In the opening salvo of the 2013 national elections, Kabataan Partylist (KPL) calls on the youth to “level up” participation in the upcoming polls. “Kabataan: Next Level Na” is the marching call of the first and only youth partylist in Congress, as it announces its intensified involvement in the 2013 elections.
Thousands of KPL members from various chapters throughout the country converge in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines on May 11 for the KPL National Convention, wherein the only youth partylist in the country called for the intensification of unities and alliances among the youth in the light of the upcoming elections.
“In the past elections, the youth has proven that with a strong nationwide unity, we can win a seat in the House of Representatives. As we look forward to the upcoming elections, we should not only celebrate our achievements and victories, but also see the need to intensify our struggle in the light of the worsening national situation,” said KPL Rep. Raymond Palatino.
Palatino explained that the youth should “level up” the struggle against spiralling tuition increases, exorbitant fees, as well as the growing unemployment among the ranks of the youth. “The Aquino regime has promised change for the nation. But the youth has had enough of his lies – we must level up the struggle to assert our rights,” Palatino added.
“In its two terms in Congress, Kabataan Partylist has led not only the youth but also various marginalized sectors of society in the struggle for accessible education, decent employment and genuine solutions to our country’s problems. Next elections, we are again challenged to assert representation in the legislative branch. And we’ll not only settle for one, but three seats,” said KPL Spokesperson Vencer Crisostomo.
Palatino and Crisostomo called on the youth to maximize participation in the upcoming polls. “The youth remains to be a decisive force in the Philippine election, being almost a third of the overall voting population in the country,” Palatino explained.
According to data from the National Statistics Office, the number of youths aged 18 to 30 is estimated at 20 million. “Not all of these youths are registered voters, and we need to ensure that they register and take part in the upcoming elections,” Crisostomo said.
KPL is set to launch “Panata sa Halalan,” a voters’ registration drive aiming to urge 1 million youth to register for the 2013 polls. Panata sa Halalan consists of massive voters’ education drives, information campaigns in schools and communities. “In the next months, KPL will also launch a youth-led election watchdog, which will ensure the integrity of the upcoming polls,” Crisostomo said.
“There are greater challenges ahead of us, and we must now put our game faces on and proceed to the next level of our struggle for our rights and representation,” Palatino said.###
KABATAAN PARTYLIST Representative Raymond “Mong” Palatino today sounded the alarm on the need for legislative intervention on the yearly school fee hikes, calling on the House leadership to prioritize the passage of tuition regulation bills seeking to control tuition and other fee increases.
The youth solon made the appeal during today’s Congressional hearing on tuition and miscellaneous fees, saying that the “blatant refusal of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to exercise its mandate of regulating school fees warrants an immediate congressional action in the form of a new law that upholds the constitutional right of access to quality and affordable education.”
During the joint hearing by the Committees on Higher and Technical Education and Basic Education and Culture, CHED officials revealed that as of May 7, 2012, 266 private colleges and universities were given the go signal to raise their tuition rates for the next school year.
CHED added that these increases only refer to tuition and do not include miscellaneous fees, which are not presently covered by CHED’s regulatory guidelines. Palatino raised during the hearing that many schools have been foregoing tuition increases in favor of hikes in miscellaneous fees, which do not need to undergo consultation and approval from CHED, resulting in the imposition of arbitrary, redundant and ridiculous fees.
“It is evident from CHED’s inferior track record in regulating school fees that parents and students cannot turn to the agency for help amid the soaring and already unreachable cost of education. In fact, the agency itself has been contributing to the misery of families by approving year after year all applications from private schools to increase their charges,” Palatino remarked.
“This utterly deregulated character of tuition and other fees actually finds basis in our existing laws and policies. It is only fitting that we address the problem of yearly tuition increases through the enactment of a tuition regulation law as it has been government policy to allow private educational institutions to devour humongous profits at expense of the youth’s right to education,” Palatino added.
For 2011, the CHED says that only two out of ten high school students will be able to go to college.
Kabataan Partylist has been pushing for the passage of House Bill 4286 or the Tuition Regulation Bill which aims to control tuition and other fee increases and empower students and parents by ensuring a democratic consultation and decision-making process.
“The unabated tuition and other fee increases have effectively transformed our schools as ripe venues for aggressive profit-making. Many rich and powerful businesspeople have already ventured into owning schools, allowing them to rake in millions yearly. Despite their high earnings, yearly tuition and other fee increases are still imposed as schools reason out that more money is needed for operation expenses,” Palatino said.
The National Union of Students of the Philippines cited that in the past six years, the top five highest earning private schools raked in P3.45 billion in net income.
Palatino clarified however that “while it is true that a number of schools need the increase to prevent themselves from closing down, this remains the exception rather than the rule. The fact remains that the process of increasing tuition and other fees takes place within the context of rampant deregulation, big school earnings and the lack of democratized participation from students, parents and members of the academic community.”
“We would have preferred that the issue of high tuition rates be addressed first via an immediate action on the part of CHED but despite the resounding call of parents and students to immediately revise the present tuition guidelines, the agency decided to make CMO 3 effective for school year 2013-2014,” Palatino said.
With pressure from Kabataan party-list last year during a public hearing in Congress that tackled the youth group’s resolution on exorbitant school fees, CHED was pushed to draft a new tuition and other fee guidelines (CMO 3). Among the salient features of the guidelines are the inclusion of miscellaneous fees in the consultation and sanction for non-compliance which includes cancellation of school application for fees increase and introduction of new fees. Administrative and criminal charges can also be filed against violating schools and/or its responsible officers
Meanwhile, Palatino is also calling on CHED and the Department of Education to publish in major and regional dailies and on their respective websites the list of schools that will be increasing tuition and miscellaneous fees and the corresponding increases that will be implemented for the next school year.#
KABATAAN Partylist Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino
May 7, 2012
Congress adjourned sessions last March 21 or 46 days ago. Sessions resumed today but we will adjourn again on June 7. The third regular session of the 15th Congress will begin on July 23.
Lack of quorum is often cited as the primary reason for the failure of the House of Representatives to deliberate and pass on time the government’s priority legislative agenda and other socially important legislative measures. Because of limited time, discussion of LEDAC bills is shortened and voting is often done in haste.
It’s difficult to achieve a perfect attendance in the plenary. This is only possible during SONA and the last session day before Congress goes into recess. Meeting the quorum requirement is a daily problem and it’s quite understandable because the House membership is almost 300 already. The House leadership is lucky because it is dealing with a friendly Minority (most of the time) which can technically question the quorum everyday. To avoid a roll call during the next session day, the presiding officer merely suspend sessions instead of declaring an adjournment.
If Congress wants to be more productive, addressing the quorum problem is not the only remedy. Extend the session days, and shorten the recess.There is no need to change the Rules if we want more plenary sessions. We merely implement Section 69 of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives:
Section 69. Commencement of Daily Sessions – Daily sessions shall commence at four o’clock (4:00) in the afternoon on Mondays through Thursdays and ten o’clock (10:00) in the morning on Fridays unless the House decides otherwise.
At present, Congress sessions take place from Mondays to Wednesdays only. On the average, sessions last for three hours only.
Maybe session days were shortened to allow Members to address the needs of our district and partylist constituencies. But we must not forget that our principal duty is still to legislate and that should require more work in Batasan. As a compromise, hold sessions until Thursdays so that Fridays can be devoted for district work. Legislative consultations can be done during Congress breaks.
In drafting the calendar for the third regular session of the 15th Congress, the Senate and the House should seriously consider a longer time for plenary sessions. But if legislators insist on holding sessions for three times a week only, then another option is to reduce Congress breaks. There are only 84 session days in the current second regular session calendar as opposed to the 98 days during adjournment.
Our present legislative performance leaves much to be desired.
If we demand swift action from offices of the executive department in addressing the concerns and problems that our constituents face in their everyday lives, policy and legislative work should be equally responsive. But in a year, just how many days do we spend as legislators talking about and deliberating on issues that warrant legislative intervention? Three days a week in only several months a year is simply insufficient to cover the multitude of concerns that plague the people.
Publish attendance in Committee Hearings
At present, only the plenary attendance is disclosed to the public.But in the name of transparency, we must also publish the attendance of Hosue members during committee hearings.
Plenary sessions commence at 4pm because there are committee hearings in the morning and afternoon. But only few committee meetings are able to muster a quorum and they are usually related to impeachment cases or budget matters. It’s SOP to dispense with the calling of the roll.
Committee work should not be ignored since it’s equally important to our plenary participation. Through public hearings, we can hear the comments of concerned stakeholders to our legislative proposals. This is the time when citizens are able to engage our lawmakers which is a necessary component of democratic politics.
Lobbyists and government resource persons are able to insert amendments or even block legislation at the committee level.
There are almost no issues to discuss or debate anymore when a bill or resolution is tackled in the plenary because the objectionable or vague provisions of the measure have been resolved already (hopefully) in the committee hearings.
Active participation in the committee deliberations is crucial to improve the quality of legislation in the country. Therefore, House Members must be compelled to attend both the plenary and committee sessions.
The initial step is to urge the leadership to publish the attendance of House Members during committee hearings. There are 54 standing committees and 11 standing committees. Non-performing committee members must be removed from the committee. It’s actually mentioned in the Rules:
Section 36 ….A Member of a committee who incurs three (3) consecutive unexplained absences within a regular session shall forfeit membership in that committee.
It’s the Speaker who approves the membership of each committee. For the record, I’m a member of only 11 committees.
Salute to the Hardworking Secretariat
We recognize the Congress Secretariat for their dedication, efficiency, and consistency in performing their duties as government employees. They go to work even if Congress sessions are adjourned. They enroll our bills, conduct research, process our numerous requests, monitor the floor proceedings, handle our security, and maintain order in Batasan. Their work ethic should be the guide for all Members of Congress.
There is no disputing that a wage hike is urgent and necessary. But as various labor groups, economists and government agencies put forward differing suggestions on how wages should be increased, Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today said an across-the-board P125 legislated wage increase nationwide is “the most humane, reasonable and responsive to the needs of the toiling masses burdened by the soaring prices of goods and services.”
The youth solon made the statement following various wage hike proposals made by different workers’ groups and sectors: P90 from the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, P8 by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines and P13 to P21 according to the Department of Labor and Employment. Palatino echoed the call of militant labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno, which has been calling for a legislated wage hike in the private sector for more than a decade.
“Until now, the government has been relying on the regional wage boards to consider and address issues related to wage increases. Sadly, RWBs have only been providing very measly and sparse wage hikes that do nothing to help workers cope with incessant price increases of oil and basic commodities. The creation of these wage boards practically abolished the national minimum wage and resulted to a decline in real wages and purchasing power of worker over the years,” Palatino said. Since wage boards were created in 1989, the highest wage increase granted by RWBs was P36 in Central Luzon in 2002.
Progressive legislators in Congress have been pushing for a legislated wage hike since the 11th Congress, but up to this day, Congress has yet to enact these legislative proposals. During the 13th Congress, legislators approved an earlier version of the bill filed by the late Anakpawis solon and labor leader Crispin Beltran by a vote of 151-0. The workers’ victory, however, was only short-lived as the bill was not immediately transmitted to the Senate and was recalled months after.
“Congress could only live up to its name of being the representatives of the people by heeding the resounding call of ordinary Filipinos instead of succumbing to the lies and deception of big businessmen and economists whose brand of economics has been discredited by history itself. The issue of wage increases presents to the government two choices: either it upholds the rights of its workers to decent wages or protect the continuous accumulation of excess profits of corporations,” the activist-solon said.
Big businesses and some government economic planners constantly argue that a legislated wage hike would shake the economy and force firms to close, perpetually raising the specter of inflation when a wage increase is in the offing.
Palatino, however, said that pitting wage increases against lay-offs and price increases is merely an “underhanded tactic employed by greedy big businesses in order to justify an unjustifiable appetite for profit. The P125 wage increase would not lead to lay-offs and price increases if only corporations could afford to give up a portion of their profits.” A study by think-tank Ibon Foundation shows that the P125 across-the-board wage hike amounts to a mere 12% reduction in capitalists’ profits.
Palatino added that the government cannot say that wage hikes would cause the closure of factories, particularly of small and medium enterprises as “the main threat to domestic industries is not wage increase, but government policies that favor foreign corporations who receive import privileges, tax holidays, and other incentives, and allow them to monopolize vital industries.”
“The absurd assumption that the accumulation of capital and the continuous profiteering of big corporations keep the economy rolling should be dismissed by the government. When the State continues to press down on workers’ wages and refuse to address their genuine concerns such as contractualization and unfair labor practices, it ceases to serve the workers who form the backbone of our economy,” Palatino said.
Various youth formations lead by Kabataan Partylist launch a Pinoy games tournament in Barangay Old Balara, Quezon City at around 11 a.m. today to protest against the rising cost of basic commodities, including oil and education.
Youth members of Kabataan Partylist are to play various traditional Filipino games, including “tumbang presyo,” “agawang base,” “pabitin” and other games to concretely portray the state of the youth sector amidst the worsening economic crisis.
“With the sweltering summer heat, we want to portray these issues in a manner most common among the youth – Pinoy games,” said Kabataan Partylist Secretary General Vencer Crisostomo.
“Tumbang presyo” tackles the rising cost of basic commodities, including frequent oil price hikes. Meanwhile, “agawang base” portrays the continuing U.S. intervention in the country through the Balikatan Exercises. Other games include “pabitin,” “agawang buko” and “palo sebo” to portray tuition hikes, unemployment and the low wages in the country, respectively.
“There are various societal issues that deeply affect the youth sector. All of these issues – rising cost of commodities, education, unemployment and even increasing foreign intervention are all interrelated and aggravate the lives of not only the youth but also the Filipino people,” said Crisostomo.
Crisostomo explained that the spiraling cost of oil, basic commodities and tuition are in stark contrast with the continuing joblessness, fixed low wages and contractualization in the country. “While the cost of higher education continues to soar to levels already unreachable to the greater part of the youth sector, graduates of this overpriced system are still not assured of finding jobs right after getting their diplomas,” said Crisostomo.
Recently, the Commission on Higher Education has announced a new spate of tuition increases in almost 300 colleges and universities in the country, further aggravating the education crisis in the country and would translate to an even higher drop-out rate in the coming years, Crisostomo said.
With the rising cost of education, government figures reveal that for every 100 students who enter Grade 1, only 66 finish Grade 6, while only 43 will be able to finish high school. Of this number, only 23 will be able to continue studying at the tertiary level and only 14 will graduate. Out of the 14 students who are lucky enough to finish college, only half will eventually be absorbed by the labor force, leaving half of the new graduates to become part of the growing unemployment figures.
As of April 2011, Independent think tank Ibon Foundation has recorded that a total of 10.9 percent or 4.5 million Filipinos are unemployed. Meanwhile, underemployed Filipinos or those earning below the minimum wage has reached 19.4 percent. This brings the total figure for unemployed and underemployed Filipinos up to 11.6 million or around 28 percent of the country’s labor force.
“What is alarming is that most of the unemployed Filipinos are members of the youth sector,” Crisostomo said. Youths from age 15 to 24 comprise more than 50 percent of the unemployed labor force, with four out of every 10 unemployed youth possessing college degrees.
On top of the education and jobs crises, multinational companies backed by the U.S. continue to exploit the labor sector by creating minimum wage jobs and promoting contractualization. “Without national industries, workers are forced to apply in low-earning jobs just to survive. Is this what the Aquino administration calls progress?” Crisostomo asks.
“On May 1, the youth sector will march together with workers and other sectors to call on the government to stop dawdling on important issues of the day, particularly the rising cost of education and the growing unemployment in the country,” Crisostomo ends.#