NericAcosta2010.com

Commission on Elections should be on its toes

 “Sa buong bansa, napakarami po ang mga nag-aasam na makapaglingkod sa ating mga kababayan. Nawa’y isabuhay nila ang mga prinsipyo ng isang marangal na pinuno. Igalang po natin ang mga batas patungkol sa pangangampanya. Halimbawa na lang po ang pagdikit ng mga poster sa COMELEC designated areas. Acosta also added that according to COMELEC list, “…about 49,996 candidates are vying for 17,874 local seats…” Acosta says that due to the number of candidates running, the Commission on Elections may have difficulty keeping track of the activities of each candidate.

“Kung yun na nga lang po pag-aayos ng mga party-list ay hindi magawa ng tama ng COMELEC, paano pa kaya nila masisigurong walang mga pang-aabusong gagawin ang ating mga kandidato sa parehong local at national? Sa mga pagkukulang ng COMELEC sa ngayon, malamang ay hindi nila mababantayan ng husto ang local na kampanya. Acosta expresses fears that the COMELEC may not be able to own up to its mandate of ensuring a smooth election, even at the local level.

Prevent bloody elections

“Bukod po sa aking panawagan sa COMELEC na tiyakin ang maayos at malinis na election, hinahamon ko rin po ang Philippine National Police, na panatilihin ang kapayapaan.” Acosta dares the PNP to enforce stringent measures to prevent election related violence and ensure that there will be no bloodshed similar to the Maguindanao massacre.

Acosta ends with an appeal to voters, “Muli po ay aking hinihimok ang ating mga kapwa Pilipino, maging mapanuri tayo sa ating mga ibobotong kandidato. Whether in the local or national elections, let us choose a principled leader that is right for us. Tatandaan po natin, kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.”

“Party-lists are meant to ensure that the marginalized sectors in our country are heard, and duly represented in the House of Representatives.” Liberal Party Senatorial candidate Teacher Neric Acosta hits the nomination of outgoing Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, the President’s eldest son, as Representative of a party-list group that claims to stand for the rights of all security guards.

Using party-lists to further selfish interests

 “Dismayado ako na may mga taong ganid at lasing sa kapangyarihan.  To become a representative of a marginalized sector in the country entails big responsibilities. It is very deceitful for these people to find their way into the House of Representatives.” Acosta voices his concerns that the nomination of Mr. Arroyo as Representative for the party-list Ang Galing Pinoy would only  further enrich the President’s son and to hold on to power.

 Acosta explains that according to reports, Mr. Mikey Arroyo’s declared net worth “ballooned from P5.7 million in 2001 to P74.4 million in 2004, and then to P99.2 million in 2008.” The said figures show an increase of more than 1,600 percent in a span of seven years.

 Acosta adds that Mr. Arroyo has also been accused of failing to declare in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for 2007 and 2008, a beachfront house in Foster City, California, valued at 1.32 million dollars or 63.7 million pesos.

 Sinister motives

 “I am very much alarmed that the Commission on Elections has accredited a number of party-list groups, whose nominees or representatives do not really represent the marginalized sectors. Katulad na lamang po nitong nominasyon kay Mikey Arroyo bilang kinatawan ng Ang Galing Pinoy. Bakit si Mikey Arroyo ang napiling kinatawan ng grupo? Wala na bang mas karapat-dapat at mas marangal na representante mapipili ang grupo? “I don’t believe that Mikey Arroyo has previously served as a security guard. He can’t really represent the concerns of other Filipino security guards”, Acosta says. “At the same time, I don’t want to cast doubt on the integrity of our noble security guards and just allow their seat to be sold off to Mikey Arroyo.”

‘Teacher’ Neric Acosta asks the Comelec to review its rules and regulations when it comes to the party-list system to ensure that these parties can truly represent the special interest groups and marginalized sectors that they are about. He adds Villar’s use of the Akapbata party-list group to circumvent election laws and garner additional airtime as another concern.

“Perhaps, Mikey Arroyo is looking into hiring many security guards to protect his family’s ill-gotten wealth. His family should stop using our political system for their personal gain.” Acosta suspects.

Teacher Neric Acosta slams the proposed 2000% increase in the tuition fees of students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Acosta worries that an estimated 50,000 incoming freshmen next semester would be affected if the tuition fee hike at PUP is approved.

 “The government this year allotted only P23.84 billion to state universities and colleges. That budget would then be divided among 436 state universities and colleges nationwide, for the whole year. Sadyang napakaliit ng halagang inilaan para sa mga state universities katulad ng PUP.”  Acosta laments that in the Philippines, inaccessibility of public tertiary education to the underprivileged is continuously decreasing.

 Tomorrow’s hope must be taken care of today

 “In PUP, students are currently paying only 12 pesos per unit. What will happen to incoming students who cannot afford to pay the proposed fee of 200 pesos per unit? Wala na silang pupuntahan. Paano sila makakapag-aral?” Acosta said that this is a pressing issue, which the current government should address.

 “I believe that the PUP administration is proposing this tuition fee increase because they are now being forced to get funds elsewhere, and at the expense of our students. This 2000% increase is equivalent to state abandonment of education.”

 Setting good examples for the young

Acosta continues, “It also worries me that not only our college students suffer from the ills of corruption in our education system, but also our young elementary and high school students who are victims of the imposed graduation fees in some public schools.”

“The Department of Education had the biggest allocation in the 2009 budget. That fund should have been enough to cover all the schooling expenses of our students. Nasaan na ang pera ng DepEd? Bakit kailangan pang mangolekta ng panibagong gastusin? Kung walang corrupt, wala na sanang pabigat na bayaring ipapasa sa mga magulang ng ating mga mag-aaral.” Acosta laments that due to the practices of unscrupulous officials in the Department of Education, parents of schoolchildren bear the burden of paying additional fees.   “Even parents working abroad have been calling DepEd, complaining about the imposition of said graduation fees.” Acosta added. “Kung walang corrupt, hindi na sana nalulusta ang kaban ng bayan sa mga katiwalian ng gobyernong ito.  Paalala ni Teacher Neric Acosta sa darating na eleksyon, pumili ng mga kandidatong may integredad at binibigyang halaga ang edukasyon.” Acosta advises.

 ‘It is all lip service’              

The present administration’s concern for the youth and the state of education in our country is highly questionable,” reacts Liberal Party Senatorial candidate and educator ‘Teacher’ Neric Acosta to the meager budget that the Commission on Higher Education has been receiving.

“The budget allocated for CHED in 2010 is only PhP 21.034 billion. And over the past nine years, CHED and the state universities and colleges have only received PhP 168.3 billion.”

Acosta adds that: “this is amount is nowhere close to sufficient if we really want to improve the quality of education in our country. We have been overtaken by Vietnam and our education system has declined annually since the 1950’s. We now rank among the lowest in the world.”

To further prove the administration’s lack of emphasis on education, Acosta mentions that the government subsidy for expenses in state-run higher education institutions has decreased from 84.14% to 67.25% this year.

"It is disappointing that CHED has had to find external funding and resort to foreign aid to supplement plans and programs to improve the quality of the educational system—including the upgrade of facilities, research and training of educators," Acosta stresses. “Considering that the problem with our educational system has been blatant for so long, it is completely illogical that the government has slashed 13% or around PhP 3.2 billion from the CHED budget in 2010."

“Isa nanaman itong panlilinlang ng gobyernong Arroyo sa mamamayang Pilipino. It claims that they prioritize education and the youth and yet, the numbers and figures contradict this. Their concern for education and the youth is all lip service. Consequently, the burden is passed on to parents and students who have to deal with an increase in tuition fees or shoulder other expenses.”

‘Teacher’ Neric Acosta commits that education is an integral part of his platform of government and will be given priority under an Aquino administration.