Cartoon by: Clarisse Fernandez
Published by: Jean Ashley Lugod
Date Published: September 24, 2024
Time Published: 10:04 AM
We can all agree to Jim Rohn that reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. There is no denying that a country needs to invest in improving one's reading and comprehension skills. However, what if it gets to the point of allocating a huge questionable amount for this? It might be that the government is taking advantage of our poor literacy crisis for their own gain. Isn't this poor budgeting a mirror of the flawed foundation of our government? We have the right to know where and how the public funds of the country were budgeted and distributed.
On Tuesday, August 5, 2024, during a national budget hearing in the Senate, Senator Risa Hontiveros questioned the vice president about the budget allocation of 10 million pesos from her office to print 200,000 copies of a children’s book she wrote in 2023, titled, ang isang kaibigan, which has the purpose to help kids read and have a better reading comprehension [1]. This budget seems unreasonable for just a children's book. We, tax payers, share a huge amount of money with the government through tax. Seeing as how this is where our money is being put towards is something that rages fire inside of us.
We've all witnessed a similar scenario to this. Back when the Office of the Vice President (OVP) proposed a P2.3 billion budget for 2023 [2]. which also triggered the Filipinos, because it was too big of an amount compared to the past budget of our former Vice President Leni Robredo, which in note, she has done a lot with that amount. So what could VP Sara Duterte need that amount for? Because of this, Filipinos once again questioned the budgeting. Seeing as how this behavior has been revealed and is now still being repeated makes me doubt the government more and the party surrounding it. This, with the latest occurrence, strengthens the hypothesis of the bad budgeting of our government.
Out of 80 countries, the Philippines ranks among the bottom 10 in reading comprehension in the 2022 PISA test [3]. It's desolating seeing as this is where we are standing at reading now. However, we should not compromise our country's budget, for something that is not necessary and really needed in expanding the learning of children. There are multiple ways to improve our country's reading comprehension, like providing educational second hand books. This way, our country won't need to allocate an enormous amount of money towards our improvement in reading comprehension. This project has been seen in numerous public schools.
While knowledge and literacy are undeniably crucial to our nation's progress, it's equally important to ensure that these investments align with our economic needs. As a developing country, we must prioritize resource allocation to address pressing needs like infrastructure development and economic growth. However, this does not mean neglecting education. By strategically investing in education, we can empower our citizens with the skills and knowledge needed to contribute to a far better and stronger future. Let's harness the power of education to build a stronger nation.
REFERENCES:
[1] Magsambol, Bonz. “What’S Inside Sara Duterte’S ‘Isang Kaibigan’ Book?” RAPPLER, August 21, 2024. https://www.rappler.com/.../what-inside-sara-duterte-a.../.
[2]
Mangaluz, Jean. “Sara Duterte Seeks P2.3B OVP Budget for 2024, Including P500M Intel Fund | Inquirer News.” INQUIRER.net, August 5, 2023. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../sara-duterte-seeks-p2-3....
[3]Servallos, Neil Jayson. “Student Assessment: Philippines Still in Bottom 10.” Philstar.Com, December 5, 2023. https://www.philstar.com/.../student-assessment....
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