‘JV’ Ejercito-Estrada for free college education

Free college education? That’s impossible, you’d say. Even state-subsidized educational institutions are not able to provide free tertiary education. They charge relatively lower fees than private institutions, but the poor cannot afford them.

Just look at the number of school dropouts, starting with elementary and high school students. And the number of dropouts barely a year after they’ve enrolled in college. The chief reason for this dismal situation is lack of money. Parents do not have the wherewithal to spend for their children’s college education, compelling their offspring to call it quits, find jobs, and, because they do not have college degrees, or are not trained in particular skills, join the huge number of unemployed persons.

The Philippines is recorded as having one of the highest literacy rates in the world, with 58 million out of the estimated 67 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 years old, considered functionally literate. “But functional literacy, or the ability to read, write, compute or comprehend, is simply not enough to get by in an increasingly complex world,” a legislator says. “We need to educate more of the Filipino youth beyond the basics, which are taught in the elementary and high school levels, so that we can lick poverty and attain a better quality of life for the nation as a whole.”

Reports from DepEd indicate that there has been a significant decrease in the dropout rates among high school students, with 56 secondary schools nationwide reporting zero incidence of students quitting school. DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro says the decline is due to the department’s Dropout Reduction Program (DORP), which offers alternative delivery programs that aim to keep students in school and finish their basic education.

Secretary Luistro is quoted as saying, “Our end-goal is to retain the poorly schooled and those who are in danger of dropping out because of difficult social and economic situations and provide them quality education.”

 But it will take time for all poor students to stay in school.

We know that literacy is much higher among those who have completed high school or higher education. That means the higher one’s educational attainment, the better his chances of improving his status in life. The problem is still basic: economic difficulties prevent the further schooling of high school graduates.

Now here comes San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito-Estrada with his solution to equip our young for the future: free education up to the college level. Impossible, we’re likely to say. Our government coffers are not enough to give such a treat.

But Rep. Ejercito says government must look for resources to change the picture. He is the author of House Bill No 667, or the Regional subsidized College Education Program, which seeks to provide subsidized education to the poor and financially handicapped high school graduates or who had finished their secondary courses but are unable to pursue a college education, or those who had started college studies but had to stop because of financial difficulties.

JV’s bill is not just for free tuition fees, but everything a student would need, from tuition and all expenses in any four-year college course leading to degrees in agriculture, engineering, education, veterinary medicine, nursing, computer science or mass communications; provision for books, subsistence, clothing and transportation allowance, and free medical or hospitalization.        

The young lawmaker’s bill seeks to create the Office of the Regional Subsidized College Education (ORSCEP) under the Department of Education. The new office will formulate, administer and implement the subsidized college program. It will designate private colleges or universities in every region, which may qualify to participate in the programs as well as the number of student-beneficiaries who may be enrolled in such institutions.

But students must not just be poor to qualify for the program. They should pass an admissions test. They or their parents do not own any real property nor have a combined income of P100,000 per annum, and they pledge not to leave the country within five years after graduation or passing the government examination.

 The bill seeks to appropriate P3 billion as initial funding for the program.

JV fought for additional funds for state universities and colleges (SUCs) during the 2011 and 2012 budget deliberations. His efforts to prod the government to increase the budget of SUCs eventually paid off, with President Aquino’s announcement in his SONA of a boost of P16 billion or additional 43.6 per cent for the 2013 budget of SUCs.

“I am committed to fighting for youth education and welfare. I know how difficult it is for ordinary Filipino families to send their children to school. Often their only hope for a better life is to enroll their sons and daughters in state universities and colleges where the cost of education is much less than in private schools,” he added.

Government should really subsidize the operations of state universities and colleges so that these institutions of higher learning can upgrade not just their facilities and equipment but also the competencies of faculty and administration, he added.

 Increasing the education budget every year is in keeping with the constitutional mandate “to promote and protect the youth’s physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being,” said the lawmaker who is running for the Senate in the May 2013 election.     

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Noted photographer Mandy Navasero invites photo enthusiasts to put “genius” in their photography. “Shoot pictures beyond a mere recording experience. Shots that leap off the page and hit you between the eyes; a waterfall so real you feel the drops in your skin; a child’s smile that warms you even when you stop looking; what do you have to do to get great shots like these?”

Mandy, a graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, major in advertising and illustration, will teach students to take pictures they can be proud of.

Her next Batanes Photo Safari is open to local and foreign tourists, hobbyists and non-photographers, scheduled on Feb. 18-22. She is inviting volunteer dentists to join a dental mission for two days that’s part of the Batanes tours for March 1-4 and Mar. 27-30 (Holy Week) up to April 1. For those interested to visit a third island of Batanes — Itbayat — the dates are April 27-30, and June 1-4.

Mandy prides herself on working hard to make the experience worth the time, money, and enthusiasm. She says, “Each trip is fun, informative, and a really good adventure for everyone. I put my heart and soul into each workshop. There are great opportunities for super images, playtime for all get lost in childhood dreams with colorful bandanas flying like flags of footloose hearts, and good camaraderie among participants.”

Mandy is also offering a GenSan/Lake Sebu photo safari on March 7-10, and a rugged Masbate rodeo photo safari on April 5-8, with a photo exhibit of ranches and cowboys with cash prizes. Now open for registration.

Contact Mandy Navasero at 09155430482 or 8963208 or luzamandolina@yahoo.com.

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My e-mail: dominitorrevillas@gmail.com