Education will not be denied the top priority in the national budget as mandated in the 1987 Constitution, and Senate re-electionist Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson will make sure of that.
Lacson said in a television interview Thursday that this becomes more urgent in the wake of findings from the Department of Education that more than 18 million Filipinos may be functionally illiterate.
“I will make sure that the Constitution will be followed as far as giving the education sector top priority in the budget is concerned,” he said in Filipino in an interview on NET25.
Related: Ping Lacson, Sisiguraduhin na Hindi Masingitan ang Edukasyon sa Budget
He was referring to the issue involving the 2025 proposed national budget where the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had a higher appropriation than the education sector – the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and state colleges and universities.
Lacson had questioned the bicameral conference committee’s reducing of the DepEd budget to P737 billion and increasing that of the DPWH to P1.113 trillion, which was higher than the combined P912 billion of the DepEd, CHED, TESDA, and SUCs – a violation of Art. XIV, Sec. 5(5) of the Constitution which declares that “the State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.”
Making this even more urgent is the finding of the DepEd that more than 18 million Filipinos may be functionally illiterate, he said.
“We must pay more attention to the situation of the education sector, especially primary education,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lacson said he expects senators in the 20th Congress to set aside their political differences in doing legislative work, especially if the leadership will not be a part of political divisiveness.
“I think we can move on from the Duterte-Marcos effect in the midterm elections. When we focus on attending caucuses and discussing our legislative agenda, it would be a step in the right direction,” he said.
*****
Ping Lacson, Sisiguraduhin na Hindi Masingitan ang Edukasyon sa Budget
Titiyakin ni Senate re-electionist Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson na hindi na masisingitan ang edukasyon sa pagiging top priority sa pambansang budget, alinsunod sa mandato ng 1987 Constitution.
Ani Lacson sa panayam sa telebisyon nitong Huwebes, mas urgent ito ngayon dahil sa ulat na higit 18 milyong Pilipino ay “functionally illiterate.”
“Sisiguraduhin ko, pagtutuunan ng pansin na ibalik ang dating kalakaran na pagsunod na Constitution na ang budget ng education sector talagang maging top priority,” aniya sa panayam sa NET25.
Tinukoy niya ang isyu sa panukalang pambansang budget para sa 2025 kung saan mas malaki ang budget ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sa education sector – Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) at state colleges and universities.
Kinwestyon ni Lacson ang pagbaba ng bicameral conference committee noon ng budget ng DepEd sa P737 bilyon at pagtaas naman ng budget ng DPWH sa P1.113 trilyon – na mas mataas sa P912 bilyon na pinagsamang budget ng DepEd, CHED, TESDA, at SUCs. Aniya, labag ito sa Art. XIV, Sec. 5(5) ng Saligang Batas kung saan “the State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.”
Dagdag ni Lacson, mas mahalaga na ngayon ang isyu dahil sa pagtuklas ng DepEd na higit 18 milyong Pilipino ay maaaring functionally illiterate.
“Kailangan pagibayuhin natin, pagukulan ng pansin na ang education sector especially ang primary education, mapagukulan ng pansin,” giit niya.
Samantala, umaasa si Lacson na ang mga senador sa ika-20 na Kongreso ay magkakaisa at isasantabi ang kanilang ugnayan sa pulitika, sa paggawa ng trabaho nila bilang mambabatas – lalo na kung hindi papayag ang liderato na magpaapekto sa usapang pulitika.
“I think we can move on from the Duterte-Marcos effect sa midterm elections. Kasi pag nandoon kami, pag nagko-caucus na kami pinaguusapan ang legislative agenda, anong ipa-prioritize anong uunahin sa dapat gawin ng Senado, sa tingin ko yan ang first step in the right direction kung saan kami dapat lumagay,” aniya.
*****