Raket, ibinulgar ni Teacher!

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 20, 2010) - Ibinuko ng ilang mga guro ang diumano’y talamak na bentahan ng “plantilla” sa Department of Education sa Muslim autonomous region sa lalawigan ng Sulu.

Lumapit sa media ang dalawang guro at humihingi ng tulong upang matigil ang korapsyon sa kanilang hanay. Nanawagan pa ang mga guro sa Pangulong Benigno Aquino at mga kinauukulan na masusing imbestigahan ang nasabing bintang.

Ayon sa mga guro ay naniningil diumano ang ilang tiwaling opisyal mula P60,000-P100,000 bilang kapalit sa plantilla sa Sulu.

Marami na umanong nabiktima ang grupo at ilan na rin ang nabigyan ng trabaho, ngunit ang masakit ay hindi pa nakakatanggap ng sweldo ang mga ito at madalas na idahilan ay ang pina-process pa ang kanilang mga papeles. Hinihinala rin na may mga “ghost teachers” sa naturang lalawigan at kinukulekta ang kanilang mga sweldo ng mga nasa likod ng sindikato.

Nabatid na karamihan sa mga nagbabayad upang makakuha ng trabaho ay mga gurong hindi nakapasa sa required government licensure examinations.

“Terible talaga dito (sa Sulu) at nagpapakahirap na nga ang mga guro na makapasok ng trabaho ay ibinibenta pa ang mga plantilla. Kawawa naman kami dahil yun mga iba ay nagungutang pa para lamang makakuha ng plantilla kasi iyon ang inaalok sa kanila par makapagturo,” ani ng isang guro.

“Sana tulungan kami ni President Benigno Aquino at ng Department of Education sa ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) at ng National Bureau of Investigation para matigil na itong kalokohan,” ani pa ng isang guro.

Ito rin diumano ang problema sa Lanao del Sur province na kabilang rin sa Muslim autonomous region, ayon pa sa isang opisyal ng ARMM na nilapitan ng Abante upang idulog ang anomalya.

Sinigurado naman ni Atty. Baratucal Caudang, ang Secretary ng DepEd-ARMM, na bibigyan nito ng kaukulang pansin ang sumbong at sinabi nitong dapat maglabas ng ebidensya ang mga guro upang matibay ang kaso sa mga nasa likod ng anomalya.

“We will not tolerate this kind of activities and we are urging those who are complaining to present their evidence. They should have the courage to come out and identify those who are engaged in these activities,” ani Caudang sa panayam ng Mindanao Examiner. “We have to serve as model. We will not tolerate this malpractice.”

Hindi ito ang kauna-unahang pagkakataon na nag-reklamo ang mga guro ukol sa graft and corruption sa Department of Education sa ARMM.

Talamak noon ang anomalya at maging mga sweldo ng mga guro ay ninakaw at ang milyon-milyong psiong bayad sa premiums ng Government Service Insurance System ng mga empleyado ng ARMM ay hindi rin nai-remit sa pamahalaan.

Ngunit sa kabila nito ay walang malaking isda na nasampahan ng kasong kriminal dahil sa paglabag ng anti-graft law at iba pang kawalanghiyaan sa ARMM. (Mindanao Examiner)

Disgruntled Teachers In Sulu Hold Protest Rally, Classes Suspended

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 03, 2007) – Hundreds of disgruntled government teachers walked out of schools Monday in the southern Filipino province of Sulu and threatened to barricade themselves unless their salaries have paid.

The teachers complained that they have not been paid their wages the past months by the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and that their contributions to the state pension agency which are worth over 600 million pesos since 2003 were also missing.

They threatened to stage a mass protest should ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan fail to act on their problems. More than 5,000 teachers are currently teaching in Sulu province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.

“The teachers are no longer reporting for work. We can no longer take it; our plight is so difficult now. We are suffering,” Faizal Kaddi, secretary of the Sug Educators Forum, told the radio network dzRH by phone from Jolo town, where they held a protest rally in front of the Department of Education.

Kaddi said they received reports that teachers in Basilan province also walked out of their classes.

“The whole world should know how difficult the situation of the teachers in the ARMM. We cannot bear it anymore and we are slowly losing our dignity,” he said.

In October, more than 1,000 public school teachers sought the help of Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and asked him to President Gloria Arroyo of their plight.

Abdulbasit Pawakil, president of the larger Federation of Sulu Teachers, also asked for a government audit and to investigate the problems of delayed and missing salaries and contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

He said that as of 2003, more than P389 million of teachers’ contributions to GSIS were missing and that this has ballooned to over P600 million and yet ARMM continues to deduct insurance premiums from their salaries. “What is going on? We know the problems, yet nobody is acting on it,” he said.

The teachers were asking for a formal Congressional or Senate investigations into the missing GSIS contributions and salaries and jail those who would be found guilty of embezzling funds.

Others have called on Ampatuan to resign for his failure to address the problems of the teachers in Sulu. They also wanted the Department of Education in Manila to take over the responsibilities of deducting state pension contributions and paying their salaries from the ARMM.

Lawyer Oscar Sampulna, ARMM Executive Secretary, denied all the allegations and insisted the teachers received their salaries on time.

“They are receiving their salaries. Those who are complaining were temporary teachers whose special permits to teach had not been renewed or revoked basically for their lack of the proper documents required by the Department of Education,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

None from the Department of Education in ARMM or any of its representatives went to Sulu to talk to the teachers about their complaints. Sampulna said those who were complaining should go to the ARMM in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province about their problems. (Mindanao Examiner)

Regional Schools Press Conference Ends In Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Some 245 students and teachers from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) ended their two-day annual Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) held in Zamboanga City.

With the theme, “Promoting a Culture of Peace Through Responsible Journalism,” the RSPC was sponsored by the Department of Education (DepEd-ARMM) under Secy. Dr Udtog Kawit.

The RSPC, which ended Thursday, was spearheaded by Hamid Ladjakahal, DepEd-ARMM bureau director for Secondary Education.

The participants came from the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan. But those from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and Marawi City failed to participate in this year’s RSPC for a still unknown reason.

Of the total number of participants, 102 were elementary students and 139 were secondary students.

The top three winners in the different categories during the RSPC will represent the region in the National Schools Press Conference set to be held in Baguio City on Feb. 19-23.

Last year, the ARMM bagged the second place in the sports writing competition, English category, secondary level.

This year's resource persons were Cheng Ordones, who lectured on copy reading, photo journalism and sports writing; Sheila Covarrubias, who discussed news writing and radio broadcasting; Sheryl Joaquin, feature writing; Ulysses Israel, editorial writing; and Ariel Basilio, editorial cartooning.