Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today scored President Noynoy Aquino’s move to reduce subsidies for state college and universities (SCU) in his proposed 2011 budget, stating that his proposition was an “abandonment of government’s responsibility to provide the Filipino youth with quality and affordable education.”
Based on the proposed 2011 budget, the PNoy administration allocated P 23.4 billion to the country’s 112 SCUs, 1.7 percent lower than this year’s budget.
“Aquino and his budget team should refrain from issuing statements that education is a major priority in the current administration when in …
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Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today said that legislating media blackout is unnecessary to address situations like last Monday’s hostage crisis at the Quirino Grandstand.
“As the people’s eyes and ears to events of national significance, journalists should be given the right to cover crisis situations. The media should collectively create a protocol on how they should handle crisis situation coverage,” he said.
“But such right and responsibility should be accompanied with ethics and professionalism on the part of journalists. Sa halip na i-blindfold mo ang media, mas nararapat na i-train sila kung papaano titingnan ang isang pangyayari kung saan hindi maisasakripisyo ang buhay ng mga hostage kapalit ng live coverage,” the youth solon said.
“The journalists and the police should communicate how to meet halfway regarding media coverage to lessen the collateral damage. Specific actions vary because not all situations are the same. It’s a case to case basis.”
Palatino also said that legislations could be used and maximized against the media by authorities during crisis situation coverage.
Moreover, Palatino said that such statutes are “impractical.”
“Apart from the broadcast media, hostage-takers may avail of cellphones, laptops, internet live streaming and other technologies to gather information. We must not assume that the hostage-taker is old-fashioned. Even without the television like in the case of Mendoza, the hostage-taker still has technology in his reach to know what is happening. ” said Palatino.
He added “Are social networking sites included in this blackout? Blow by blow accounts was posted in sites such as Twitter and Facebook by media networks and citizens to update and be updated regarding the hostage crisis.” ###
Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino urged the House of Representatives to use internet live streaming technology to broadcast every committee hearings and plenary sessions through House Resolution No. 271.
Palatino filed HR 271 today stating that “one of the best ways to afford the People their right to information and to promote transparency and accountability among public officers is to allow the public to actually witness public proceedings undertaken by government agencies.”
Palatino said, “Using live streaming in the internet gives a good alternative to people who can’t be physically present during sessions and hearings. With this, we are able to reach and empower 30 million or one third of Filipinos who are using the internet today to their right to information.”
Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today filed House Bill 2676 mandating that educational institutions are prohibited to use Styrofoam food service containers and other synthetic products harmful to the health and environment.
Palatino said, “Styrofoam is non-biodegradable and resists compacting, thereby taking up extra landfill space for long periods of time. The damage exacted by the continued use of Styrofoam is manifest in the perennial problem of waste management in the Philippines.”
Apart from the problem in waste management, the young lawmaker also cited the chemical hazards that Styrofoam or polystryrene contains that “if not properly disposed, continually releases chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs into the atmosphere.”
Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today filed House Resolution No. 272 condemning the violent dispersal of protesting high school students last August 20 at the Department of Education, Pasig City.
The resolution called on the lawmakers to “initiate legislative measures in order to ensure that the right of our students to air their legitimate grievances is secured.”
Around 50 high school students stormed DepEd to address their complaints regarding the collection of unjust fees in their schools and the proposed additional two years in secondary education. Yet a few minutes after the students arrived at the entrance of the building, security guards violently dispersed the students.
Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today filed House Bill 2592 or the “BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act of 2010”, which seeks to promote and protect the rights of our fellow Filipinos, who flock to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies for immediate employment.
Originally filed last 14th Congress, Palatino said that the BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act of 2010 “sought to assert the prescribed labor standards set forth in the Labor Code and institutionalize additional benefits that would hopefully address specific work-related problems and issues peculiar to the nature of BPO work.”
When Rep. Palatino filed the bill last 14th Congress, his office received numerous feedback from BPO managers, call center agents, and even mothers of BPO workers, all expressing concern with the working conditions in many of the companies under this industry.