MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 16, 2009) President Gloria Arroyo has promoted 19 senior military generals and named three new ambassadors to Poland, Ireland and Bahrain.
The Commission on Appointments said it also received the appointment papers of 36 chiefs of mission, foreign service officers and career ministers at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, vice chairman of the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA), said the new ambassadors are Alejandro del Rosario, Poland; Ariel Abadilla, Ireland; and Ma. Corazon Bahjin, to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Gullas said the 19 senior military officers endorsed by Malacañang for CA confirmation for the first time were led by Majors General Romeo Prestoza, Rudival Cabading, Arthur Mancenido, Eduardo Oban Jr., and Arturo Ortiz.Prestoza is former head of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and now chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (ISAFP).
Also endorsed for CA confirmation for the first time were Brigadiers General Allan Bontuyan, Renato David, William Esplana, Teodoro Evangelista, Carlos Luces, Roberto Morales, Nicolas Ojeda Jr., Felizardo Simoy, Pedro Ramon Sinajon Jr., Alger Tan, and Jose Tony Villarete; Vice Admiral Leonardo Calderon Jr.; and Commodores Rosauro Arnel Gonzales Jr. and Efren Tedor.
They join an old batch of 38 other military officers with the rank of colonel/naval captain or higher whose re-appointments are pending CA confirmation, Gullas said.
Meanwhile, Gullas said the CA's Committee on Constitutional Commissions and Offices chaired by Sen. Panfilo Lacson is set to deliberate Wednesday on the appointments of Armando Velasco, Lucenito Tagle and Leonardo Leonida. Malacañang reinstalled the three last month as members of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Elias Yusoph's recent appointment as Comelec member could not yet be set for a hearing because his papers were still incomplete, Gullas said.
Gullas said the CA's Committee on National Defense chaired by Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III is also set to hear Wednesday the previous appointments of 24 other senior military officers led by Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, also former chief of the PSG.
All told, Gullas said a total of 121 executives, including 57 new appointees, are now pending CA confirmation.
Besides Yusoph, the 55 new generals and officials at the DFA, Gullas said those endorsed to the CA for the first time also include Press Secretary Cerge Remonde.
Remonde joins four other Cabinet members previously bypassed and reinstalled by Malacañang last month for CA confirmation: Economic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, and Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr.
Civil Service Commission chairman Ricardo Saludo was reinstalled last month and is also pending confirmation, along with former Sen. Orlando Mercado, the designated ambassador to China, North Korea and Mongolia.
The Constitution vests the CA with the power to approve or disapprove presidential appointments. This is part of the checks and balances established by the Constitution to ensure that all government departments function in a manner most beneficial to the public welfare.
Among those subject to CA confirmation are the heads of executive departments, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, military officers from the rank of colonel or naval captain, and the heads and members of constitutional commissions and offices.
Showing posts with label Rep. Eduardo Gullas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rep. Eduardo Gullas. Show all posts
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Cebu solon backs Spanish program in Filipino schools
CEBU CITY, Philippines - Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas has welcomed the initiative of the Department of Education (Deped) to promote the learning of the Spanish language in select public high schools starting this June.
"This is definitely a positive step toward encouraging secondary students to learn not just Spanish but other foreign languages as well when they proceed to college," said Gullas, an educator.
"This is all about making our school programs more relevant and highly responsive to the changing times -- to globalization and to the demands of labor markets here and abroad," Gullas pointed out.
"After all, we send our children to college so they can achieve a better quality of life, not so they can join the ranks of unemployed professionals," he added.
College graduates with extra foreign language skills could look forward to gainful employment in international institutions, multinational corporations, the diplomatic offices of other governments, and even in non-government aid organizations, said Gullas, one of the principal authors of a bill seeking to reinforce the use of English in schools.
Here, Gullas said they could also count on high-paying jobs in the country's Foreign Service, or in the business process outsourcing industry. He cited some of the firms aggressively recruiting local staff that can speak English and at least one other foreign language.
* IBM Business Services Inc., a unit of Armonk, New York-based IBM Corp., is recruiting staff that can speak English and Spanish, or English and any of the following: Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish or Dutch;
* The global manufacturing and technology firm, St. Louis, Minnesota-based Emerson Electric Co., is enlisting for its global service hub in Manila personnel that can speak English and Spanish, or English and any of the following: French, Italian, Dutch, German, Finnish, Russian or Japanese;
* London-based InterContinental Hotel Group PLC's global service center in Manila is signing up employees that can speak English and Cantonese, or English and any of the following: Japanese, Thai, Mandarin or Korean;
* Knowledge Generation Bureau Philippines Inc., a unit of New York-based KGB USA, and West Contact Services Inc., a unit of Omaha, Nebraska-based West Corp., are both drafting professionals that can speak English and Spanish;
* Telephilippines Inc., a subsidiary of France's Teleperformance, and Hinduja TMT Ltd., an affiliate of India's Hinduja Group, are both hiring workers that can speak English and Cantonese;
* Aegis PeopleSupport Inc., a unit of India's Essar Group, is recruiting staff that can speak English and Spanish, or English and French; and
* Sterling Global Call Center Inc. is enlisting personnel that can speak English and Spanish, or English and Mandarin.
Deped's Special Program in Foreign Language is designed for students that have shown competence in English and the ability to learn another foreign language. It is meant to prepare students for greater interaction in a linguistically diverse workplace, and heighten understanding of other people's culture.
The new program would initially offer Spanish in one pilot school per region. Each school would have two classes of 35 students per class.
"This is definitely a positive step toward encouraging secondary students to learn not just Spanish but other foreign languages as well when they proceed to college," said Gullas, an educator.
"This is all about making our school programs more relevant and highly responsive to the changing times -- to globalization and to the demands of labor markets here and abroad," Gullas pointed out.
"After all, we send our children to college so they can achieve a better quality of life, not so they can join the ranks of unemployed professionals," he added.
College graduates with extra foreign language skills could look forward to gainful employment in international institutions, multinational corporations, the diplomatic offices of other governments, and even in non-government aid organizations, said Gullas, one of the principal authors of a bill seeking to reinforce the use of English in schools.
Here, Gullas said they could also count on high-paying jobs in the country's Foreign Service, or in the business process outsourcing industry. He cited some of the firms aggressively recruiting local staff that can speak English and at least one other foreign language.
* IBM Business Services Inc., a unit of Armonk, New York-based IBM Corp., is recruiting staff that can speak English and Spanish, or English and any of the following: Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish or Dutch;
* The global manufacturing and technology firm, St. Louis, Minnesota-based Emerson Electric Co., is enlisting for its global service hub in Manila personnel that can speak English and Spanish, or English and any of the following: French, Italian, Dutch, German, Finnish, Russian or Japanese;
* London-based InterContinental Hotel Group PLC's global service center in Manila is signing up employees that can speak English and Cantonese, or English and any of the following: Japanese, Thai, Mandarin or Korean;
* Knowledge Generation Bureau Philippines Inc., a unit of New York-based KGB USA, and West Contact Services Inc., a unit of Omaha, Nebraska-based West Corp., are both drafting professionals that can speak English and Spanish;
* Telephilippines Inc., a subsidiary of France's Teleperformance, and Hinduja TMT Ltd., an affiliate of India's Hinduja Group, are both hiring workers that can speak English and Cantonese;
* Aegis PeopleSupport Inc., a unit of India's Essar Group, is recruiting staff that can speak English and Spanish, or English and French; and
* Sterling Global Call Center Inc. is enlisting personnel that can speak English and Spanish, or English and Mandarin.
Deped's Special Program in Foreign Language is designed for students that have shown competence in English and the ability to learn another foreign language. It is meant to prepare students for greater interaction in a linguistically diverse workplace, and heighten understanding of other people's culture.
The new program would initially offer Spanish in one pilot school per region. Each school would have two classes of 35 students per class.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
House set to pass English bill
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is set to pass the bill seeking to enliven the use of English in schools and build up global competitiveness of the country's labor force, the Philippine News Agency reported Sunday.
Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, an educator, said he is counting on the House to approve the bill shortly after Congress resumes session on Jan. 19.
The passage of the bill is now just a formality, according to Gullas, a champion of English as a teaching language.
"Mounting global unemployment due to the worsening economic slump has merely underscored the need for our human resources to be proficient in English — the world's lingua franca — in order to stay highly competitive in the job markets here and abroad," Gullas said.
The House committees on basic education and culture and on higher and technical education filed a joint report on Dec. 14, strongly endorsing the bill for immediate plenary consideration and approval.
Of the 238 members of the House, at least 202 sponsored the report on House Bill 5619 –the proposed Act Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as the Medium of Instruction.
Besides Speaker Prospero Nograles (Davao City) and Majority Leader Arthur Defensor Sr.
(Iloilo), the bill's key endorsers include Del De Guzman (Marikina City) and Cynthia Villar (Las Piñas City), chairpersons of the basic and higher education committees, respectively.
Likewise, backing the bill are Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan); Joseph Santiago (Catanduanes), chairman of the information and communications technology committee, which looks after the English-driven business process outsourcing and other IT-enabled industries; and Junie Cua (Quirino), chairman of the appropriations committee.
The bill's prominent proponents also include former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. (Pangasinan); Luis Villafuerte (Camarines Sur); Edcel Lagman (Albay); Teodoro Locsin Jr. (Makati City); and Roilo Golez (Parañaque City).
In the previous Congress, the House, voting 132-7, approved the English bill on third and final reading. This was in September 2006, or just eight months before the May 2007 mid-term polls.
The Senate, however, failed to act on the bill because the smaller chamber did not have a functional education committee then.
At the time, the Senate committee was chaired by Juan Flavier, who had said he lacked time to consider any bills. As then concurrent Senate President Pro-Tempore, Flavier also had to preside over the daily Senate sessions, as other leaders of the chamber became preoccupied with their reelection bids.
This time, Gullas said the House and the Senate would have ample opportunity to pass the bill.
As proposed by HB 5619: English, Filipino or the regional/native language may be used as the teaching language in all subjects from preschool to Grade 3; English shall be the teaching language in all academic subjects from Grades 4 to 6, and in all levels of high school.
English and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects in all levels of elementary and high school; The current language policy prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education shall be maintained in college; and English shall be promoted as the language of interaction in schools.
The bill also requires English as the language of assessment in all government examinations, and in all entrance tests in public schools as well as state universities and colleges.
Once enacted, the bill would supersede Department of Education (Deped) Order No. 25, which proclaimed a "bilingual" teaching policy.
Meant to develop "a nation competent in the use of English and Filipino," the bilingual policy was adopted in 1974.
Accordingly, the subjects of social studies, character education, values education, industrial arts, home economics, physical education were all taught using Filipino while other subjects were done in English.
Upon implementation of the bilingual policy, however, Gullas said the subjects that were supposed to be taught in English were actually done in "Taglish," or a blend of English and the local dialect. This weakened English in a big way, he said.
"As a language is best learned through constant exposure and use, we have to prescribe again by law, and not simply by administrative fiat, the reinstatement of English as medium of instruction, except of course in Filipino taught as a subject," Gullas said.
A previous survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) indicated that while most Filipinos are convinced that English mastery leads to greater employment opportunities, many still lack proficiency in the language.
In the March 2008 survey by the SWS, only 76 percent of voting-age Filipinos said they could understand spoken English.
Of those polled, only 75 percent said they could read English; only 61 percent said they could write English; only 46 percent said they could speak English; and only 38 percent said they could think in English.
Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, an educator, said he is counting on the House to approve the bill shortly after Congress resumes session on Jan. 19.
The passage of the bill is now just a formality, according to Gullas, a champion of English as a teaching language.
"Mounting global unemployment due to the worsening economic slump has merely underscored the need for our human resources to be proficient in English — the world's lingua franca — in order to stay highly competitive in the job markets here and abroad," Gullas said.
The House committees on basic education and culture and on higher and technical education filed a joint report on Dec. 14, strongly endorsing the bill for immediate plenary consideration and approval.
Of the 238 members of the House, at least 202 sponsored the report on House Bill 5619 –the proposed Act Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as the Medium of Instruction.
Besides Speaker Prospero Nograles (Davao City) and Majority Leader Arthur Defensor Sr.
(Iloilo), the bill's key endorsers include Del De Guzman (Marikina City) and Cynthia Villar (Las Piñas City), chairpersons of the basic and higher education committees, respectively.
Likewise, backing the bill are Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan); Joseph Santiago (Catanduanes), chairman of the information and communications technology committee, which looks after the English-driven business process outsourcing and other IT-enabled industries; and Junie Cua (Quirino), chairman of the appropriations committee.
The bill's prominent proponents also include former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. (Pangasinan); Luis Villafuerte (Camarines Sur); Edcel Lagman (Albay); Teodoro Locsin Jr. (Makati City); and Roilo Golez (Parañaque City).
In the previous Congress, the House, voting 132-7, approved the English bill on third and final reading. This was in September 2006, or just eight months before the May 2007 mid-term polls.
The Senate, however, failed to act on the bill because the smaller chamber did not have a functional education committee then.
At the time, the Senate committee was chaired by Juan Flavier, who had said he lacked time to consider any bills. As then concurrent Senate President Pro-Tempore, Flavier also had to preside over the daily Senate sessions, as other leaders of the chamber became preoccupied with their reelection bids.
This time, Gullas said the House and the Senate would have ample opportunity to pass the bill.
As proposed by HB 5619: English, Filipino or the regional/native language may be used as the teaching language in all subjects from preschool to Grade 3; English shall be the teaching language in all academic subjects from Grades 4 to 6, and in all levels of high school.
English and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects in all levels of elementary and high school; The current language policy prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education shall be maintained in college; and English shall be promoted as the language of interaction in schools.
The bill also requires English as the language of assessment in all government examinations, and in all entrance tests in public schools as well as state universities and colleges.
Once enacted, the bill would supersede Department of Education (Deped) Order No. 25, which proclaimed a "bilingual" teaching policy.
Meant to develop "a nation competent in the use of English and Filipino," the bilingual policy was adopted in 1974.
Accordingly, the subjects of social studies, character education, values education, industrial arts, home economics, physical education were all taught using Filipino while other subjects were done in English.
Upon implementation of the bilingual policy, however, Gullas said the subjects that were supposed to be taught in English were actually done in "Taglish," or a blend of English and the local dialect. This weakened English in a big way, he said.
"As a language is best learned through constant exposure and use, we have to prescribe again by law, and not simply by administrative fiat, the reinstatement of English as medium of instruction, except of course in Filipino taught as a subject," Gullas said.
A previous survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) indicated that while most Filipinos are convinced that English mastery leads to greater employment opportunities, many still lack proficiency in the language.
In the March 2008 survey by the SWS, only 76 percent of voting-age Filipinos said they could understand spoken English.
Of those polled, only 75 percent said they could read English; only 61 percent said they could write English; only 46 percent said they could speak English; and only 38 percent said they could think in English.
House set to pass English bill
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is set to pass the bill seeking to enliven the use of English in schools and build up global competitiveness of the country's labor force, the Philippine News Agency reported Sunday.
Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, an educator, said he is counting on the House to approve the bill shortly after Congress resumes session on Jan. 19.
The passage of the bill is now just a formality, according to Gullas, a champion of English as a teaching language.
"Mounting global unemployment due to the worsening economic slump has merely underscored the need for our human resources to be proficient in English — the world's lingua franca — in order to stay highly competitive in the job markets here and abroad," Gullas said.
The House committees on basic education and culture and on higher and technical education filed a joint report on Dec. 14, strongly endorsing the bill for immediate plenary consideration and approval.
Of the 238 members of the House, at least 202 sponsored the report on House Bill 5619 –the proposed Act Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as the Medium of Instruction.
Besides Speaker Prospero Nograles (Davao City) and Majority Leader Arthur Defensor Sr.
(Iloilo), the bill's key endorsers include Del De Guzman (Marikina City) and Cynthia Villar (Las Piñas City), chairpersons of the basic and higher education committees, respectively.
Likewise, backing the bill are Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan); Joseph Santiago (Catanduanes), chairman of the information and communications technology committee, which looks after the English-driven business process outsourcing and other IT-enabled industries; and Junie Cua (Quirino), chairman of the appropriations committee.
The bill's prominent proponents also include former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. (Pangasinan); Luis Villafuerte (Camarines Sur); Edcel Lagman (Albay); Teodoro Locsin Jr. (Makati City); and Roilo Golez (Parañaque City).
In the previous Congress, the House, voting 132-7, approved the English bill on third and final reading. This was in September 2006, or just eight months before the May 2007 mid-term polls.
The Senate, however, failed to act on the bill because the smaller chamber did not have a functional education committee then.
At the time, the Senate committee was chaired by Juan Flavier, who had said he lacked time to consider any bills. As then concurrent Senate President Pro-Tempore, Flavier also had to preside over the daily Senate sessions, as other leaders of the chamber became preoccupied with their reelection bids.
This time, Gullas said the House and the Senate would have ample opportunity to pass the bill.
As proposed by HB 5619: English, Filipino or the regional/native language may be used as the teaching language in all subjects from preschool to Grade 3; English shall be the teaching language in all academic subjects from Grades 4 to 6, and in all levels of high school.
English and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects in all levels of elementary and high school; The current language policy prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education shall be maintained in college; and English shall be promoted as the language of interaction in schools.
The bill also requires English as the language of assessment in all government examinations, and in all entrance tests in public schools as well as state universities and colleges.
Once enacted, the bill would supersede Department of Education (Deped) Order No. 25, which proclaimed a "bilingual" teaching policy.
Meant to develop "a nation competent in the use of English and Filipino," the bilingual policy was adopted in 1974.
Accordingly, the subjects of social studies, character education, values education, industrial arts, home economics, physical education were all taught using Filipino while other subjects were done in English.
Upon implementation of the bilingual policy, however, Gullas said the subjects that were supposed to be taught in English were actually done in "Taglish," or a blend of English and the local dialect. This weakened English in a big way, he said.
"As a language is best learned through constant exposure and use, we have to prescribe again by law, and not simply by administrative fiat, the reinstatement of English as medium of instruction, except of course in Filipino taught as a subject," Gullas said.
A previous survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) indicated that while most Filipinos are convinced that English mastery leads to greater employment opportunities, many still lack proficiency in the language.
In the March 2008 survey by the SWS, only 76 percent of voting-age Filipinos said they could understand spoken English.
Of those polled, only 75 percent said they could read English; only 61 percent said they could write English; only 46 percent said they could speak English; and only 38 percent said they could think in English.
Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, an educator, said he is counting on the House to approve the bill shortly after Congress resumes session on Jan. 19.
The passage of the bill is now just a formality, according to Gullas, a champion of English as a teaching language.
"Mounting global unemployment due to the worsening economic slump has merely underscored the need for our human resources to be proficient in English — the world's lingua franca — in order to stay highly competitive in the job markets here and abroad," Gullas said.
The House committees on basic education and culture and on higher and technical education filed a joint report on Dec. 14, strongly endorsing the bill for immediate plenary consideration and approval.
Of the 238 members of the House, at least 202 sponsored the report on House Bill 5619 –the proposed Act Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as the Medium of Instruction.
Besides Speaker Prospero Nograles (Davao City) and Majority Leader Arthur Defensor Sr.
(Iloilo), the bill's key endorsers include Del De Guzman (Marikina City) and Cynthia Villar (Las Piñas City), chairpersons of the basic and higher education committees, respectively.
Likewise, backing the bill are Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan); Joseph Santiago (Catanduanes), chairman of the information and communications technology committee, which looks after the English-driven business process outsourcing and other IT-enabled industries; and Junie Cua (Quirino), chairman of the appropriations committee.
The bill's prominent proponents also include former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. (Pangasinan); Luis Villafuerte (Camarines Sur); Edcel Lagman (Albay); Teodoro Locsin Jr. (Makati City); and Roilo Golez (Parañaque City).
In the previous Congress, the House, voting 132-7, approved the English bill on third and final reading. This was in September 2006, or just eight months before the May 2007 mid-term polls.
The Senate, however, failed to act on the bill because the smaller chamber did not have a functional education committee then.
At the time, the Senate committee was chaired by Juan Flavier, who had said he lacked time to consider any bills. As then concurrent Senate President Pro-Tempore, Flavier also had to preside over the daily Senate sessions, as other leaders of the chamber became preoccupied with their reelection bids.
This time, Gullas said the House and the Senate would have ample opportunity to pass the bill.
As proposed by HB 5619: English, Filipino or the regional/native language may be used as the teaching language in all subjects from preschool to Grade 3; English shall be the teaching language in all academic subjects from Grades 4 to 6, and in all levels of high school.
English and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects in all levels of elementary and high school; The current language policy prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education shall be maintained in college; and English shall be promoted as the language of interaction in schools.
The bill also requires English as the language of assessment in all government examinations, and in all entrance tests in public schools as well as state universities and colleges.
Once enacted, the bill would supersede Department of Education (Deped) Order No. 25, which proclaimed a "bilingual" teaching policy.
Meant to develop "a nation competent in the use of English and Filipino," the bilingual policy was adopted in 1974.
Accordingly, the subjects of social studies, character education, values education, industrial arts, home economics, physical education were all taught using Filipino while other subjects were done in English.
Upon implementation of the bilingual policy, however, Gullas said the subjects that were supposed to be taught in English were actually done in "Taglish," or a blend of English and the local dialect. This weakened English in a big way, he said.
"As a language is best learned through constant exposure and use, we have to prescribe again by law, and not simply by administrative fiat, the reinstatement of English as medium of instruction, except of course in Filipino taught as a subject," Gullas said.
A previous survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) indicated that while most Filipinos are convinced that English mastery leads to greater employment opportunities, many still lack proficiency in the language.
In the March 2008 survey by the SWS, only 76 percent of voting-age Filipinos said they could understand spoken English.
Of those polled, only 75 percent said they could read English; only 61 percent said they could write English; only 46 percent said they could speak English; and only 38 percent said they could think in English.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Philippine Congress Doubles Subsidy For Islamic Schools
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 12, 2007) – Sulu provincial Governor Sakur Tan lauded the Philippine Congress for doubling the allocation for the government’s Basic Education Madrasah Program.
The increase in funding will enable the government to train additional teachers in English, Arabic and Islam, develop new instructional materials, and rigorously monitor the performance of a new standard, Cebu Representative Eduardo Gullas said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the Basic Education Madrasah Program seeks to lift to the national average the learning level of Filipino-Muslim school children. Madrasah is Arabic term for school.
“We welcome this development and surely this will be a big help in the Madrasah program,” Tan told the Mindanao Examiner.
Sulu in the southern Philippines is one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is specifically targeting the training of 2,668 teachers as well as the production and distribution of 800,400 new textbooks to reinforce the Basic Education Madrasah Program, according to Gullas.
The textbooks set for distribution next year is 50 percent more than the manuals being distributed this year, Gullas said.
Government-subsidized Islamic schools offer the standard public school curriculum as well as Arabic literacy and Islamic religious subjects.
Without counting the schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, DepEd currently has 459 public schools nationwide implementing the Basic Education Madrasah Program.
Gullas said the fresh funding for Islamic schools would give more meaning to the Constitutional mandate for the State "to establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society."
A report by the DepEd earlier warned that decades of neglect have made tens of thousands of Muslim out-of-school youth (OSY) in Metro Manila and other urban districts susceptible to recruitment by both Islamic extremists and criminal elements.
Many of the Muslim OSY are products of extreme poverty and the lingering armed conflict in Mindanao, the report said.
To address the problem, DepEd has been building up the Basic Education Madrasah Program as well as the Alternative Learning Program for Muslim OSY.
The increase in funding will enable the government to train additional teachers in English, Arabic and Islam, develop new instructional materials, and rigorously monitor the performance of a new standard, Cebu Representative Eduardo Gullas said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the Basic Education Madrasah Program seeks to lift to the national average the learning level of Filipino-Muslim school children. Madrasah is Arabic term for school.
“We welcome this development and surely this will be a big help in the Madrasah program,” Tan told the Mindanao Examiner.
Sulu in the southern Philippines is one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is specifically targeting the training of 2,668 teachers as well as the production and distribution of 800,400 new textbooks to reinforce the Basic Education Madrasah Program, according to Gullas.
The textbooks set for distribution next year is 50 percent more than the manuals being distributed this year, Gullas said.
Government-subsidized Islamic schools offer the standard public school curriculum as well as Arabic literacy and Islamic religious subjects.
Without counting the schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, DepEd currently has 459 public schools nationwide implementing the Basic Education Madrasah Program.
Gullas said the fresh funding for Islamic schools would give more meaning to the Constitutional mandate for the State "to establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society."
A report by the DepEd earlier warned that decades of neglect have made tens of thousands of Muslim out-of-school youth (OSY) in Metro Manila and other urban districts susceptible to recruitment by both Islamic extremists and criminal elements.
Many of the Muslim OSY are products of extreme poverty and the lingering armed conflict in Mindanao, the report said.
To address the problem, DepEd has been building up the Basic Education Madrasah Program as well as the Alternative Learning Program for Muslim OSY.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Postpone Village Polls And Then Blame High Prices Of Crude Oil
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 18 Sept) – With prices of crude oil soaring, Filipino lawmakers now have reasons to postpone next month’s village polls in what they say would be a big savings for the government.
Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas said the fresh surge in crude oil prices to new highs above $80 per barrel drove the House of Representatives to finally pass a bill seeking to reset the Oct. 29 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to May 2009.
“This is not just about the modest government savings. This is about stopping some P8 billion in election-related spending by candidates from being needlessly pumped into the system at a time when oil prices are hovering at or near record highs,” Gullas said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
Gullas is the author of the bill that seeks to postpone the polls despite a strong protest from many groups to cancel the elections.
He insisted that the P8-billion spending would come barely six months after bets in the May 14 mid-term elections swamped the system with tens of billions of pesos.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said there is a potential new inflationary pressure on consumer prices that may be brought about the recent surge in oil prices.
"High oil prices are becoming a concern. Definitely, it will have an impact on inflation, not immediately this September because the oil companies here still have inventory," BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said.
Guinigundo said the adverse impact of the recent surge in oil prices would likely be felt starting October, right around the time election-related spending in connection with the Barangay and SK polls is expected to heighten.
Crude oil futures touched record highs above $80 per barrel last week.
"If we unnecessarily stir inflation in a big way, we're afraid this might force the BSP to eventually raise interest rates, or keep them at current levels, at a time when other countries are already lowering rates," Gullas said.
The high lending rates in turn could dampen the country's strong economic expansion, and set back the debt-laden government's financial recovery, Gullas warned.
"We know how indebted the National Treasury is, despite the favorably strong peso that has allowed the government to lessen its dollar-denominated liabilities. The government is thus extremely vulnerable to rising interest rates, just like the private sector," Gullas said.
Excessive money supply tends to put upward pressure on consumer prices as people are induced to spend more when they have more cash in their pockets.
Raising interest rates is one of the options available to the BSP to curb excessive money supply and fight any added inflationary risks.
The polls have been previously reset many times and maybe postponed in 2009 because of the Presidential and national polls in 2010. (Mindanao Examiner)
Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas said the fresh surge in crude oil prices to new highs above $80 per barrel drove the House of Representatives to finally pass a bill seeking to reset the Oct. 29 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to May 2009.
“This is not just about the modest government savings. This is about stopping some P8 billion in election-related spending by candidates from being needlessly pumped into the system at a time when oil prices are hovering at or near record highs,” Gullas said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
Gullas is the author of the bill that seeks to postpone the polls despite a strong protest from many groups to cancel the elections.
He insisted that the P8-billion spending would come barely six months after bets in the May 14 mid-term elections swamped the system with tens of billions of pesos.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said there is a potential new inflationary pressure on consumer prices that may be brought about the recent surge in oil prices.
"High oil prices are becoming a concern. Definitely, it will have an impact on inflation, not immediately this September because the oil companies here still have inventory," BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said.
Guinigundo said the adverse impact of the recent surge in oil prices would likely be felt starting October, right around the time election-related spending in connection with the Barangay and SK polls is expected to heighten.
Crude oil futures touched record highs above $80 per barrel last week.
"If we unnecessarily stir inflation in a big way, we're afraid this might force the BSP to eventually raise interest rates, or keep them at current levels, at a time when other countries are already lowering rates," Gullas said.
The high lending rates in turn could dampen the country's strong economic expansion, and set back the debt-laden government's financial recovery, Gullas warned.
"We know how indebted the National Treasury is, despite the favorably strong peso that has allowed the government to lessen its dollar-denominated liabilities. The government is thus extremely vulnerable to rising interest rates, just like the private sector," Gullas said.
Excessive money supply tends to put upward pressure on consumer prices as people are induced to spend more when they have more cash in their pockets.
Raising interest rates is one of the options available to the BSP to curb excessive money supply and fight any added inflationary risks.
The polls have been previously reset many times and maybe postponed in 2009 because of the Presidential and national polls in 2010. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Big Pharma Puts Up Huge Lobby Fund To Fight Cheap Medicine Bill In Philippines
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 29 Jul) – Pharmaceutical firms have allegedly put up as much as P1-billion lobby fund to derail the passage of a bill seeking to reduce medicine prices.
But Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas has warned multinational pharmaceutical firms against carrying out their plan, saying, the government is firm in supporting the “Cheap Medicine Bill.”
"Our people desperately need access to affordable medicine. The new Congress has no other recourse but to quickly pass the bill. It is bad enough that the previous Congress failed to pass the bill," Gullas said.
Gullas earlier introduced House Bill 307, his version of the Cheap Medicine Bill. The measure is comparable to the bill previously introduced by Iloilo Rep. Ferjenel Biron.
Last week, Biron accused multinational drug firms of putting up the money to allegedly “kill” the Cheap Medicine Bill.
Gullas' bill seeks to provide Filipinos increased access to inexpensive drugs by reinforcing the parallel importation scheme of the state-owned Philippine International Trading Corp. (PTIC), and by allowing any entity to import patented drugs sold cheaper in other countries.
Gullas said the country’s health protection remains grossly inadequate, with only one of every three citizens covered by medical insurance. He said the government's insufficient financial resources have hampered universal health insurance coverage.
As a result, Filipinos have to take out of their own pockets more than 40 percent of all health-related spending, including the purchase of high-priced medicines.
"Congress should promptly relax existing patent rules by declaring that parallel importation will not violate trademarks, as long as the drugs brought in are determined to be genuine counterparts produced in other countries," Gullas said.
"Allowing unrestrained competition is one sure way for Congress to help drive down drug prices, and make them more affordable to most Filipinos."
Based on the finding of previous congressional inquiries, dozens of branded drugs that are now being sold here at prohibitive prices, may in fact be imported and sold here for much less.
For example, a branded amlodipine which costs P44.75 in the Philippines sells only P6 in India. And branded drugs such as Mefenamic acid that costs P20.98 in the country sells for about P2.80 in India and P1.46 in Pakistan. And same with branded loperamide hydrochloric acid that usually costs P10.70 only sells P1.94 in Pakistan.
The PITC imports about 90 cheap medicines that are being sold to the public through Botika ng Bayan outlets. The 1,345 outlets nationwide will be increased to 2,000 by year's end.
This year, the PITC plans to import from Pakistan and India an additional P500-million worth of medicines, mainly for diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and tuberculosis.
But Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas has warned multinational pharmaceutical firms against carrying out their plan, saying, the government is firm in supporting the “Cheap Medicine Bill.”
"Our people desperately need access to affordable medicine. The new Congress has no other recourse but to quickly pass the bill. It is bad enough that the previous Congress failed to pass the bill," Gullas said.
Gullas earlier introduced House Bill 307, his version of the Cheap Medicine Bill. The measure is comparable to the bill previously introduced by Iloilo Rep. Ferjenel Biron.
Last week, Biron accused multinational drug firms of putting up the money to allegedly “kill” the Cheap Medicine Bill.
Gullas' bill seeks to provide Filipinos increased access to inexpensive drugs by reinforcing the parallel importation scheme of the state-owned Philippine International Trading Corp. (PTIC), and by allowing any entity to import patented drugs sold cheaper in other countries.
Gullas said the country’s health protection remains grossly inadequate, with only one of every three citizens covered by medical insurance. He said the government's insufficient financial resources have hampered universal health insurance coverage.
As a result, Filipinos have to take out of their own pockets more than 40 percent of all health-related spending, including the purchase of high-priced medicines.
"Congress should promptly relax existing patent rules by declaring that parallel importation will not violate trademarks, as long as the drugs brought in are determined to be genuine counterparts produced in other countries," Gullas said.
"Allowing unrestrained competition is one sure way for Congress to help drive down drug prices, and make them more affordable to most Filipinos."
Based on the finding of previous congressional inquiries, dozens of branded drugs that are now being sold here at prohibitive prices, may in fact be imported and sold here for much less.
For example, a branded amlodipine which costs P44.75 in the Philippines sells only P6 in India. And branded drugs such as Mefenamic acid that costs P20.98 in the country sells for about P2.80 in India and P1.46 in Pakistan. And same with branded loperamide hydrochloric acid that usually costs P10.70 only sells P1.94 in Pakistan.
The PITC imports about 90 cheap medicines that are being sold to the public through Botika ng Bayan outlets. The 1,345 outlets nationwide will be increased to 2,000 by year's end.
This year, the PITC plans to import from Pakistan and India an additional P500-million worth of medicines, mainly for diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and tuberculosis.
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