguro kaya siya [Aquino] nag-focus sa TESDA kasi nakita niya ang kakulangan ng mga mas nangangailangan. Yung sa TESDA kasi libre and more on technical skills... Parang way na rin niya yun para makatulong [sa kabataan],” she concluded.
Oscar Olesco, Sr., a public teacher in Grade 7 from Novaliches High School, voiced that changes made by Aquino can not be easily felt as it would need a long period to take effect. He also agreed that the country is ready for the K to 12 program.
“Hindi naman mararamdaman agad yung pagbabago. Malaki ang nadagdag na silid-aralan. Mga 60, 000. Bale 20, 000 na lang ang kulang. Tapos yung mga upuan 1:1 na yung ratio sa Metro Manila. Pagdating sa K to 12 may kapasidad [ang bansa] kaya nga inuumpisahan na e,” he indicted.
Though not mentioned in the SONA, Olesco believed that the employment of teaching sector is stable. He suggested that the address should have also paid attention to wage of educators. He rated P-Noy six for the regime’s drive against corruption despite the agencies still involved in it.
“Okay lang naman ang employment system ng mga guro. Yung tungkol sa pagpapasahod wala siyang binanggit na dapat... Siguro mga 6 [ang rating] kasi kahit nilalaban niya ang korupsyon, may mga ahensya pa rin na talamak dun,” he ended.
Progressive education
Aquino cited the developments the administration had made especially concerning the youth. Among these accomplishments was the additional money worth not less than P40B per year allotted for education, health and public service due to a fair and a more reinforced tax collection.
He stated that his goal to heighten the level of quality education became successful as the problems regarding the lack of supply of books, insufficient number of armchairs lowered and the inadequate classroom facilities would soon be possibly gone through the efforts of the Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro. He also noted that the Philippines now had the capacity to prepare for the incoming needs because of the K to 12 program in high school.
Aquino praised Luistro for the latter’s achievements of decreasing from P58 to exactly P30 the cost of regular textbooks while he insinuated the previous officials in the post from past administrations for improper management of money that could have been used as fund for education.
“Hindi po biro ang dinatnang mga problema ni Brother Armin [Luistro]... Paano po kaya kung dati pa nagbayad ng tamang halaga para sa mga aklat na ito? Kung natipid natin ang diperensyang P28, at may limang textbook ang bawat sa isang tinatayang 20.7 million na estudyante sa ating public school system, ang katumbas nito [ay] halos P2.9 billion. Kaya po sana nitong pondohan ang plano nating pagpapaayos at rehabilitasyon ng nasa 9, 502 na silid-aralan,” told Aquino.
Improved youth training skills
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, better known as 4Ps, was given focus as well. The 700, 000 beneficiaries of the program in 2010 had then increased to 4 million. It was now extended and included families with youth going to high school 18 years of age after the Philippine Institute for Development Studies released its report that graduates from high school have 40 percent higher salary compared to those who only finished elementary.
Also highlighted in the speech was the more empowered TESDA. According to Aquino’s account, of the 503, 521 TESDA-DOLE scholars who graduated, an estimated 6 out of 10 are already working after completing their training. These findings were then supported by a study conducted by DBM in 2006 up to 2008 and a more recent study in 2012 based on IT-BPO program.
“Noong araw po... Ang nakakahanap ng trabaho sa mga napagtapos ng TESDA [ay] 28.5 percent lamang. Noong lumipas na taon naman po... 70.9 percent ang employment rate ng ating mga napagtapos sa TESDA. Sa electronics and semiconductor programs naman, umabot sa 85 percent na mga nagtapos noong 2012 ang nagkatrabaho,” said Aquino.
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SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan— The masses expressed their opinions as President Aquino boasted improvements on the country’s education and youth development in his 4th year term as the country leader in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, July 22.
People’s pulses
While the latest SONA was the most applauded of all, some nevertheless were dissatisfied with P-Noy’s report card as it had never discussed the status of tertiary education and the employment rate as well in the country.
According to Faith, a Theater Arts student in BulSU, said that P-Noy should have prioritized the employment with the government giving job assistance to the people as many graduates or graduating students from college are still or about to be unemployed.
Rejeleen Mallari, a freshman BSEd student, told that while the President makes improvements on the government, she said that she does not readily feel it when it comes to education.
“May nasabi naman siya about improvement natin sa education... Hindi [ko ramdam pero] nagha-hire naman daw sila ng maraming teachers at yung mga kakulangan sa classrooms at textbooks tsaka mga chairs napupunan naman daw. Yung sa sweldo siguro [sa teachers] dapat taasan tapos dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga mahihirap na estudyante na walang financial support,” she stated.
Bulacan News Catcher President Jose Roy Reyes from Bulacan Press Club cited Aquino’s 4Ps as a separating gap between the rich and the poor in the country.
“Dun ay nilinaw ng Presidente kung paano ang paghihiwalay ng mahirap at tsaka mayaman. Kung papaano lumaki nang lumaki ang mayaman at kung humirap nang humirap ang mga Pilipino... Nakita niya dun sa SONA na may pag-asa pa pero di pa nararating... Ang kabuuan ng SONA ay matagumpay dahil nakita dun lalong umuunlad ang mayayamang Pilipino... Lalo lang lumalaki ang agwat ng mayayaman sa mahihirap,” he insisted.
He further added that the said program was not enough and instead the government should teach the poor to be a small capitalist.
“Kung yan [mga mahihirap] tinuturuan mong magtrabaho at binibigyan mo ng kahit maliit na puhunan, mas mainam... [Sa 4Ps] tinuturuan mo sila mamuhay nang panandalian pero di mo sila tinuturuan mamuhay nang pangmatagalan na maaari silang umunlad... Maaari silang maging negosyanteng mahihirap,” reasoned Reyes.
Reyes even called P-Noy’s program ‘ampaw’ and gave a performance rating of five with ten being the highest because of a good speech yet not felt and seen by the majority.
“Balot ng maganda pero yung loob ng programa ng SONA ni P-Noy maituturing na isang ampaw kasi nga walang laman. Puro harap lang ang inilaman... 5 [rating] kasi nga mahusay ang talumpati niya pero hindi maramdaman. Tumawid lang ang tulay na ang tulay ng mayaman ay iba at ang tulay ng mahirap ay iba. Bakit merong sinasabing tuwid na daan pero di nawawala ang discrimination,” he explained.
On the other hand, there are also those who are in favor of the current administration and are willing to give the government a chance.
Karen Mae Zapata, a student from CBA, defended the President’s side on paying more attention to TESDA scholars in his remarks.
“Siguro kaya siya [Aquino] nag-focus sa TESDA kasi nakita niya ang kakulangan ng mga mas nangangailangan. Yung sa TESDA kasi libre and more on technical skills... Parang way na rin niya yun para makatulong [sa kabataan],” she concluded.
Oscar Olesco, Sr., a public teacher in Grade 7 from Novaliches High School, voiced that changes made by Aquino can not be easily felt as it would need a long period to take effect. He also agreed that the country is ready for the K to 12 program.
“Hindi naman mararamdaman agad yung pagbabago. Malaki ang nadagdag na silid-aralan. Mga 60, 000. Bale 20, 000 na lang ang kulang. Tapos yung mga upuan 1:1 na yung ratio sa Metro Manila. Pagdating sa K to 12 may kapasidad [ang bansa] kaya nga inuumpisahan na e,” he indicted.
Though not mentioned in the SONA, Olesco believed that the employment of teaching sector is stable. He suggested that the address should have also paid attention to wage of educators. He rated P-Noy six for the regime’s drive against corruption despite the agencies still involved in it.
“Okay lang naman ang employment system ng mga guro. Yung tungkol sa pagpapasahod wala siyang binanggit na dapat... Siguro mga 6 [ang rating] kasi kahit nilalaban niya ang korupsyon, may mga ahensya pa rin na talamak dun,” he ended.
Progressive education
Aquino cited the developments the administration had made especially concerning the youth. Among these accomplishments was the additional money worth not less than P40B per year allotted for education, health and public service due to a fair and a more reinforced tax collection.
He stated that his goal to heighten the level of quality education became successful as the problems regarding the lack of supply of books, insufficient number of armchairs lowered and the inadequate classroom facilities would soon be possibly gone through the efforts of the Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro. He also noted that the Philippines now had the capacity to prepare for the incoming needs because of the K to 12 program in high school.
Aquino praised Luistro for the latter’s achievements of decreasing from P58 to exactly P30 the cost of regular textbooks while he insinuated the previous officials in the post from past administrations for improper management of money that could have been used as fund for education.
“Hindi po biro ang dinatnang mga problema ni Brother Armin [Luistro]... Paano po kaya kung dati pa nagbayad ng tamang halaga para sa mga aklat na ito? Kung natipid natin ang diperensyang P28, at may limang textbook ang bawat sa isang tinatayang 20.7 million na estudyante sa ating public school system, ang katumbas nito [ay] halos P2.9 billion. Kaya po sana nitong pondohan ang plano nating pagpapaayos at rehabilitasyon ng nasa 9, 502 na silid-aralan,” told Aquino.
Improved youth training skills
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, better known as 4Ps, was given focus as well. The 700, 000 beneficiaries of the program in 2010 had then increased to 4 million. It was now extended and included families with youth going to high school 18 years of age after the Philippine Institute for Development Studies released its report that graduates from high school have 40 percent higher salary compared to those who only finished elementary.
Also highlighted in the speech was the more empowered TESDA. According to Aquino’s account, of the 503, 521 TESDA-DOLE scholars who graduated, an estimated 6 out of 10 are already working after completing their training. These findings were then supported by a study conducted by DBM in 2006 up to 2008 and a more recent study in 2012 based on IT-BPO program.
“Noong araw po... Ang nakakahanap ng trabaho sa mga napagtapos ng TESDA [ay] 28.5 percent lamang. Noong lumipas na taon naman po... 70.9 percent ang employment rate ng ating mga napagtapos sa TESDA. Sa electronics and semiconductor programs naman, umabot sa 85 percent na mga nagtapos noong 2012 ang nagkatrabaho,” said Aquino.
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