New Release - PGMA stresses importance of education and IT in nation-building

[Joe Carillo]

From: "Office of the Press Secretary - EDP" <ops_edp@ops.gov.ph>

PGMA stresses importance of education and IT in nation-building

SIRUMA, Camarines Sur – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, during a visit
to this town, today spoke of the importance of education and technology as
means towards the nation’s progress.

“Ang malakas na edukasyon ay dapat kasama ng malakas na backbone ng
teknolohoya. (Strong education should have a strong backbone that is
technology), ” President Arroyo said.

Demonstrating this tack, the President ordered the Department of Education
to include this Camarines town in the list of municipalities where schools
satellite broadband facility will be set up so students can have Internet
access.

"This is my 'recuerdo' (remembrance) to you," she told Siruma students and
residents.

She gave the order, noting the Internet facility is needed to help enhance
the learning experience of Siruma students. Computer use in school is
limited at present.

The President said that students worldwide use the Internet as a tool for
accessing information needed in their studies and added she wants Siruma
students to have this same opportunity.

The Arroyo administration continues promoting the spread of information
technology nationwide as it believes this will help move the nation forward.

"We musn't stop while there are places like Siruma where technology is
needed," the President said.

Because of the government’s commitment to address the problem of poverty,
100,000 schools had been constructed and P2 billion had been spent in the
improvement of the educational system in the nine years of the Arroyo
administration.

The President said that education is the foundation for opportunity in
order to uplift an individual and the nation.

To be globally competitive, the President said that efforts had already
been made to improve the curriculum in schools so students will learn math,
science and English faster.

President Arroyo reiterated that she will continue to pursue active
governance until the last day of her term as President of the Republic ends.

The President stressed the three priorities of her administration that are
important to the Arroyo government.

“Dagdagan ang kapangyarihan at kaunlaran na dinadala sa mga rehiyon;
Patuloy na itataguyod ang halaga ng 3 E’s, Edukasyon, Environment at
Ekonomiya sa ating pagsisikap para lumikha ng tuloy-tuloy at pantay-pantay
na launlaran; Tuloy-tuloy na tutuok sa kabataan ng bansa bilang ating
pinaka pag-asa”, was the President’s message.

Meanwhile, President Arroyo said the commitment of her government in
building infrastructure has paved the way for tourism in the Bicol region
to flourish.

The Arroyo government spearheaded the construction of Maharlika Highway,
Andaya highway and Caramoan road that made it easier for goods and people
to move around the region.

There are already two airports in the region and the building of an
international airport in Daraga, Albay is ongoing.

After her message to residents, President Arroyo walked for 50 meters to
the tindahan ng palengke (formerly tindahan ni Gloria) and inspected the
price of rice. National Food Authority rice (NFA) rice costs P25 per kilo,
which is much cheaper than the commercial rice.

President Arroyo inspected then the Botika ng Bayan and was glad to see
that commonly-used medicines were readily available.

“Very good, dala nila ang mga gamut na karamihan binibili ng mga tao,” she
said.

Botika ng Bayan here benefits 17 barangays where the townspeople can buy
cheap medicine. Paracetamol here costs 50 centavos compared to P5 in
private drug stores.

[maxsims]

Why did you print that load of rubbish?

[Joe Carillo]

I disagree with you that the material referred to is rubbish, but you're right, it's an odd-man out in the Lounge. It's actually a temporary holding file my webmaster and I created last night for material that we were excerpting for the News and Commentary section.

As soon as you confirm that you have read this posting, we will remove that offending material along with this discussion thread. Sorry that the material caused you some discomfort.

[hill roberts]

I don't see anything wrong with the material. What is so offensive  about it? Why is it a load of rubbish? In what sense?  Somehow, any good news that pertains to GMA seems bad news for most. Whether or not this article is offensive is up to the readers. But then again, it only becomes offensive when there's dislike for the topic or the person being talked about. This is just another normal news in my eyes and finding it "offensive" is neither here nor there. GMA has never been popular and she will remain so for many reasons: but to overlook her concrete achievements would be folly. She has lied to her citizens--yes, she apologised and she'll live with  it until her dying day. No, she hasn't given concrete evidence to the contrary about the accusations leveled at her and her husband. So far, it's hearsay, until we really know  who the biggest corrupt politician is under this outgoing administration. I am not a fan of GMA but I look at her achievements in black and white. She has certainly made huge steps in building up foreign investment. She has welcomed foreign investors which was alien to the previous administrations, especially the revolutionary government of Mrs Cory Aquino. Mrs Aquino put the country in suspended animation for six years, and spent/wasted her time catching those who were supposedly guilty of massive corruption. Meanwhile, she simply shoved away the development projects which were already in the offing during the Marcos regime, not because they were questionable but because she had pure hate for the man. :oGMA never professed to be anything but, but at least, she was a hardworking president and continues to be very hard-working. She has big challenges ahead of her since the incoming administration of Noynoy Aquino will now want her fifty pounds of flesh.

[hill roberts]

Part 2..As for the so-called "offending" topic which is about the importance of education and IT in nation-building, may I ask, Maxsims, why this is a "load of rubbish"? This is positive news and should be embraced. For you to say it is rubbish sounds even more offensive since the article is about boosting its IT in another far-flung part of the Philippine archipelago. Perhaps, you'd like to put three good reasons why the article is a load of rubbish. Is it rubbish because it's a GMA project? Is it rubbish because you don't want to see IT progress in a deep rural area? Is it rubbish because you can't stand prosperity being distributed to a far-flung area in that part of the country? Is it a load of rubbish because you fail to see the good side of it? Is it a load of rubbish because somehow, it's not in the idyllic interest of a country like the Philippines to move forward in the 21st century? It may be rubbish in Aussie eyes, but not where those who clamour for a certain amount of prosperity and progress isn't wishful thinking but a big thank you, madamme, in their happy eyes? :-*Maxsims, like you, saying that mouthful "a load of rubbish" is my expression too, or, has become my expression since I married a Brit thirty years ago. However, in this particular instance, what may be a load of rubbish for you sounds more like sheer contempt just for the sake of saying it.Hmm, I wonder if you knew that guy in Australia who was "dared" to eat that sludge by his mates and is now dying? I think not. The way I see it, that's how you seem to judge the Philippines. I may be wrong but I will remember that sludge-eating Australian until my dying day.

[maxsims]

Hmmm..I don't recall saying it was offensive, but...

I call it rubbish because it is almost unbelievably false.    

One hundred thousand schools?   Where are they?    Where are the at least one million teachers staffing them?

I recall, three years ago, a member of the administration boasting that the government had, in the previous year, created five thousand new grade school places.    Assuming an average school enrolment of just 50 students, that equates to 100 schools.   After nine years at that rate, you can work out how many extra schools you got.

(By the way, after the politician made his boast of five thousand new school places, one of the opposition members pointed out that, in the same period, the number of school students had risen by ten thousand!)

The Arroyo administration continues promoting the spread of information
technology nationwide...etc.

Sick joke.

[hill roberts]

"...100,000 schools in the nine years and P2 billion spent..."the crux of the conversation? It's plausible and I believe it. Nine years of school-building up and down the archipelago is not impossible. Besides, these are mainly schools (primary and secondary). Still, you haven't actually replied to my questions. You went back, instead, to about three years ago, when this article now has no relevance to what you have "complained" about anyway. Now, you've added, "A sick joke..." in what sense, again? One needs to be stone-dead to get the grit out of that muddle, but I can't do it. So, fascinate me with your sweeping statement, Maxsims, and I will gladly shake my head with delight and get rid of the sandy thoughts now permeating this conversation. (unless of course, there was a typo error and the article probably meant to say, "10,000 schools..." I am not at liberty to judge although I myself make an awful lot of typo errors and I plead guilty too since I find proofreading tedious.

[hill roberts]

"...assuming an average school enrolment of just 50 students, that equates to 100 schools..." What? Que? Quoi? Well, you assumed wrong. For the simple reason that schools in the Philippines take in more than 50 pupils. How does one define "school"? If you are referring to elementary schools, which are numerous in the Philippines, then your assumption is feeble if not incorrect. Let's take a typical university in the Philippines that covers the elementary, high school, college, graduate school. Can you imagine how many thousands are marching up and down the campus and corridors of just one university? Have  you , in fact, been to one particular university, or made trips to see for yourself how a school--is indepently run? There are schools within the university, part of the umbrella itself of a wider academic institution. I reckon your judgment is clouded by what you read and what's available to you and me. Somehow, it is this misconception and perception that makes understanding more difficult about how these institutions are set up. 

[hill roberts]

So, it is also "sick" that the Arroyo Adminstration is spreading IT in the Philippines for the simple reason that you find it "unbelievably false"--isn't that comment a contradiction? So, you believe it IS false and that what she is doing, is, in fact, true and commendable. Are we into word play here? If so, then we can all share in this belief that the first article re IT to be stepped up in that deep rural community would be great--and not a sick joke, right? 

[Joe Carillo]

In view of the very lively and interesting exchange of views it has generated, I'm afraid it won't be appropriate anymore to take out this discussion thread as I promised to maxsims about an hour ago. Let's therefore let the discussion run its natural course and see where it leads us. Cheers!

[hill roberts]

The only way to really find out about this particular news emanating from the current administration would be to check out the list from the Department of Education in the Philippines. They can answer our simple questions instead of us doing a sparring match here wondering who is Pacman and who is Mayweather. . I will now have to give this task to myself and a little later, I will confirm how many schools have in fact, been built, over the nine years of the Arroyo Administration.

[hill roberts]

From the Dept of Education Facts and Figures:

 The year that GMA took office as President?(I don't know when she started out as President)
2004 -2009

The combined Public and Private Elementary and Secondary schools built: 54,757.
(Doesn't include pre-schools; laboratory schools)

Elementary enrolment (Public and Private):

2004 - 2005 - 13,096,719
2008 - 2009 - 13,686,643

Secondary enrolment (Public and Private):

2004 - 2005 - 6,414,620
2008 - 2009 - 6,763,858

[hill roberts]

It could be that "100,000 schools have been built" is an exaggeration, or perhaps, there's a typo error somewhere. However, I will not consider it a "sick joke" to promote IT in a rural part of the country. The reporter of this article in question must own up for exaggerating his/her figures.

[maxsims]

My dear Hill,

My reading of "Facts and Figures" (note the and) from the Education Department website is somewhat different to yours.

In 2004-2005, there were 42,362 schools existing in the country.    Not built, existing.

By 2008-2009, there were 44,691.   Again, not built but existing.

This gives net gain of 2329 schools.

(The front page of the website gives a current total of 44,304, which is a reduction from the 2008-2009 total, but this is neither here nor there in the big picture.)

If we consider these figures (in concert with the increase in school enrolments over this four-year period), I believe it can be safely said that the claim of having built 100,000 schools ( more than twice as many as actually exist) is neither plausible nor believable.   It is palpable nonsense.

Or, in other words, a load of rubbish.

As for the government's commitment to the spread of information technology, where were you in 2007 when the National Broadband Network project (read "scandal") fell on its head?

[maxsims]

My word but there is a deafening silence in The Lounge!

I see that Mrs Roberts has conceded that 100,000 schools "could be" an exaggeration or even a typo. 
 
It would be one hell of an exaggeration, and it's too nicely-rounded a figure to be a typo, don't you think?   

I agree that the responsible reporter should own up.    And apologize.    Just as the person who accused me of making "sweeping statements", who found the press release to be "positive news and should be embraced", who said I was in "sheer contempt" and who claimed that I "can't stand prosperity being distributed to a far-flung area" and like Joe Farillo, carelessly assumed that I found the release to be offensive, should also apologize.

I repeat - I did not find the release to be offensive.   Were I a Filipino, I would have.

I did find it odd that Joe Carillo disagreed that the material was rubbish.   Perhaps it was a different Joe Carillo who, only recently, berated those journalists who publish press releases without first checking the grammar and, most importantly, checking the veracity.