Campaign period

EDITORIALS

This early, election fever has started with information campaign  launched by the Commission on Elections on calendar of activities and periods of prohibited acts in connection with the May 13, 2013 national and local elections.

           

Comelec Resolution 9385 has set schedule of filing of certificates of candidacy in all levels in the national and local elections on Oct. 1 to 5.

           

Last day for overseas voters to file application for transfer of registration records from the overseas registry to the local registry is on Oct. 15.

           

Local voters have only until Oct. 31 to file applications for registration, transfer of registration records, reactivation and correction of entries.

           

Election period is from January 13, 2013 to June 12, 2013.

           

The campaign period for candidates for the national level and party list groups will start Feb. 12, 2013  up to May 12, 2013, a Saturday while  candidates for members of the House of Representatives and elective regional, provincial, city and municipal positions  will start on March 29, 2013 and end on May 11, 2013. Be guided accordingly.

           

Tuition hikes, welcome students

As school opened last week, youth and student groups including Anakbayan protested what they called “worsening education crisis due to the government’s flawed” policies.”

           

According to Tracy Dumalo, Anakbayan Cordillera spokesperson, shortages in facilities, classrooms and teachers are on the rise due to insufficient spending on education.

           

“This year there will be a shortage of 132,483 teachers, 97,685 classrooms, and 153,709 water and sanitation facilities this year,” she said, citing data from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

           

The P238.8 billion government allocation for DepEd, the ACT said, is grossly insufficient and is equivalent to only P7 per student per day for basic and secondary education. She said it is P300 billion short of the UN recommendation which is 6% of GDP.

           

“The situation is bound to get worse due as the government implements the K-12. Barya-baryang limos ang inilaan nila sa edukasyon. For instance, the government allotted only P1.9 billion for universal kinder when the required budget is at least P18 billion,” she said.

           

Dumlao said that as it is, about half of the youth population aged 11-15 are out of school and the drop-out rate is at 80%.“More students may be bound to drop-out, hiking the number of out-of-school youth unless the government increases budget and improves access to education. However, so far it has encouraged more tuition hikes and has been insensitive to the plight of parents and students.”

           

Dumlao said that the tuition rates in private schools have risen as well amidst failure of government to regulate.

           

According to youth groups, more protests would be set to call for higher education budget, a stop to tuition increases and the scrapping of the DepEd’s K-12 program.