Rigid Tuition Fee in Colleges and Universities

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has rescinded the no-payment, no periodic examination policy in state universities and colleges and expanded the coverage of the Students’ Assistance Fund for Education (SAFE).

In signing Executive Order (EO) No. 792, President Arroyo said “in today’s global economy, knowledge is the greatest creator of wealth” and thus “the government must pour all savings and revenue into programs that help the poor and the middle class.

Mrs. Arroyo said two concerns had been brought to her administration, namely: the rigid tuition fee payment rules of state universities and colleges (SUCs) and the clamor to expand the coverage of the SAFE. She said the policy was one of the main reasons students from poor families dropped out from SUCs.

“This has to change to ensure a decent graduation rate from SUC enrolees,” she said, adding that the “rigid tuition fee payment rules cannot be allowed to sabotage the great educational agenda of the administration. The President said the benefit of the SAFE should receive the fullest endowment.

“The most inspiring stories of the Filipinos as a people are the great story of meritocracy; and driving, fueling and enabling those great success stories is one constant — education,” she added. It’s the policy of the State to protect, foster and promote the right of all citizens to affordable quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to ensure that education shall be accessible to all.

The President ordered the Commission on Higher Education to instruct all SUCs to devise a flexible socially-sensitive tuition fee payment plan and reform the current non-payment, no periodic examination policy. She also directed the administrators of the Students’ Assistance Fund for Education to expand the coverage of the program. – PNA

Crising Storm in the Philippines

A new storm has developed near Bicol region which may cause widespread rains in eastern and southern Luzon provinces as Crising tracks westwardly, away from the country.

As of 2 p.m., Tropical Depression ‘Dante’, which was spotted as a low pressure area Thursday has developed into a storm and was last spotted 80 kms east of Legazpi with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph). It is forecast to remain almost stationary, latest bulletin issued by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

Signal number 1 is already hoisted over Camarines Norte Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Masbate, Burias Island, Southern Quezon and Northern Samar .

“Bicol region, Romblon, Marinduque, Northern Samar and Southern Quezon will experience rains and gusty winds which may trigger flashfloods and landslides,” it added.

The rest of southern luzon, western visayas and western mindanao will have occasional rains, it said.

Dante is seen to be 100 kms East of Legaspi City Saturday afternoon, 80 kms East of Legaspi City or 60 kms North of Catarman by Sunday afternoon and 50 kms East of Legaspi City by Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile Crising was spotted 420 kms west southwest of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph. It is forecast to move westward at 7 kph.

The NDCC reported flooding in 10 barangays in Lucena which led to the evacuation of 500 families brought by heavy rains caused by Crising.

Landslide and flashfloods struck some towns in Camarines Norte, Masbate and Catanduanes, but some roads have been cleared of debris and are now passable.

Dagupan Bangus Festival

By Leonardo V. Micua, PNA

Humans flowed like a running stream along Jose R. de Venecia Expressway Extension on Thursday night when Dagupan City held a mammoth Bangusan Street Party, the penultimate event in the Dagupan Bangus Festival.

People, estimated to number 700,000 to one million trooped to the highway where they held a night party that lasted up to the wee hours of the morning Friday, spiced up by an enticing fireworks display that lasted for more than an hour.

It was the biggest street party ever assembled in the seven-year-old Bangus Festival and the first one ever held along the five-kilometer new Jose R. de Venecia Expressway Extension built last year. Senator Manny Villar was the highest government official who attended the festival, which was also joined by Second District Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr., his wife Gina, Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. and Vice Governor Marlyn Primicias-Agabas.

Together, they helped Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. and Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, honorary chairman and chairman, respectively, of the very successful Dagupan Bangus Festival which started on April 15, light a few cooking grills where people cooked bangus (milkfish) that started the activity. “It was a splendid show of support of the people to a very novel project to promote Dagupan City as an important tourist destination and as a trading center of the north, said Rep. de Venecia, who called the festival a truly Dagupan phenomenon.

De Venecia said it was Dagupan’s way of honoring bangus, the number one agricultural product of the city. Seldom did provincial officials attend the Bangus Festival celebrations as Dagupan is a separate political entity from Pangasinan being a chartered city, but Governor Espino and Vice Governor Agabas attended the event to show their solidarity with the Dagupan officials.

The Pangasinan news leader “The Sunday Punch”, in its banner headline, put the crowd that attended the party at one million in its screaming banner story titled “1 M join street party” and called the same “the most attended ever”.

Tuberculosis in Children

Bohol again would be showing the way for other local government units in the implementation of the tuberculosis (TB) control in kids. The accolade would be one for the record, adding to the Provincial Council Against Tuberculosis (PROCAT) feat in Bohol as the first council of such a kind at least in the region if not nationally. For council members, the development were greeted with elation, it was read as a big leap in the furtherance of keeping TB at bay and making Boholanos relatively safe from the public alarm caused by the disease. Children have been names as the most vulnerable group to TB. PROCAT chair, Dr Cesar Tomas Lopez agreed while adding he welcomes the piloting move knowing the prevalence of TB and that efforts must be made to protect these children. “This augments well with the provincial resources”, Dr. Lopez who also sits as a senior legislator at the provincial junta in Bohol said. The piloting of a province-wide program in Bohol also allows us to share with the resources of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), he said. Board member Lopez also cited the national criteria of strong political commitment, which fares Bohol well among other provinces, a fact he credits to the strong leadership of Governor Erico Aumentado and the provincial offcials. During the latest council meeting held at Jjs Dimsum Friday, the members also tackled steps to make the province-wide TB in Children program getting to the ground and running. It may be recalled that upon the issuance Of a Department of Health (DOH) guidelines in implementing TB control in children in 2004, Advanced Implementation Sites (AIS) were selected in Bohol. Identified AIS were towns of Panglao, Tagbilaran City and Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital, revealed council member Perla Cajilog. From the experiences of these pilot sites, Bohol would be adopting the pattern as a template for implementation for all towns. It would be a huge achievement, Dr. Lopez added even as he pointed out that Bohol has significantly raised its own achievements in TB with the 92% curing rate here compared to the minimum 85% national bar. By a province-wide implementation, wed get a huge network of teachers and school children working into an advocacy in early case detection and referrals, he summed

Should Joc-joc Bolante Given A Security Guard?

A Catholic bishop on Tuesday said that security should be provided to former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc Joc” Bolante as he is scheduled to attend the Senate investigation on the controversial fertilizer fund scam.

With this, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma urged the civil society groups and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to secure the safety of Bolanted, who earlier claimed that his life is under threat.

“Yes, the security of Bolante should also be taken care of, I guess, by the proper authorities … and also by the civil society groups … they should protect him just like what they did with Jun Lozada,” he said.

Prior to his departure to the United States in 2006 to seek political asylum, Bolante had claimed that his life was being threatened in the Philippines.

The National Rural Congress (NRC) chairman said that providing security to the former DA official would ensure that he would be able to testify that would unravel the unanswered questions on the three-year old case.

“The farmers, who were the original beneficiaries of this supposed funds to supplement their farming, have long been waiting for his testimony on what really happened to the money and why it was not able to reach them,” Ledesma related.

Bolante is still confined at the St. Luke’s Medical Center since he arrived in the country last October 28. However, on Monday, his physician, Dr. Romeo Saavedra, said he is now free to leave the hospital as he has been cleared of any life-threatening ailment.