House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro gave a failing grade to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA), criticizing the lack of concrete plans to address poverty and inequality in the country.
In the education sector, he enumerated as achievements and promises several long-standing campaigns of ACT Teachers and the education workers, namely, the recently passed Teaching Allowance Act, the end to “utang-tagging,” and career progression of teachers. However, he made no mention of
the most important issues of teachers nowadays, the P50,000 entry level for teachers.
“Di rin makakampante pa sa ngayon sa pangakong SSL VI ang public school teachers at education support personnel, pati na ang lahat ng nasa public sector hanggang di nila nakikita ang sapat na pondo para rito sa ilalim ng 2024 GAA at 2025 proposed budget na magtitiyak na nakabubuhay na sahod ang ibibigay ng SSL VI.”
“For government employees including teachers, the supposed 4 tranche SSL is still just a promise and may again be a pittance like the SSL V, other salary adjustments, and the P35 minimum wage increase in NCR. Also, instead of making job orders (JOs) and contract of service (COS) workers regular, Pres. Marcos Jr. will just extend their exploitation. As we have said before, we demand an end to endo in government.
“Sa SONA ng mamamayan mariing kalhilingan ng ordinaryong Pilipino ay signipikanteng dagdag na sahod at sweldo. Pero walang kongkretong commitment sa sahod sa pribadong sektor at di rin maaasahan ang sinasabi dagdag na sahod daw sa kawani ng gobyerno na malamang ay kakapiranggot na naman.”
“Ni wala rin syang sinabi o binanggit man lang tungkol sa kalunos-lunos na kalagayan ng karapatang pantao sa bansa at paglaganap ng fake news at disimpormasyon,” she said
“He banned POGOs but this will not solve poverty, landlessness, malnutrition, foreign intrusion, lack of jobs, high prices of goods and services, lack of industrialization and exploitation. Hindi natatapos sa pag-ban ng POGOs ang laban. Dapat may pagpapanagot sa mga mataas na opisyal na naging protektor at nakikinabang rito.
The President’s SONA was long on rhetoric but short on substance, he stated mostly palliatives but not true solutions. He failed to lay out a clear and comprehensive plan to address the pressing issues of poverty and inequality that continue to plague our nation,” Rep. Castro stated.
