Dep(ress)Ed

The only reason the Duterte administration should feel bad about the cancelled or postponed sale of 26,000 US-made assault rifles is if they were being given for free or at giveaway prices. Otherwise there is no reason to feel bad about a bum sale for products we don’t urgently need.

On the other hand the incident reminds me that I meant to write about the “Illegal Gun Manufacturing Industry” in Danao, Cebu that has even been featured in international TV and documentaries. I’m not a gun fancier but I’ve always wondered why the officials of Danao or Cebu province have not pushed hard for legitimizing the gun manufacturing business especially since a number of gun enthusiasts have said that the gunsmiths up in the hills are awesome considering they use metal scraps to make classic pistols and shotguns.

Along those lines, it may be the right time for Congress, the PNP and the DTI, even DOST to come together to develop and support an honest to goodness weapons development and manufacturing industry. There are enough “learned” enthusiasts and experts who could help start up the beginnings of a new industry instead of constantly relying on foreign made. We already had Elisco and Armscor in the 70s but we failed to support and capitalize an industry that would be good for government and good for Filipinos.

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Last Wednesday I wrote about how we could not find parking at the Batangas City Port Terminal. On our return trip from Puerto Galera we noticed that there was so much space in the pier except they were allocated and being used as storage and “parking” for hundreds if not thousands of new cars and SUVs imported from Thailand. I don’t know how long the cars are kept at the pier but DOTr officials should check whether or not the pier area is conveniently serving as a free storage facility for importers. The port operators should improve and increase public parking for passengers and not only car importers.

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Sometime in August I wrote an article bringing attention to the injustice and inaction that surrounds the promotions and qualifying system for DepEd officials specifically those appointed as OIC-schools division superintendent or those placed in acting capacity. Many of them have been in said positions for anywhere between a year to five years, carry the full responsibility of the position but are not paid the actual salaries for the position they hold as OIC or in an “acting” capacity, thereby depriving them of thousands of pesos each month. Some are designated, recycled, returned to post and many not given any assistance or training in order to qualify being given a “permanent” status. The most painful is when they can’t get the post because they refuse to kiss ass, flirt, or sell out in terms of political colors to their Mayor, Congressman or Governor.

Some people had hoped that the article I wrote in August would catch the attention of Secretary Leonor Briones as well as the Congressmen and Senators who head or are members of the respective committee on education namely Senator Bam Aquino and Congresswoman Lina Escudero or those in committees on government service and benefits under Senator Trillanes, Chiz Escudero and Congresswoman Vilma Santos-Recto. Unfortunately the article barely made a ripple that week due to President Duterte declaring all appointive government positions vacant! It seems everybody at the top echelon of government were all too busy worrying about their necks that no one even considered the Dep(ress)Ed state of DepEd school divisions superintendent OICs all over the Philippines.

The other reason, the article didn’t hit home was because it was a “One Hit Wonder.” From experience, in order for government officials and politicians to pay attention, articles have to name names, and come out repeatedly to the point that they have to be intentionally ignoring the matter if no action is taken. I take the matter of OICs and acting officials seriously because just like the saying “Happy Wife – Happy Life,” we have to make sure that the people who actually run the entire teaching program and school facilities of the DepEd are also satisfied and not feeling cheated or exploited.

In the meantime, the 100 plus OIC or acting division school superintendents who’ve shared their stories with me should start organizing themselves into a fully functioning network from all over the Philippines and also do their best to share their stories and tell their stories on Facebook or mainstream media even under pseudonyms. By doing so, the public will get a better understanding of what government mentors and executives have to endure in what was once a proud vocation. Like I said, if no one will do it for you; Do It for Yourself!

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If by chance our friends in the Legislative and Executive branch of government are back in town and catching up on reading the newspapers, I hope Senators Recto, Escudero, Ejercito along with Sen. Trillanes and their counterparts in Congress would be kind enough to consider studying the effects of devolution of power and control over agriculture and education. Even Congressmen have openly talked of and criticized how devolution and the Local Government Code has placed power and funding in the hands of many ignorant or uninterested local officials.

In areas where agriculture is not a priority, farms and farmers are slowly dwindling and dying out without local government support. For education, Governors and Mayors always parlay funding for votes and in other areas, “traditional values” make education for girls and women a non-priority. Funding and management of Agriculture and Education should completely revert to the National Government because it is not a “local” concern but a national interest. In fact it, qualifies under National Security! Return Agriculture and Education to the National Government!

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