HAPPY WEEKEND

Trapo politics fuels ignorance

Gina Dizon

The story “Studes assail ‘dirty politics’ for stop of full scholarships” which appeared in this paper last week exasperated me for a number of reasons.

Mountain Province Rep. Victor Dominguez withdrawing his support for students of Mountain Province State Polytechnique College to avail of scholarship grant because his “voluntary effort to help the younger generation to attain a descent education for the students was taken for granted,” was done in the highest form of political immaturity.

The solon’s act, as the story reads, was based from charges filed before the Commission on Higher Education against him. It would be good to have a brief look of what the charges were. The complaint filed at CHED, I understand, showed that students were against the policy of the school this school year.

Dominguez had instructed MPSPC President Nieves Dacyon not to accommodate students (who belonged to identified municipalities where apparently, the solon heavily lost to his political rivals in the recent May elections) from the school’s free tuition fee program.

The basis of the solon’s immature withdrawal of his intentions for free education among students enrolled at MPSPC, shows his vindictiveness and narrow-mindedness -- obvious signs of traditional politics which should be banished out of Mountain Province, if not in the whole country.

The free education program, if we are to glean from it then, is to primarily ensure Dominguez’s congressional seat and not the educational welfare of the students. Call this vested and political interest in its highest form. What matters after all for the solon is not the interest of the students.

Should he have been interested in their educational advancement, then he should have continued this grandious design for free education program even if he lost, or in this case where he won the congressional seat. If students filed a complaint against him, their arguments, are in the first place, based on legitimate grounds.

If the intention of the scholarship program was based on the premise that beneficiaries were enrolled at MPSPC and that they were bonafide residents of Mountain Province, then it should have been legitimate.

But then the students were questioning discrimination in the free education program despite a contract of National Commission on Indigenous Peoples with MPSPC in accommodating indigenous people -- students from Mountain Province for a scholarship program.

Legitimate as the intention was further translated into an expendable amount released to MPSPC by the Department of Budget and Management in the amount of P7 million from the solon’s PDAF which should be disposable until December of 2007.

Where the P7 million would be spent should be considered. MPSPC has to be transparent if funds have already been depleted. If such is the case, then a new release might be in the offing from the solon’s PDAF, which he may suspend at his own discretion? Is this a new contract with MPSPC?

How the solon is dragging and suspending this educational assistance for the students is whimsical which is contrary to professional ethics and public interest. Gleaning from the events that happened, this scholarship assistance looks like a lollipop which is dangled to and fro to the students for one reason or another leaving the poor student helpless for the goody. Give me a break!

Will the suspension also include the P3 million scholarship funds from NCIP?

Seemingly, the suspension suggests that the NCIP scholarship fund is the solon’s educational program and at his discretion. This suggests that NCIP does not have a scholarship program and that NCIP is dependent on what the solon says because the P3 million fund from NCIP was not its educational fund but the solon’s. Is this so? NCIP people, please speak up!

The NCIP’s P3 million scholarship fund (and from what I understand, NCIP has a regular scholarship fund) should be within NCIP’s discretion to state the scholarship duration and identify criteria for its scholars of whom are members of indigenous communities.

This means, NCIP’s scholarship is within NCIP’s management and officials of the agency should direct its own scholarship program without the dictates of a congressman.

For the students now to be appealing for the solon to restore the so –called free education program is downright pathetic as it suggests that the appealing students don’t know their rights.

Providing education as a responsibility of the State is basically stated in the Constitution wherein the youth have the right to this social benefit, aside from being provided in special agreements.

As future leaders of the province, the youth should know critical analysis otherwise, our beloved Mountain Province will be stuck in the country’s Club 20 for many years which could be disastrous.

Education is envisioned to enlighten people from mental slavery, superstitious beliefs, and ignorance. This mental slavery pleading for free tuition that the solon is creating on the student’s minds is outrageous, whether the students know the issues or not.

Dacyon is understandably a member of ACT (Association of Concerned Teachers), an organization of educators who work for justice and enlightenment of the minds against ignorance. I would appreciate it very much if Dacyon who is a member of this progressive organization would encourage the students to critically thresh out issues and prevent the solon’s pressure on them (students) pleading for a right which is basically theirs.

In the end, it will be the students who will pay for their tuition as evidenced by promissory notes that students “will settle all their school fees until the end of the term.” It is pathetic that MPSPC cannot even ensure the solon’s educational assistance despite this much trumpeted free education program that MPSPC flaunts.

I am very exasperated that students could get this low to claim for a right which is basically theirs in the very first place. To plead for somebody to give you your right is plain bullshit. The best way to demand for what is basically yours is to file charges against the offender.