Opposition to take CyberEd project to SC if GMA insists on it
“This is a bigger scam. Like the national broadband network (NBN) project, we intend to bring the equally controversial CEP to the Supreme Court,” he said.
He said the cyber education project is shrouded in mystery like NBN, since the public, including their representatives in Congress, know little about it.
It is possible that the contract for CEP has already been awarded in China without the benefit of public bidding because a state-owned Chinese bank will be tapped to fund it through a loan to the Philippine government, he added.
The STAR has learned that Mrs. Arroyo’s cyber education project is now in the advanced stage of implementation despite her pronouncement that it has been suspended.
Last week, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said his office has already issued a forward obligation authority (FOA) for CEP in preparation for the negotiation of the $466-million Chinese loan for the project.
In the case of NBN, before it was scrapped, Andaya had not issued an FOA.
Under the contract that Secretary Leandro Mendoza of the Department of Transportation and Communications signed with ZTE Corp. last April 21, such authority must be obtained before loan negotiations for NBN.
In the case of the broadband project, the contractor was chosen before Andaya could issue an FOA and loan negotiations could start. It is thus conceivable that the CEP contract has already been awarded to a Chinese firm whose name has yet to be disclosed.
Zamora pointed out that it is not a remote possibility that Chinese firm Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment (ZTE) Corp. will be involved in the implementation of the project.
ZTE was the contractor of the broadband system.
Meanwhile, opposition Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday slammed the government’s plan of pursuing the $466-million cyber education project in the country, saying classroom shortage must first be addressed.
“Kulang tayo sa classrooms, bakit hindi ‘yun muna ang unahin bago ang cyber ed program na ito (We lack classrooms, why not address this first before the cyber ed program),” the neophyte senator told the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum.
Escudero said the proposed CyberEd project of the Department of Education (DepEd) will not minimize government’s expenditures on teachers and their trainings.
Malacañang earlier said the suspension of the CyberEd project may be lifted anytime soon.
President Arroyo earlier ordered a special panel to work out procedures to shield the project from controversies and political intrigue.
Malacañang earlier said that the CyberEd project will utilize satellite technology to provide an efficient and cost-effective solution to deliver educational services to public elementary and secondary schools throughout the country.
The project will link schools to a nationwide network that provides 12 video channels, wireless wide area networking, local area networking and wireless Internet connectivity.
Under the CyberEd project, a total of 37,794 schools, or 90 percent of all public schools nationwide, would be connected in the next three years. These schools would receive live broadcasts featuring lectures and presentations from master teachers as well as courseware on demand and other valuable resource materials.
Escudero said the government should consider the fact that 7,000 barangays in the country have no electricity.
He said taped lessons, like those of the Knowledge Channel, are a better alternative since students will not miss the lessons when classes need to be suspended during inclement weather.
Reports said the technology – satellite-based distance learning – is widely used in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Thailand, India, Indonesia and China.
The CyberEd and the controversial national broadband network (NBN) projects are both funded by the Chinese government.
Mrs. Arroyo earlier decided to scrap the $329-million NBN project due to the controversy over the government’s deal with China’s ZTE Corp.
President Arroyo cancelled the NBN contract in her most recent visit to Shanghai in the wake of the controversy it has created. She witnessed its signing in Boao, China last April 21.
Weeks before the ZTE deal was cancelled, the Supreme Court, upon petition by Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico, stopped the implementation of the transaction.
Suplico was an opposition congressman in the last Congress.
Mrs. Arroyo has suspended CEP in the wake of the scandal surrounding deals she made with Chinese officials. But two days ago, she indicated she would pursue it and shield it from further controversy.
Weighing in with the opposition to the Cyber Ed program, the private sector said DepEd may lose its support if it continues with its plan to implement CEP.
Peter AV Perfecto, associate director of the Philippine Business for Education (PBED), said DepEd’s insistence on pursuing the questionable Cyber Ed project will result in sour relations with the private sector, especially with private business groups who extend billions in financial assistance to public schools for the construction of school buildings and classrooms as well as vital teacher training programs annually for the past several years. – With Helen Flores, Rainier Allan Ronda
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