Playing with Fire
P’Noy acts on a shameful crime — state universities killing private counterparts
By Gonzalo Duque
OUR column last week about the town of Calasiao putting one over its neighbor Dagupan City in economic progress focuses attention on a group of Dagupenos who behave like “Calasiao converts.”
This Dagupeno-Calasiao group religiously meets in a swanky Calasiao nook beside the Chowking establishment at the crossroads. Some of its members are Dr. Macky Samson, Dr. Rudy Aquino, Roger “Katat” Reyes, former Mayor Al Fernandez, Boy Rayos, siopa ni?
They are awed by the nonstop rise of many establishments in Roy Macanlalay’s turf like the giant Robinsons, motor shops, memorial parks, modern restaurants (Jollibee, Chowking, Gerry’s Grill, modern hotels the latest of which is the Regency, and many others.
Someone was not joking when he said Calasiao might annex Dagupan if the trend continues.
Paging Mayor Benjie Lim, Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez and the onor-onors!
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P-Noy did right when he put his foot down on the proliferation of state colleges and universities, and properly shifting the emphasis on a greater cause: basic education.
As everyone knows fully well, the presumption that state colleges and universities were meant to give the poor access to higher education is turning out to be false. They are here to unduly compete with private colleges and universities in a criminally unfair manner, because they receive full government backing and yet are tax-exempt.
Their supposed mandate is to promote scholarship and assistance to students by way of soft loans and the putting up of programs that are not yet crowded.
But what is going on?
The revered University of the Philippines has even tied up with the giant conglomerate Ayala Corporation, which has made a mockery of government’s role to equitably upgrade basic education in the country.
In Pangasinan, take a look at the Pangasinan State University. Its supposed mandate is to arm the young with knowledge for agriculture. But what in hell is going on? Because they enjoy wanton edge of government subsidy, the cause of education in these parts has suffered greatly. Due to its low tuition fees, its classrooms are packed to the full, making the learning process a big joke.
Under his presidency, Erap Estrada tried to put a cap on this. But he didn’t succeed; his term was abruptly aborted. The ball is now on court of our very popular president, Noynoy, whose recent action on the matter has inspired basic education stakeholders. Those in the private sector who have felt the blows of this criminally unfair policy have often wondered what the government is really up to? Kill private education? Misalamat tayod Pnoy ta anengneng to yan baleg yan tragicomedia! Ontan pa kumon, lakay! Kawkawanan so ingkaheroy pamilya yo, no ag mo ya ipetek.
Like PSU, the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State U in La Union was originally intended to be an agricultural college; now it’s eating up what is not on its plate, making it tough to private colleges and universities in a most unfair way.
There are 112 state colleges and universities throughout the islands. That’s a big hemorrhage on public funds. That’s a lethal below the belt blow on the private universities. That’s a black eye on basic education. That’s an insult to the concept of fairness and justice.
We have posited before that the House of Representatives created a Frankenstein when it passed the law creating state colleges and universities. As you know, many of these “creatures” are not coming to standard. They have been around at the expense of basic education for a long time. When will this end?
