Forward0
By Mayor Vico Sotto
19 May 2023
Magandang umaga po sa ating lahat.
Napakasaya ko po ngayong umaga dahil dito po sa ating conference, at sa ating ‘ika nga ni Ms. Joy kanina, sa ating pagtatagpo ngayong umaga. Napakaganda po ng mensahe sa atin.
Alam niyo, I’ve had the privilege of attending some of the Education Commission (EdCom) 2 meetings and part of the initial meeting was the review of the findings of EdCom 1—yung EdCom 1 nangyari ‘yun noong 1991 or 30 years ago—may findings, may formal reports ng mga congressmen, may senators and other members back then kung ano yung estado ng edukasyon sa Pilipinas: ano yung mga pagkukulang, ano yung mga weakness, ano yung mga kailangan nating gawin, at ano yung policy recommendations. Buong-buo ‘yun. Napaka-kapal po nung reports ng EdCom 1 that time in 1991.
Fast forward to 30 years later, I was able to attend a meeting via Zoom, reporting kung ano na ba yung nangyari doon sa findings ng EdCom 1. 30 years later! Three decades and a generation of leaders later, ano na bang nangyari doon sa policy recommendations ng EdCom 1?
And you know, it was a little bit encouraging, a little bit disconcerting, and a little bit discouraging. Dahil ang nakalulungkot po ay marami doon sa mga findings, a big part of the reports and a lot of the policy recommendations from 1991 or thirty years ago were simply not carried out. Or some of the recommendations which were formally recommended in 1991, makikita mo nagkaroon ng katumbas na Executive Order noong 2005. Nagkaroon ng Republic Act para suportahan ang mga policy recommendations in 2012—10 years later, 20 years later, 30 years later pa. And the thing is, a lot of the things we want to improve, a lot of the things we are talking about now is very important. Yes, it is very important that we continue to study. It’s very important that we continue to review the policies. It’s very important that we continue to make proposals. Ano ba ang mga panukala natin, mga kailangan nating gawin? Yes, it’s very important po na pag-usapan natin ito.
Pero, kailangan din po huwag din po nating lokohin ang mga sarili natin. Kailangang hanapin natin kung saan nga po ba tayo nagkakaproblema? Ano nga ba ang mga pagkukulang? Is it the policy recommendations? Nagkulang ba sa pag-aaral? ‘O nagkulang ba sa implementation? And if it’s implementation, bakit ba tayo nagkukulang sa implementation? Malinaw na malinaw yung policy recommendations, malinaw na malinaw ang mga kailangang gawin. Bakit umaabot ng 20 years, ng 30 years, na hindi naman ganoon ka-komplikado yung ibang recommendations? Some of them, it’s as simple as kailangan ng Presidential Executive Order, pero ano ba ang nangyari?
So I think, really, that’s the value of what we’re doing here today—it’s important to talk about why and what: ano ba yung mga pagkukulang. For example, yung shortage of classrooms. Yung shortage of classrooms, di naman siguro komplikadong issue yan. Kulang ng classroom, kahit anong analysis na gawin mo, eh kailangan ng 1,000 chairs pero 900 lang yung meron. It’s really not that complicated.
Again, the question is, how are we going to change things? How are we going to improve things? And that’s the value of us coming here together.
Along the way, nakita natin yung mga pagkukulang. Hindi po sikreto yung mga problema ng bansa natin. Hindi po sikreto yung pagkululang. Alam na alam po natin, lalo na po yung mag taga-DepEd na matagal na pong nandoon—mga batikan na po kayo. Mga kasama natin even sa private sector, mga kasama natin mula sa mga LGUs of Quezon City and Pasig City, alam na alam natin yung mga problema. So yes, let’s continue yung mga reports natin: where can we improve? Baka may mga kailangan pang i-tweak sa mga policy. But the most important thing that we need to discuss is really how are we going to change things?
Again, balikan natin yung sinabi ni Ma’am Joy kanina. Napaka importante po ng synergy. It’s imporant for all of us stakeholders—whether you’re from the private sector, NGOs, foundations, LGUs, SDOs, from the national level and even other offices and agencies involved. Yun ang pinaka-imporante. Hanapin natin kung ano ba yung pagkukulang, at kung ano yung kailangan nating baguhin.
And we can see ang pinaka-importante talaga ay baguhin natin kung paano ang paggu-gubyerno sa bansa natin. Again, hindi sikreto kung ano yung pagkukulang. But we need to change how we get from Point A to Point B. One of the things that we can really do is to forward transparency. Paulit-ulit nating naririnig na mag-attend tayo ng mga events sa Multiply-Ed and other similar conferences and events. Paulit-ulit nating naririnig na let’s improve how we do things. Para yung mga nakaupo, yung mga nasa pwesto—whether Mayor, o DepEd, hanggang sa Presidente—kailangan nape-pressure, kailangan meron tayong pananagutan. Tingnan natin kung ano yung pagkukulang. Why didn’t we get from point A—EdCom 1 noong 1991—to point B—naging EdCom 2 na in 2023? Ano yung pagbabago? Kailangan may pananagutan ang ating gobyerno.
The funds are there, the talent is there. Maraming magagaling sa DepEd. Ang gagaling nga mga opisyales natin, at sa LGU—kita naman natin even our friends from Quezon City and Pasig City. Kumpleto naman lahat eh. Pero kailangan may pananagutan tayo and the only way we can get there is i-pressure natin.
Nakikita natin yung mga reports, yung sa procurement monitoring natin na may ibang opisina, mga ibang opisyales na hindi masyadong open sa pagmo-monitor. Paano natin so-solusyunan ‘yan? Hindi naman siguro magbabago ang isip nila bukas. Pero magbabago yan kung lahat tayong mga stakeholders ay magsama-sama tayo, mag sanib-pwersa tayo at i-pressure natin sila. Let’s have critical engagement na positive engagement ‘din tayo. Huwag naman natin awayin lang nang awayin ‘no. Hindi naman pwede yung ganun, baka hindi sanib-pwersa mangyari, baka masaniban tayo kung ganoon. Kailangan magsanib-pwersa tayo. Let’s put the right amount of pressure, let’s exact accountability from our government officials. Let’s forward the tenets of good governance: transparency, participation—iyan po yung ginagawa natin ngayon—and accountability. If we do that—if all stakeholders come together, hanapin natin kung ano ba yung pagkukulang, how do we get from point A to point B, exacting accountability from government officials—siguardong makikita natin na yung policy recommendations, yung mga nakikita nating steps, baka finally hindi na kailanganin ng EdCom 3 thirty years from now, dahil dapat ang misyon natin ay kung ano man ang kailangang gawin ay magawa na po natin. Again, the most important thing is that we don’t lose sight or lose track of what’s the most important. There’s value in the details that we’re going to talk about but the most important thing is that we’re coming together at nagsasanib-pwersa tayo. Let’s have a productive meeting.
Maraming Salamat. Welcome to Pasig po, God bless po sa ating lahat!
[English Translation]
Solidarity Message during the Multiply-Ed Regional Multi-Sectoral Conference
Vico Sotto, 19 May 2023
Good morning to everyone.
I’m very happy this morning because of this conference, and because of our pagtatagpo, as what Ms. Joy mentioned earlier. It was a very beautiful message for us.
You know, I’ve had the privilege of attending some of the Education Commission (EdCom) 2 meetings. Part of the initial meeting was the review of the findings of EdCom 1—EdCom 1 happened in 1991 or 30 years ago—there were findings and formal reports by congressmen, senators and other members back then on the state of education in the Philippines: what were the gaps, weaknesses, things needed to be done, and what were their policy recommendations. That was very comprehensive. The EdCom 1 reports were so thick back then in 1991.
Fast forward to 30 years later, I was able to attend a meeting via Zoom, reporting on the status and updates of the EdCom1 findings. 30 years later! Three decades and a generation of leaders later, what happened to the policy recommendations of EdCom 1?
And you know, it was a little bit encouraging, a little bit disconcerting, and a little bit discouraging. What’s saddening is that a lot of the findings, a big part of the reports and a lot of the policy recommendations from 30 years ago were simply not carried out. Or some of the recommendations which were formally recommended in 1991, you will see translated into an Executive Order only in 2005. A Republic Act supporting these policy recommendations were only passed in 2012—10 years later, 20 years later, 30 years later. And the thing is, a lot of the things we want to improve, a lot of the things we are talking about now is very important. Yes, it is very important that we continue to study. It’s very important that we continue to review the policies. It’s very important that we continue to make proposals. What are our policies? What do we need to do? It’s very important to talk about this.
But let’s not kid ourselves. We need to identify what are our problems, what are our lapses. Is it the policy recommendations? Is there not enough research? Or is there a lack of implementation? If it’s lack of implementation, why are we lacking in implementation? The policy recommendations were very clear, the things that we need to do were very clear. Why did it reach 20 years, 30 years, when some of the recommendations were not even that complicated? Some of them, it’s as simple as creating a Presidential Executive Order, but what happened?
\So, I think, really, that’s the value of what we’re doing here today—it’s important to talk about why and what: what are the lapses. For example, the shortage of classrooms. That’s not a complicated issue. There is a lack of classrooms and whatever analysis that you do, it’s clear that the problem is that you only have 900 chairs when you need 1,000 chairs. It’s really not that complicated.
Again, the question is, how are we going to change things? How are we going to improve things? And that’s the value of us coming here, coming together.
Along the way, we saw the gaps. Our country’s problems are not a secret. The gaps are not a secret. We know them, especially those who are veterans in DepEd. Our colleagues even from the private sector, from the LGUs (local government units) of Quezon City and Pasig City, we know the problems very well. So yes, let’s continue with our reports: where can we improve? Maybe we need to tweak the policies. But the most important thing that we need to discuss is really how are we going to change things?
Again, let’s go back to what Ma’am Joy said earlier. Synergy is very important. It’s really important for all of us stakeholders—from the private sector, NGOs, foundations, LGUs, SDOs, including the national level and other offices and agencies involved. That’s the most important. Let’s find what are the gaps and what we need to change.
And we can see that the most important thing that we need to change is how we do governance in our country. Again, the gaps are not a secret. What we need to change is how we get from Point A to Point B. One of the things that we can really do is to forward transparency. We keep on saying that we should attend Multiply-Ed events and other similar conferences. We keep on hearing that we should improve how we do things. So that those who are in power—whether the Mayor, DepEd, and even the President—should be pressured because they should be accountable. Let’s see what are the gaps. Why didn’t we get from point A—we had EdCom 1 in 1991—to point B—now we have EdCom 2 in 2023? What are the changes? The government needs to be accountable.
The funds are there, the talent is there. There are a lot of talented people in DepEd. Our officials are really good. And in the LGUs, we can see them from our friends from Quezon City and Pasig City. Everything is there. But the government should be accountable and the only way we can get there is when we pressure them.
We saw the reports that in the procurement monitoring, various offices and officials were not open to monitoring. How can we solve that? I doubt that they will instantly change their minds. But they will change when stakeholders unite together, when we band together to pressure them. Let’s have critical engagement that is also positive engagement. Let’s not quarrel with them. We can’t do that, because baka hindi sanib-pwersa mangyari, baka masaniban tayo. We need to band together. Let’s put the right amount of pressure, let’s exact accountability from our government officials. Let’s forward the tenets of good governance: transparency, participation—that’s what we’re doing now—and accountability. If we do that—if all stakeholders come together, we find the gaps, identify how do we get from point A to point B, we exact accountability from government officials who are accountable—for sure, we will see the policy recommendations, we already know the steps, so maybe we don’t need an EdCom 3 thirty years from now because our mission is to do what needs to be done now. Again, the most important thing is that we don’t lose sight or lose track of what’s most important. There’s value in the details that we’re going to talk about, but the most important thing is that we’re coming together, and we are banding together. Let’s have a productive meeting.
Thank you very much. Welcome to Pasig and God bless all of us!