The Cayetano Law: Iskolar Bayan Act

 

NEW high school graduates in Pangasinan that excelled through out but are not financially prepared to pursue a college education can pursue their dreams on their merits.

The Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014, the bill crafted by Majority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano was finally signed into law by President Aquino. It mandates all state universities and colleges (SUCs) to give automatic admission and provide scholarship grants to the top ten (10) public high school students of their respective graduating classes.

Specifically, under R.A. 10648, a public high school with more than 500 graduates is entitled to one additional scholarship slot in SUCs for every 500 graduates. The additional slots will be given to graduates whose ranks follow the top 10 students and who will meet admission requirements for freshmen in the SUCs of their choice.

Indeed, as Senator Cayetano noted, the country is one step closer towards our goal of providing all Filipinos, particularly the poorest of the poor, free access to quality education that will serve as their tool to fight off poverty and unemployment.

Today, even without need for political patronage, now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the pork barrel, the source of scholarship funds for most, has been declared illegal, students can aim to have the government provide for their college education to ensure them a bright future in a competitive world.

 

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18 years

 

THE Ozone Disco Club fire that killed 162 persons and injured 93 others happened in 1996.  Only this year, on Nov. 20, that seven employees of the Quezon City Engineers’ Office and two businessmen were meted 10 years in prison each by the Sandiganbayan antigraft court.

Said court administrator Teresa Pabulayan:  “The engineers gave unwarranted and preferential advantage to the Ozone Disco owners.  They failed to detect structural and fire safety deficiencies.”  It was horrible enough that such corrupt-fueled crime occurred in a prosperous city where building permits are scrutinized supposedly with zeal and clockwork precision.

But for the court to take 18 years to decide the case was a tragedy of more epic and horrific proportions.  Again, delayed verdict has denied justice to the victims’ kin.  Will the Maguindanao Massacre that killed 32 journalists and scores more follow suit, considering it’s been five years since it happened on Nov. 23, 2009, and the trial proper has yet to commence?

It gives us the creeps.

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