Davao’s rising star

President Duterte signed recently into law the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, a law providing free tuition for students of 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs).

His economic managers were against it, saying government didn’t have the funds to sustain the program. Budget Secretary Ben Diokno said the government needed P100 billion to implement it and it didn’t have the money.

Not really, says the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles. Not if you looked hard enough.

The congressman from the first congressional district of Davao and a third-term legislator says there is money to fund the ambitious law. And he has pinpointed where the government can source the money from.

Nograles, who turns 41 next week, says “only” P50 billion, not P100 billion, is needed to fund the measure, which President Duterte believes is a cornerstone of his social development policy.

“So he weighed everything and came to the conclusion that the long-term benefits that will be derived from a well-developed tertiary education will definitely outweigh any possible short-term budgetary challenges,” said Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra at a press conference early this month.

“If there’s a will there’s a way,” Guevarra added.

According to Nograles, a lawyer, the P50 billion can be sourced from the unused or unobligated funds of departments in the past years. He says, for instance, that P9 billion was unused by the Department of Agriculture and P50 billion by the Department of Education. He also points out that P33 billion was returned to the National Treasury by the Department of Transportation and Communications. You add that all up and there’s money to spare.

“It’s doable,” says the youthful-looking Karlo, who is married to the former Maria Margarita “Marga” Montemayor, also of Davao City. They have three children.

Nograles believes that though 1/3 of those enrolled in state colleges and universities are “not poor,” the benefits to the majority of the students will change the future of the country. Government officials are looking into further augmenting the allowances of underprivileged students.

Nograles believes an educated workforce will steer the country forward at a faster pace.

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A graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University (Juris Doctor and BS Management Engineering), the Philippine Science High School and the Ateneo de Davao (elementary), Nograles was a Gawad Kalinga volunteer from 2005 to 2006. In the 16th Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on Labor and Employment and vice chairman of the Committees on Human Rights and Revision of Laws.

Among his pet projects in his district is Oplan Kalamboan (Progress). Every week, Nograles does the rounds in different barangays to consult with leaders, teachers, students, church officials and ordinary folk to discuss problems in the community and possible solutions to them.

He also prioritizes his constituents’ health with Oplan Kalusugan, a medical assistance and health insurance program that provides poverty-stricken patients with the means to secure their medication. In 2002, Nograles helped initiate the Congressional Medical Assistance Program of former Speaker Prospero Nograles, in partnership with the Davao Medical Center. Under this program, a portion of the hospital bills of indigent patients at the Davao Medical Center are covered by the Office of the Congressman.

From Nograles’ revelation of where the government can source the money for the free tuition for students in state colleges and universities, he has complemented President Duterte’s will with a way.

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Nograles’ wife Marga, on the other hand, taps into Mindanao’s rich culture to empower fellow Davaoeños. Together with her mother Mary Ann Montemayor, Marga set up KAAYO Modern Mindanao, a curated collection of different Mindanao stories, in January this year. It is rooted in honoring the extraordinary skills of the local artisans and transforming their traditional creations into modern, bespoke Mindanao fashion.

Mary Ann has been doing volunteer product development training work for the indigenous tribes for over a decade, and the artisans have become family to her.  Marga, on the other hand, grew up exposed to her mother’s love for Davao and Mindanao. Thus, this year, she decided to bring her extensive retail and distribution experience to the test by starting a brand that is very close to her and her mother’s heart. “Kaayo” in Bisaya means “kindness,” “to go beyond,” “for the good.”

Currently, the brand counts the T’boli of Lake Sebu, the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe of Davao and young Mindanao designer Wilson Limon as their partners in highlighting the rich Mindanao culture onto their wearable pieces along with a couple of local sewers that they employ.  They preserve and promote local culture by bringing deeper appreciation for traditional arts and crafts of beading, embroidery, dyeing and weaving that many women in different tribes solely depend on as their source of livelihood.

Karlo and Marga are defining what “Kaayo” truly means.

‘Swinging@50’

As part of the celebration of its 50th year, the Assumption Alumnae Association (AAA) will hold its annual golf tournament, “Swinging@50” on Sept. 4 at the prestigious Sta. Elena Golf Club.

“The AAA looks forward to seeing friends and family once more for this fundraiser that remains a critical source of funding for the Assumption mission schools around the country,” says AAA president Marlu Villanueva Balmaceda.

The AAA’s golden year tournament is brought to you by major sponsor, Starbucks. Supreme hole sponsors are Mercedes-Benz, Hydration Nation and Pico de Loro.

ABS-CBN, Barcino, BDO, Carstel Realty, Diamond Motors, G&W Clubshares, House of Investments, J. Amado Araneta Foundation, KServico Trade Inc., Leonio Land, Lexus, Madison Courtyard, Perahub, Phinma, Pioneer Insurance, San Miguel Corp., Security Bank, SGV, Toyota Balintawak, Veolia Water, Volvo and Zenorex Marketing Corp. are some of the tournament’s hole sponsors. Hole-in-one sponsors are The Turf Company, Tai Shan Insurance, Texas Eagle Golf Cars and Miura Forged Irons.

(For more details, please call 894-3561.)

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)