The quest for affordable education and healthcare
The state of the nation, Mr. President, should also focus on education and public health. One does not have to be a genius to realize that the cost of decent education, just like the cost of healthcare, has gone beyond the reach of the common man, especially the minimum wage earner. A factory worker cannot send his son and daughter to schools like those universities and colleges that produce yearly Bar and board topnotchers. Thus, the children of the poor may have to stop schooling and start looking for jobs. They may end up working in a factory with dirty, difficult, and dangerous jobs or go into deceptive and degrading occupations. The more determined ones may opt to study as working students or they may have to contend themselves with state colleges and universities with antiquated tools and equipment for learning, and with teachers who are less motivated to teach with excellence. Even if college education is free in state universities, there are not enough rooms for the millions of college enrollees.
The cost of medical care and hospital facilities are also not affordable. Medicines are very expensive. Doctors’ fees are too high, and hospital bills can send one’s blood pressure to rise beyond the capacity of one’s heart. PhilHealth has a huge problem as it is unable to pay on time the mountains of hospital bills. There is going to be a healthcare crisis if and when the government is unable to address this problem. The government pressures the private hospitals to admit PhilHealth members and their dependents immediately and without questions. And yet, the PhilHealth management is unable to pay hospitals on time and correctly. These hospitals have debts to pay to their creditor banks. They have taxes to pay to the government. And above all, they have personnel and workers to whom they pay salaries and benefits.
The CHED has granted authority to thousands of colleges and universities to increase their tuition and matriculation fees. The grant did not really consider the predicament of parents whose minimum wages can never be sufficient to absorb the incremental cost of education. Board and lodging fees have been increased, as well as the prices of school supplies including paper, pens, bags, uniforms, shoes, and all others. More and more children cannot afford to go to high school and college due to the rising levels of poverty, unemployment, and other indications of the sharp rise in the cost of living. It is still the economy, Mr. President. The people are suffering, and the government seems to be not really on top of the situation.
The quest for affordable education is becoming more and more difficult. While this cost can no longer be brought down even by government mandate, the capacity of the Filipinos may be enhanced. Jobs must be made available. Wages should not only be minimum but equal to the level of “living wage’’ or at least be approximated, as conceptualized and intended by the framers of the 1987 Constitution. Better jobs mean higher incomes. And higher incomes may lead Filipinos to a higher capacity to absorb the high cost of both decent education and healthcare. Unless and until this problem is addressed, we can never say that the state of the nation has improved.
Education and healthcare, next to food, shelter and clothing, are the most imperative needs of people. Any leadership that fails to address them with some success, can never claim that they have done enough for the nation.
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