Tag Archives: Budget

[Press Release] DBM’s budget proposal, ‘A BAD’ news for teachers -TDC

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DBM’s budget proposal, ‘A BAD’ news for teachers

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) on Tuesday described DBM’s appearance in the House budget hearing as “A bad news” after DBM secretary Butch Abad confirmed that there is no budget item for teachers salary increase as well as for other government employees.

TDC

“This administration is generous in giving us frustrations.” Said Benjo Basas, a high school teacher from Caloocan City and the group’s national chairperson. “The president’s SONA made no mention of salary increase for teachers. Now, Secretary Abad is bragging his productivity enhancement incentives (PEI) instead of providing our demand for salary increase.” He added.

Basas revealed that the PEI of state workers and public school teachers which amounts to P10, 000 since year 2007 was reduced to P5, 000 beginning 2012.

“I don’t want to compare this administration with Arroyo presidency, but in year 2007 and 2008, the then Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo provided for a 10% salary increase thru executive orders.” Basas recalled.”And in year 2009, the government began implementing the four-tranche salary increase thru the salary standardization law.”

Basas added that the only salary adjustments granted by under Aquino and Abad were the last two tranches of the SLL-3 which “not even initiated under the current presidency”.

The TDC has been lobbying for a P10, 000 across the board increase for public school teachers and has launched a series of protest that will culminate in October in time for the celebration of World Teachers’ Day.

“This time, the government should be taught of our importance.” Basas ended.
Reference: Benjo Basas, TDC National Chairperson, 09205740241

News Release
August 7, 2014

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[In the news] Teacher shortage in R-12 high schools almost 3000 -MindaNews.com

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Teacher shortage in R-12 high schools almost 3000
By Allen V. Estabillo, MindaNews.com
June 16, 2012

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/15 June) – The teacher shortage in Region 12’s 396 public high schools has increased to 2,657 as the total enrollment in the area was seen to hit nearly 240,000 by the end of the month.

Herlita Caraan, National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) Region 12 chief, said data released by DepEd Region 12 showed that the area’s high school population for school year 2012-2013 was projected to grow by two percent or reach a total of 239,058 students.

Enrollment in public schools in the region will continue until the end of June as set by DepEd.
Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.

Caraan said that based on DepEd 12’s projections, the teacher requirement in the region’s secondary schools this year has increased to 8,849 from last year’s 8,680.

DepEd 12 presently has 6,534 regular high school teachers, increasing by 214 from last year’s 6,320, she said.

In school year 2011-2012, the official said the region’s teacher shortfall reached 2,360 based on its total enrollment of 234,371.

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[Blogger] Department of Health Secretary Ona: where is the money? – fullman.com.ph

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Jonas Bagas by tl-ph.facebook.com

Jonas Bagas by tl-ph.facebook.com

[This article was written and posted by Jonas Bagas in his blog “Fullman”. Read more from Jonas Bagas visit fullman.com.ph. HRonlinePH]

This June, UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon will announce that HIV is on the average stabilizing or declining all over the world. That is, except in seven countries – including the Philippines.

Being part of this ‘Horror Roll’ would lead many Filipinos to ask why this is happening. We actually know the explanation. Right now, the right question to ask is this: Mister Health Secretary, where is the money?

In the same UN General Assembly this June, the Philippines will give an update on its commitments to combat HIV and AIDS. The initial commitment was done in 2001, with targets that were set for 2003, 2005, and 2010. While the epidemic was raging in many countries, the Philippines had been considered to belong to the ‘low and slow’ category.

Everything changed beginning 2007. The infection rate began to increase, with reported cases reaching one new infection everyday. It doubled by 2009, and by 2010, the rate of new infections reached 4 to 5 a day. The infection became domestic, and while the epidemic hasn’t reached the general population yet, the prevalence rate has spiked in urban centers, especially Metro Manila, Davao City, Cebu City, and cities adjacent to these sites, with the increase driven by new infections among men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and female sex workers.

Advocates expect the actual infection rate to be higher, and ‘low and slow’ became ‘hidden and growing’.

Ironically, despite the increase in new infections, public spending on HIV and AIDS has steadily declined. It defies logic – one would assume that with the rate of increase, the government would move to spend more on its HIV and AIDS program.

Is it assuming that most of the programs would be financed by foreign donors? The average share of private financing for HIV and AIDS interventions in the Philippines, whether implemented by government agencies or non-govermental groups, is 80%. Most of our external funding for HIV and AIDS come from the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). But of the multi-million investment that was done by GFATM in the Philippines, only 14% went to HIV and AIDS.

Relying on foreign grants to fund a country’s response to a simmering epidemic is irresponsible and risky. For instance, the GFATM money that we got to finance the purchase and distribution of free anti-retrovirals (ARVs) will be depleted in 2012. With the current prevalence rate, we’d be needing more ARVs. This is for treatment alone. Logically, the spending for prevention to reduce the number of individuals who would require ARV treatment should be higher. For the past few weeks, advocates from the civil society, with the help of experts from NEDA and UNAIDS, have been crunching numbers to check how much is needed for a minimum package of interventions to help stop the spread of disease, and the needed amount definitely exceeds the miserable P65 million that the government allocated for this year. (A report on this civil society will be released soon.)

Is the government dragging its feet because the infection is happening in communities – among immoral men who have sex with men, prostitutes and drug users – that the society in general would rather shun? The politics of this is that if this were happening among innocent mothers and children, the government would have responded differently. Responding to epidemic would have been politically palatable.

But an epidemic is an epidemic. HIV and AIDS is a public health issue, and the correct political response is to leave ideology behind and focus on evidence, which incidentally points to fact that if the epidemic is halted and controlled in these populations, HIV and AIDS won’t reach the general population.

So with the alarming increase of HIV infection in the country, it is high time that we ask Department of Health Secretary Ona: where is the money?

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[In the news] BusinessWorld Online Edition |House approves bill giving NGOs voice in budget hearings

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BusinessWorld Online Edition |House approves bill giving NGOs voice in budget hearings.

Source: http://www.bworldonline.com

 

source: congress.gov.ph

A BILL that formalizes participation by nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in national and local budget deliberations has been approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading.

Records of the House Bills and Index Service showed the measure was approved on third reading last March 23.

House Bill No. 3773, or the proposed People’s Participation in Budget Deliberations Act of 2010, seeks to allow qualified NGOs to submit alternative budget proposals or position papers for discussion during public hearings.

Such NGOs — a term the bill used interchangeably with “people’s organizations” and “civil society” — will first have to be accredited with the legislative body in whose deliberations they wish to participate.

They will have to submit their articles of incorporation and by-laws, certificate of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), certificate of good track record from the Philippine Council for NGO Certification or from the SEC, and audited financial statements for the past three years.

Accredited groups will also gain access to copies of bills filed with and other proposals submitted to the Senate, House of Representatives and local legislative boards and councils.

The bill also entitles accredited NGOs to receive notices of hearings, consultations and calls for reports from these bodies.

Even after a budget has been enacted into law, the same groups will be given access to official documents of the national and local governments to help them monitor disbursement of funds.

“The main thrust of this bill is to democratize the power of the purse,” Deputy Speaker Lorenzo R. Tañada III (4th district, Quezon), author of the bill, said in an interview yesterday.

“Civil society can present their [sic] own findings and experiences with how funded programs work. They will also have the right to make their own proposals — not just for funding allocations in general — but for specific projects as well,” he added.

Mr. Tañada explained that active participation of knowledgeable third-party groups — with their own performance criteria and data — should put officials of all branches and levels of government on their toes.

Sought for comment, Leonor M. Briones, lead convenor of Social Watch Philippines, said separately by phone that institutionalization of people’s participation during budget deliberations is important because “the budget is from the taxes of the people.”

“We should have a say on how it will be used,” Ms. Briones stressed.

Social Watch is a network of NGOs that prepares an annual Alternative Budget Initiative and presents it to Congress, but only upon the invitation of the chairmen of the House appropriation and Senate finance committees.

Ms. Briones said her group has been pushing for the passage of the bill since 2006.

A counterpart measure, Senate Bill No. 2186, authored by Senator Teofisto L. Guingona III, has been pending with the Senate committee on finance since September last year.

Senator Franklin M. Drilon, who heads that chamber’s committee on finance, could not be reached immediately for comment.

But in a statement last month, Mr. Drilon said that he will recommend the approval of the measure. — Noemi M. Gonzales