Education

Sen. Bam: Youth Entrepreneurship Act implementation long overdue

A legislator called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement the law encouraging students and graduates to venture into business.
 
“Nananawagan tayo sa Department of Education na ilabas na ang Implementing Rules and Regulations para sa Youth Entrepreneurship Act upang mapakinabangan na ng ating mga kabataan,” said Sen. Bam Aquino.
 
The Youth Entrepreneurship Act or Republic Act No. 10679 was passed August 2015 but no IRR has been released. The law mandates that the IRR be promulgated within one hundred twenty (120) days from its effectivity.
 
The law encourages young would-be entrepreneurs to establish their own business by providing them access to capital and other support.
 
It also creates financial literacy modules in all levels of Philippine education, to inculcate a culture of enterprise development among the Filipino youth.
 
“Gusto nating makakita ng trabaho ang ating mga graduates ngunit mayroon din silang opsiyon na pumasok at magtagumpay sa pagnenegosyo. Matutulungan sana ang ating kabataang magtagumpay sa negosyo kung ma-implement ng maayos ang iilang mga batas na ating isinulong noong 16th Congress,” said Sen. Bam.
 
Sen. Bam was the author and principal sponsor of the Go Negosyo Act (Republic Act 10667), his first law in the 16th Congress, and the co-author and principal sponsor of the Youth Entrepreneurship Act.
 
The senator pursued the passage of these two laws during his time as chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship in the 16th Congress to cater to the needs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
 
“These two laws provide MSMEs a conducive environment they need to succeed. At the same time, they also help provide fresh jobs and other livelihood opportunities for their fellow Filipinos,” stressed Sen. Bam, adding that MSMEs account for 66 percent of jobs in the country.
 
At present, Sen. Bam said 470 Negosyo Centers are already up and running in different parts of the country, catering to the needs of MSMEs.
 
In the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam filed Senate Bill No. 169 or Small Business Tax Reform Act, which provides small businesses with lower income tax rate, VAT exemption and other privileges.
 
Sen. Bam has also submitted Senate Bill No. 175 or the Innovative Startup Act seeking to ease restrictions and provide incentives for startups in the Philippines.

Sen. Bam consults students and AFP to craft effective ROTC program

Sen. Bam Aquino organized a workshop to consult students, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other stakeholders regarding proposals to revive the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in schools to help craft an effective program that “will reflect the true purpose of ROTC”.

“The ROTC is a priority legislation of this government. We want to set aside our pre-conceived notions. We’re here to listen to each other,” said Sen. Bam in his opening address.

“This is an open discussion to learn directly from the people that will be affected by ROTC reforms. By the end of this, we should have a deeper understanding of the needs of our reserve force and find potential improvements to the ROTC program,” added Sen. Bam.

The discussion is also expected to tackle whether Senior High School is the best place to revive the program and whether it should be mandatory or not.

During his eight-month tenure as chairman of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam committed to reach out to different sectors regarding the proposal to revive ROTC in schools.

He visited the Army Reserve Command (ARESCOM) of the Philippine Army at Camp Reigo De Dios in Tanza, Cavite to get input from officials and professionals who have been undergoing training as reserve officers.

Sen. Bam met with ARESCOM officials, led by Commandant Rito Petinglay and Col. Bernie Langub, where they discussed the importance of reserve officers’ role in the context of national security in this present situation.

The senator also discussed increasing the budget to provide better training and a better program for the reserve corps. “We talked about modernizing and updating the ROTC, taking into account national security, counter-terrorism and cyber security,” the senator said.

During his visit, Sen. Bam also raised the possibility of professionals beefing up the country’s reserve force.

“We should look to professionals as a source for reserve forces. We can encourage them to join by giving incentives and other benefits,” said Sen. Bam.

In addition, Sen. Bam said there are volunteers who wish to join the reserve corps.

Three bills calling for the revival of the ROTC are pending with the Committee on Education – Senate Bills 1131, 200 and 189, authored by Sens. JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian and Manny Pacquiao, respectively.

The ROTC became optional in 2002 through Republic Act 9163 or the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001.

Sen. Bam sees more access to higher education, high-paying jobs for Filipinos

If measure on free tuition in SUCs is enacted into law

If enacted into law, the measure providing free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) will lead to more college graduates and higher paying jobs, giving underprivileged students a chance at a brighter future, according to Sen. Bam Aquino.

“We’ve already passed the Affordable Higher Education for All Act in the Senate and we’re confident it will become law within the year,” said Sen. Bam, the principal sponsor and co-author of Senate Bill No. 1304.

“Kapag ito’y naisabatas, mas malaki na ang pagkakataon ng ating mga estudyante na makatapos ng kolehiyo at magkaroon ng magandang trabaho,” he added.

During his short stint as chairman of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam defended the measure on the floor during plenary debates and interpellation. The measure was approved by the Senate on third and final reading via an 18-0 vote.

After the House passes its own version of the bill, a bicameral conference committee will be held to consolidate both versions. If the final version is ratified by both Houses, it will be transmitted to Malacanang for the President’s approval.

The measure aims to institutionalize free tuition in SUCs all over the country, giving underprivileged students a chance to earn a college degree.

 It will also streamline and strengthen all Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAP), making it available to students who want to pursue higher education in private institutions, as well as subsidizing other expenses of SUC students.

Sen. Bam clarified that the measure is different from the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) released recently by the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Budget and Management.

The senator said the IRR issued by the CHED and DBM was for the P8 billion earmarked in the 2017 budget for the free tuition fees in SUCs. 

The senator stated that under the currently allotted budget, only around half of the students in SUCs stand to benefit from free tuition.

However, if Senate Bill No. 1304 is passed into law, every SUC student can avail of free tuition. There will also be a mechanism for more financially-abled students to opt to pay for their tuition fee.

Bam: Provide free tuition for all SUC students, pass measure ASAP

A senator affirmed that all students in state colleges and universities (SUCS) stand to benefit from Senate Bill No. 1304 or the Affordable Higher Education for All Act once it is enacted into law.

“We commend the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for coming out with the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the allotted budget. But our priority remains to be the passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act so all students in SUCs are provided free tuition,” said Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam was referring to the IRR jointly issued by CHED and DBM in connection with the P8 billion earmarked in the 2017 budget for the free tuition fees in SUCs.  

The senator stated that under the currently allotted budget, only around half of the students in SUCs stand to benefit from free tuition.

But once Senate Bill No. 1304 is passed into law, every SUC student can avail of free tuition. There will also be a mechanism for more financially-abled students to opt to pay for their tuition fee.

 “May mga pagkakaiba ang panukala kumpara sa inilabas na IRR ukol sa paggamit ng inilaang pondo,” said Sen. Bam.

“We’re hoping to file a resolution and invite CHED to give the Senate a full briefing of the IRR. Kailangan klaro ito sa publiko, lalo na sa mga estudyante at kanilang mga magulang,” Sen. Bam announced.

 “More importantly, we must ensure the passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act in Congress, so that all students in SUCs can avail of free tuition,” he added.

 During his eight-month tenure as Committee on Education chairman, Sen. Bam pushed for the passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act or Senate Bill No. 1304 as principal sponsor and co-author. The measure was approved by the Senate on third and final reading via an 18-0 vote.

 After the House passes its own version of the bill, a bicameral conference committee will be held to consolidate both versions. If the final version is ratified by both Houses, it will be transmitted to Malacanang for the President’s approval. 

“In 1988, secondary education was made free. Now we have the opportunity to pass another major reform – to make tuition free in our state universities and colleges,” Sen. Bam asserted.

Bam pushes for learning resource centers for children with special needs

As part of his advocacy to provide quality education to everyone, a senator is pushing for the creation of learning resource centers for Filipino children with special needs to give them a chance to learn regardless of their circumstance.

“Sa edukasyon, importante na mabigyan ng sapat na pagkakataon ang lahat, maging anuman ang kalagayan nila sa buhay, upang matuto at makapag-aral,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, author of Senate Bill 1414, which seeks to make education inclusive and accessible to every Filipino child by establishing a framework for special needs education implementation nationwide.

Sen. Bam said the Department of Education (DepEd) reported an estimated 350,000 students with special needs while Save the Children revealed that only one of three Filipino children with special needs has a chance to go to school.

In addition, Sen. Bam said only one in seven of those children attending school has access to specialized education that caters to their varied needs.

“Sadly, our country’s education system is currently under-equipped to cater to the individual and unique requirements of students with special needs,” said Sen. Bam, adding that parents find it difficult to provide their children the education they need given only a few public schools have SPED centers.

“The SPED program and most of our educators also lack the necessary skills and training to accommodate students with exceptionalities,” explained Sen. Bam.

In accordance with the mandate of our Constitution, Presidential Decree No. 603, and the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability, Sen. Bam said the measure will push for the establishment of inclusive education learning resource centers.

These centers will serve as source of appropriate instructional materials, tools, devices, gadgets, and equipment that educators can use in their classrooms to ensure that students with special needs are properly supported and enabled to learn alongside their peers.

“It is our duty to become their partners in achieving this goal to provide a brighter future for our children and our country,” said Sen. Bam, who was chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress until February.

As Committee on Education chairman, Sen. Bam pushed for the passage of Senate Bill No. 1304 or the Affordable Higher Education for All as principal sponsor and co-author. The measure was approved by the Senate on third and final reading via an 18-0 vote.

If enacted into law, it will institutionalize free tuition in SUCs all over the country, giving underprivileged students a chance to earn a college degree.

It will also streamline and strengthen all Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAP), making it available to students who want to pursue higher education in private institutions, as well as subsidizing other expenses of SUC students.

Bam: Education is one of Senate’s utmost priorities

The passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act via 18-0 vote is a clear message to Filipinos that education is an utmost priority in the Senate, Sen. Bam Aquino emphasized.

“The Senate sent a strong signal to the Filipino people with an 18-0 vote for the passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act,” Sen. Bam said in his endorsement speech for the appointment of Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones.

“Our priority is education. We are investing in educating our countrymen and arming them with the knowledge and skills to build a better future for their family,” Sen. Bam told members of the Commission on Appointments.

In his earlier manifestation after the measure’s approval, Sen. Bam stressed that the Affordable Higher Education for All Act is the best investment that the country can undertake for the future of the students and the next generation.

Sen. Bam also thanked students, saying their everyday plight inspired lawmakers to pass the measure, which will provide free tuition fee in state colleges and universities and strengthen the government’s scholarship programs in private higher educational institutions.

 “Alam natin ang pinagdadaanan ng mga estudyante, kung gaano kahirap ang kinalalagyan at kung gaano nila kailangan ang batas na ito,” said Sen. Bam, who acted as principal sponsor and co-author of Senate Bill No. 1304.

The senator defended the measure during interpellation before he was removed as chairman of the Committee on Education and replaced by Sen. Chiz Escudero.

During his manifestation, Sen. Bam thanked Sen. Escudero for allowing him to finish work on the measure until its passage.

 The senator also lauded the Senate’s concerted effort, thanking fellow senators who helped develop and strengthen the measure during interpellation and period of amendments.

 “Nothing that passes through the Senate can be attributed to one person alone, one office alone which is why this team effort from across the aisle must be recognized,” said Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam also acknowledged concerned government agencies and private stakeholders for their contribution in tackling the different provisions of the measure.

Bam: Happy to pass 2 major reforms before embracing minority role

In just eight months, Sen. Bam Aquino worked for the successful passage of two major reforms in the Senate.

 On Monday, the Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 1304 or the ” Affordable Higher Education for All Act “, which provides free tuition in state colleges and universities (SUCs), and Senate Bill No. 1277 or the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act.

 “Our eight months in the supermajority were very productive. I’m happy we passed two very important bills before embracing our new role as minority,” said Sen. Bam, now the deputy minority leader.

 Recently removed as chair of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam is the sponsor and co-author of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act and defended the bill during the period of interpellations.

 Legislative measures to mandate free tuition in SUCs have been sitting in the legislative mill for at least 6 years.

 Sen. Bam also sponsored the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, which is seen to complement the government’s approved national broadband plan to help improve Internet access across the country.

 “Now that we’re in the minority, our role will change. Pero hindi kami kokontra para lang kumontra.  We won’t just oppose policies that will be good for the country, we will propose improvements and look for better solutions,” said Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam opposes the revival of the death penalty and lowering the age of criminal liability from 15 to 9 years old.

Bam to continue working on priority measures with minority

Sen. Bam Aquino’s new role as member of the Senate minority will not prevent him from pursuing passage of laws that will uplift lives of the Filipino people.

“Though we have a new role as the minority, sisiguraduhin pa rin namin na maipapasa ang mga batas na makakabuti sa ating mga kababayan,” said Sen, Bam, who was stripped of the Committee on Education’s chairmanship and replaced by Sen. Chiz Escudero last Monday.

“Hindi maliit na bagay ang pagkawala ng chairmanship sa kumite ng edukasyon. I chose the committee because there were a number of reforms we wanted to push like free tuition in SUCs and feeding program in public schools,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam also thanked Sen. Escudero for committing to continue the work that he started on several priority measures.

Before he was replaced, Sen. Bam was spearheading the interpellation on two education-related measures — the Free Tuition Fees in SUCs Act and the Pagkaing Pinoy Para sa Batang Pinoy.

“Sen. Escudero agreed to let me work on my priority education bills until they become laws,” Sen. Bam said.

The senator also thanked Sen. Grace Poe for acknowledging the committee’s work during his stint as chairman. Poe is a staunch advocate of the Pagkaing Pinoy Para sa Batang Pinoy Act.

While some senators have stated that the Liberal Party has hampered work on the Senate’s legislative agenda, LP President Sen. Kiko Pangilinan asserted that 20 out of 29 bills close to being passed are defended by LP lawmakers.

 In the past 6 months, Sen. Bam has filed 118 bills and 26 resolutions, has sponsored 4 committee reports, and conducted committee hearings for 5 resolutions and 15 bills.

Bam on removal as committee chairman: Nasampolan kami!

Nasampolan kami!

 This was how Sen. Bam Aquino described the move to replace him as chairman of the Committee on Education and strip other Liberal Party (LP) members of their respective committees.

 “This is really a political move – a partisan move. Palagay ko nasampolan kami because we’ve been speaking out against certain policies like the death penalty. Tutol kami doon,” Sen. Bam said in a radio interview.

 “Iyong pagbaba ng age of criminal liability, iyong pagsuporta kay Senador De Lima at iyong pagpunta namin sa EDSA,” he added.

During the session, Sen. Bam manifested that “if this is the price to pay to show up on the streets of EDSA, talking about democracy, talking about the issues of  violence on our streets, I gladly pay that price”.

After he was removed as committee chairman, Sen. Bam manifested that the move had nothing to do with the performance of the Committee on Education, to which no senator objected to.

 “I chose the education committee because may plano kami, may reporma kaming gustong itinulak. Thankfully, Sen. Chiz Escudero seems to be intent in pushing the same reforms. But it’s not a light matter because you put a lot of effort, you work on these bills,” Sen. Bam said.

Before he was replaced by Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Bam was spearheading the interpellation on two significant education bills – the Free Tuition Fees in SUCs Act and the Pagkaing Pinoy Para sa Batang Pinoy measure.

“We will support Senator Escudero when he finalizes these bills and hopefully gets a second and third reading. It was a pleasure being your Committee on Education chairman,” Sen. Bam told colleagues.

Bam eyes students’ safety during field trips in probe

Are there tight guidelines to ensure our children’s safety?

Sen. Bam Aquino said this will be the main focus of the impending Senate probe on the bus accident that killed 15 people, including 13 students from Bestlink College, during a field trip in Tanay, Rizal.

 Sen. Bam has filed Senate Resolution No. 297, calling for an investigation into the accident, which also claimed the lives of a teacher and the bus driver.

 “We need to check the guidelines. Are there tight guidelines to make sure that our children are safe?” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Education.

 “Gusto nating malaman how we can avoid these type of accidents. This is not the first accident na nangyari in a field trip na may namatay. Mayroon nang nangyaring ganito in the past,” he added.

The probe, which will be conducted jointly by the Committees on Education and Public Services, would determine if the students were coerced by the school to join the field trip in exchange for a passing grade.

 “We need to make sure that walang napilit.  Kailangan nating alamin ang katotohanan sa mga kuwento na na-threaten daw iyong mga bata na babagsak kung hindi sumama sa field trip,” the senator said.

 Sen. Bam said representatives from the Department of Education (DepEd) will also be invited to the hearing to discuss regulations regarding field trips in elementary and high schools.

 According to initial investigation, the students were en-route to a medical and survival training for their National Service Training Program subject when the bus lost its brakes while traversing a curved highway before hitting an electrical post.

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