QC fights drugs with education, values formation, skills training

By: Yuji Vincent Gonzales - Reporter / @YGonzalesINQ

INQUIRER.net / 01:35 PM March 15, 2017

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The Quezon City government on Wednesday opened four Special Drug Education Centers (SDEC) for
street children and out-of-school youth in line with the government’s antidrug campaign.

In the inauguration rites in Batasan Hills, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said the multipurpose drug education
center, which she said was the first in the Philippines, aims to aid values formation and provide skills
training to children to prevent drug addiction at an early stage.

“Ang SDEC ay isang lugar kung saan pwede nating dalhin ang mga street children at out-of-school youth.
Kung sila man ay ‘di pa gumagamit (ng droga), pwede sila dito, gumagamit na, or hindi pa lulong, pwede
rin sila ditong dahlhin,” Belmonte said.

“Sila po ay bibigyan ng counseling, ng values formation education, skills training sa tulong ng department
of information and communication… Higit sa lahat, mabibigyan po sila ng life skills o edukasyon para sila
ay makaiwas sa masamang bisyo at magkaroon ng lakas ng loob na tumahak sa buhay at magkaroon ng
magandang kinabukasan,” she added.

Belmonte said even those children on the streets who are not using drugs and with families of their own
were welcome at the centers, which she said would provide other services like reproductive health education
and sports programs.

“Ang layunin po nito ay para mayroong lugar para sa mga street children at mga out-of-school youth na
madalas binabanggit ng ating mga punong barangay na natatagpuan sa ating mga lasangan ngunit wala
silang pagdadalhan. Kadalasan, kapag tinetest nila ang mga kabataang ito ay nagte-test positive (sa drugs).”

“Ang layunin natin ay maibalik sila sa kanilang mga tahanan, na ‘yung mga magulang din nila ay
maturuang maging mabubuting mga magulang, at ang mga batang ito ay maibalik sa paaralan. Kung may
mga pangangailangan ang bata na hindi natin matutugunan, may referral system tayo dahil maayos po ang
network natin sa iba’t ibang mga service providers bahagi ng advocacy natin for a child-friendly city,” she
added.

Three other SDECs were also inaugurated in the barangays of Lagro, Tandang Sora, and Milagrosa on
Wednesday. CBB

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Youth groups remember Kristel Tejada, slam bill on
free tuition in SUCs

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Youth groups and students on Tuesday held a protest in the historic steps of Palma
Hall at University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and gates of the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) to commemorate the death of Kristel Tejada four years
ago.
Tejada, a 16-year-old freshman taking up behavioral sciences at UP Manila, killed
herself in March 2013 after she was left with no choice but to drop out of school when
she failed to pay her tuition for the second semester.
The youth groups League of Filipino Students (LFS) and Kabataan Partylist during
the event also slammed the third and final reading of Senate Bill 1304 or the
Affordable Higher Education for All Act that the Senate passed on Monday.
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READ: Bill granting free tuition in SUCs OKd in Senate

According to LFS spokesperson JP Rosos, the Senate bill and its counterpart in
Congress restrict access to higher education based on merits. He pointed out that a
criteria was created similar to UP’s socialized tuition scheme (STS).
“As if to mock Kristel and all the victims of the rotten education system, (President
Rodrigo) Duterte’s cohorts in Congress and Senate are pushing for a free tuition
policy that will allow the nationwide implementation of UP’s STS—the very policy
that killed Kristel,” Rosos said.
Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago in a separate statement said that while the group
recognizes the Senate’s good intent in passing the bill, it fears that the version of the
Senate risks restricting access to higher education rather than making it available to
all.
“Instead of providing free education to the poor, we are wary that such a mechanism
might even hinder access to education. Such words have been the rationale behind the
socialized tuition system (STS) of the UP system, as well as CHED pronouncements
pointing toward a nationwide STS scheme for all state universities and colleges
(SUCs),” Elago explained.
Elago cited data from the Philippine Collegian saying that 1 of 10 students under STS
applies for loans, and 3 of 4 appeal for a lower bracketing.
Rosos further explained that the said bill uses the premise of STS that those who are
able to pay should pay and those who are financially disadvantaged and deserving
should be subsidized.
“Contrary to the claims of Duterte’s cohorts in Congress and Senate, the Affordable
Higher Education for All Act is not free tuition for everyone. As it expands Student
Financial Assistance Programs, it recognizes that higher education is not for all. It
compels students to compete for scholarships that are clearly not for all,” said Rosos.
Both youth group leaders criticized the administration’s “neoliberal policies,” saying
it is responsible for the skyrocketing cost of the education which are still being
implemented.
Rosos noted that the neoliberal policies like Education Act of 1982, Higher Education
Modernization Act (HEMA) and K to 12 are state programs are responsible for the
relentless attacks on the youth’s right to free education. He said that as long as these
programs exist, the education system will remain as “rotten as the previous regimes.”
Echoing Rosos, Elago said that the neoliberal attacks on education only increased
“with the change of administration” and that the deregulation policies on tuition and
other school fees in SUCs and private schools remain, and are in fact “heavily used
and abused to justify annual tuition and other school fee increases.”
“Duterte should veer away from moribund policies that enslave the Filipino people to
poverty, hunger and social injustice. He has yet to prove that he has the political will
to deviate from his predecessors, otherwise, the youth will not think twice to hold his
administration accountable for his historical disservice to the Filipino people,” Elago
added. RAM

Public schools told to cancel field trip plans until June

MANILA — Taking a leaf from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the
Department of Education (DepEd) has also decided to temporarily halt field trips in
all public schools for the rest of the school year to allow for a review of existing
policies covering educational excursions and tours.
The moratorium, which will last for three to four months or until June 2017, will also
give DepEd officials time to harmonize implementing details of the regions’ policies
and guidelines on field trips, according to the department in a statement issued
late Wednesday night.
Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said the decision was reached in consultation
with regional directors in a meeting with Education Secretary Leonor Briones
following Monday’s bus accident that killed 15 people, mostly college students on
their way to a camping trip in Tanay, Rizal.
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“The review will cover alignment of field trips to learning outcomes, security and
safety and responsibilities and accountabilities not only of schools but of parents and
of other relevant government agencies,” stated the DepEd.
Exempted from the moratorium are schools that have already secured permits and
where contracts have already been completed prior to the moratorium. The agency
stressed that these schools may push through with the scheduled field trips but
existing guidelines, especially on safety, should be strictly followed.
On Wednesday, the DepEd issued a reminder to school officials that educational tours
and field trips should not be made mandatory for students. It also called on schools to
check the registration and roadworthiness of vehicles that would be used for such
tours.
DepEd Order No. 52 issued in 2003 prohibits schools from imposing punitive
measures or activities related to the field trip on students who fail to join them. It also
urges teachers to refrain from giving tests based on these tours but they can give other
types of assignments, school-based activities and homework to students who decide
not to join the trips.
It also outlined the places to be visited such as cultural and historical sites or science
exhibits in museums. It strongly discouraged trips to malls and viewing of noontime
TV shows.
A day after the accident, the CHED imposed a moratorium on field trips in all
colleges and universities to give way to an investigation into the Tanay, Rizal bus
accident and a review of its own policies on field trips and educational tours.
But the commission has clarified that the moratorium does not cover student
internship programs, practical and on-the-job trainings in the country or abroad.
“These activities are governed by a separate CHED order which the higher education
institutions are aware of,” it said. SFM/rga
DepEd local chiefs can now punish school heads misusing feeding funds

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Public school students on opening day (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA — Education Secretary Leonor Briones has given regional directors and
school division officials the power to sanction school heads violating rules on the
management of funds to implement this year’s school-based feeding program (SBFP).
The SBFP aims to provide supplemental feeding to roughly two million malnourished
students.
In an order, Briones also authorized regional directors to decide whether to release the
funds to school division offices (SDOs) currently implementing the SBFP or those
with unliquidated funds and to determine the amount to be released to the SDOs
depending on their utilization of the budget.
“Similarly, the SDOs shall have the prerogative to decide whether or not to release the
funds to schools with ongoing implementation and/or unliquidated funds for school
year 2015-2016,” stated Briones.
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Briones said these provisions were added to the existing guidelines “to ensure an
efficient and effective implementation of the SBFP for school year 2016-2017.”
Another provision introduced to the guidelines states that the hiring of a cook shall be
one per 40 beneficiaries subject to the availability of funds.
For this year, the Department of Education has earmarked over P4.1 billion for the
nationwide roll-out of the SBFP, providing P2,160 for the feeding and operational
costs of each beneficiary for a period of 120 days or P18 a day for each beneficiary.
This year’s SBFP aims to nourish and inculcate positive health values and habits on
533,425 severely wasted and 1.39 million wasted kindergarten to Grade 6 students in
all public schools nationwide. It also aims to increase school attendance by 85
percent.
The World Health Organization has described wasting as low weight-for-height,
which is often linked with acute starvation or severe disease.
The DepEd has noted that the Southern Tagalog region, which includes the provinces
of Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon and Laguna, has registered the highest number of
severely wasted and wasted public school students at more than 352,000, followed by
Western Visayas with over 193,000 and Central Luzon with over 169,000.
Metro Manila has 48,742 severely wasted and 105,678 wasted school children. SFM
CHED halts field trips, educational
tours after Tanay bus crash

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Fifteen people have died, including students, a teacher and the bus driver, after the bus
they were riding in hits an electric post in Barangay Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal province
on Feb. 20, 2017. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is imposing a
moratorium on field trips and educational tours in all higher education institutions
(HEIs) to give way to an investigation on the bus crash that killed 15 people in Tanay,
Rizal, and a review of policies on such trips.
The commission en banc on Tuesday arrived at the decision following a proposal by
Commissioner Prospero de Vera III to disallow field trips in private and public
colleges and universities until the completion of an investigation into the tragedy.
Fifteen were killed in the crash, including college students, the bus driver and a
teacher.
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In pushing for a moratorium, De Vera also noted the need to rethink guidelines and
policies covering educational tours and field trips and to check whether prevailing
policies provide adequate protection to students.
Under CHED Memorandum No. 17, s. 2012, HEIs are required to report to the
respective CHED regional office on the nature of the education tour or field trips,
including the purpose, schedule, destinations and cost at least a month before the
opening of classes for every academic year.
The memo also stipulates that the destination of educational tours or field trips, as
much as practicable, should be near the concerned school to minimize cost.
For the safety and convenience of students and school personnel, there must be
advanced and proper coordination with the local government unit and appropriate
clearance from the concerned government and non-government offices must be
secured prior to the scheduled dates of the field trip.
The memorandum also states that HEIs that do not comply with the guidelines and
regulations on educational tours and field trips will be sanctioned depending on the
nature and seriousness of the violations.
In a statement on Tuesday (Feb. 21), De Vera said the commission must determine if
public and private colleges and universities have been complying with safety
requirements.
“The Tanay tragedy is a reminder that we must be very strict in regulating the use of
public transportation for school-sponsored trips,” he said.
He added, “While it is true that field trips are essential to give students the opportunity
to see and explore new things, enhance their learning experience in a natural setting,
and provide for interest-driven and hands-on training, the safety of the students on
field trips must be ensured at all times by school authorities.”
A tourist bus—one of the nine hired by Bestlink College of the Philippines to ferry
students to a resort in Tanay for a camping trip—rammed an electric post after it lost
its brakes and sped downhill Monday morning. The accident left 15 people killed,
including the driver.
Following the accident, CHED announced it would send a fact-finding team to
investigate the bus accident and look into the possible sanctions that could be meted
out against the school should it be found guilty of violating the guidelines on field
trips.
CHED-National Capital Region Director Leonida Calagui has also issued a letter to
the school, instructing its officials to immediately submit an incident report to the
commission. SFM/rga
MANILA, Philippines – Colleges and universities can no longer enforce “no permit,
no exam” policy.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has ordered all 1,800 higher education
institutions (HEIs) in the country to make sure low-income students get access to
financial aid if they can not meet the deadline for paying tuition.
The order came with new policy guidelines that CHEd issued last April 19, requiring
HEIs to provide holistic student affairs and services programs, including scholarship
and financial assistance.
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“There shall be mechanisms for HEIs to institutionalize more compassionate policies

and guidelines particularly for those students belonging to the vulnerable and
marginalized sectors of our country,” CHEd Chairperson Patricia Licuanan said in the
CHEd Memorandum Order 9 series 2013.
“The HEIs must provide access on any financial assistance in cases where the(se)
students can not pay on the particular moment,” she continued.
“In no case shall the HEI implement a ‘no permit, no examination’ policy in case of
financial incapacities of the(se) students,” Licuanan stressed.
It is a common practice in colleges and universities for students who were not able to
meet the deadline for tuition payment to be denied taking their final exams.
The University of the Philippines (UP) has this month scrapped the ‘no late payment’
of tuition policy as a result of the furor over the case of 16-year Kristel Tejada, a UP
Manila freshman.
Tejada, the eldest of four children whose father was laid off from work in the middle
of the school year, committed suicide last March 15, two days after she had to take a
leave of absence because she could not pay her tuition for the second semester.
CHEd has required colleges and universities to provide a Student Affairs and Services
(SAS) office that will provide its students a package of services, including guidance
and counseling, career and job placement, economic enterprise development and
scholarship and financial assistance.
“There shall be student scholarships and financial assistance in various forms and
accessible modalities available to students, with appropriate screening and monitoring
procedures and guidelines understood by applicants and recipients,” Licuanan said in
the order.
These SAS offices shall also supervise student activities, accredit student
organizations and implement disciplinary and grievance mechanisms.
CHEd said there should be rules on student misconduct such as “vandalism,
exaggerated utterances, irresponsible and libelous statements and other acts of
militancy that threaten peace and order and public and private properties inside and
outside the HEIs.”
Tertiary schools were also required to provide services for safe and healthful food;
primary health care; safety, security and crime prevention; and student housing by
providing students with a list of available dormitories.
Schools are further required to provide their students multi-faith services, promote
culture and arts and sports development, promote community development and attend
to students with special needs and disabilities.
Through the SAS office, schools were also told to promote programs catering to the
economic needs of students such as setting up student cooperatives, having
entrepreneurial and income-generating projects and promoting savings.
HEIs currently operating are given three years or until 2017 to fully comply with the
new guidelines, while new tertiary schools were told to strictly comply effective this
school year.

DepEd, CHEd, LGUs adopt policies to reduce

bullying
By: Linda B. Bolido - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 03:19 AM November 13, 2012

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said it does not consent to any
form of corporal punishment or humiliation inflicted on a learner even as it called
attention to two incidents last week in Iriga City, where two students were hit by their
teachers over minor offenses.
“While the DepEd is one with the belief that education should also instill and
reinforce the values of respect, responsibility, and discipline—it does not, without
reservations, condone any act of violence or abuse in the conduct thereof,” Education
Secretary Leonor Briones said in a statement.
Briones urged all teachers and school officials to uphold the rights and the welfare of
the students, citing the department’s policy and guidelines for the protection of
children in school from abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, bullying and
other forms of abuse.
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She said Republic Act No. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Child
Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act also guarantees that learners’ rights are
protected.
“Let it be remembered that children learn best by doing and that during the years they
spend in school, they are most heavily influenced by authority figures,” Briones said.

DepEd says no to corporal punishment

By: Jeannette I. Andrade - Reporter / @jiandradeINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:50 AM August 12, 2016

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said it does not consent to any
form of corporal punishment or humiliation inflicted on a learner even as it called
attention to two incidents last week in Iriga City, where two students were hit by their
teachers over minor offenses.
“While the DepEd is one with the belief that education should also instill and
reinforce the values of respect, responsibility, and discipline—it does not, without
reservations, condone any act of violence or abuse in the conduct thereof,” Education
Secretary Leonor Briones said in a statement.
Briones urged all teachers and school officials to uphold the rights and the welfare of
the students, citing the department’s policy and guidelines for the protection of
children in school from abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, bullying and
other forms of abuse.
ADVERTISEMENT

She said Republic Act No. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Child
Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act also guarantees that learners’ rights are
protected.
“Let it be remembered that children learn best by doing and that during the years they
spend in school, they are most heavily influenced by authority figures,” Briones said.

Education that is fun but

purposeful
About 14 years ago, a group of parents was faced with a dilemma.
Some had children who were about to enter school. Others, who had just returned
from living abroad, had kids who had to continue their schooling after being educated
primarily in international schools catering to expatriates.

The local educational landscape did not quite meet what they thought their children
needed. “There was a need for a global perspective, for critical and creative thinking.
We would like them to be able to ask questions and learn to answer them themselves,”
founding trustee Dina Lomongo Paterno said.
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Filipino schools, even the exclusive ones, were too Filipino, too focused on “home”.
International schools, on the other hand, were really just getting children ready for the
next country they would be moving to or for their eventual return to their homelands.
The parents, a handful of whom were educators, wanted to combine the best qualities
of both—a school that would give the children a firm grounding on “Filipinohood”
while providing them an international perspective to qualify them for any school of
their choice, local or foreign, and to live in an increasingly globalized society.
Paterno said they wanted their kids to be “international but rooted in Philippine
culture.”
In wanting the children to develop fully their potential, the parents looked for more
individualized instruction so the children would not get lost among the scores of
learners in the large classrooms even at exclusive schools.
Chance to blossom
Paterno said the sheer number of students in most classes restricted the help a child
could receive. “Each child is different and should be given the opportunity to develop
and blossom,” she said.
The founders did not really want to open a school, she said, but it ended up that way.
They saw an opportunity to offer something different, if only to their own children.
After checking out all the educational systems and programs available, judging them
by their goals of giving their children an international education deeply rooted in
Philippine culture, the Beacon International School Foundation Inc. decided to adapt
the Department of Education’s basic education curriculum to the International
Baccalaureate (IB) program, becoming the first to be accredited by the Switzerland-
based nonprofit educational foundation.
The Beacon School, “an independent, nonprofit, coeducational K to 8” academic
institution, formally opened in 2000.
Paterno and her cofounders found that IB provided the framework to bring all those
things they wanted for their children’s education, as well as the credibility to make
entry to any school around the world easy.
Mary Catherine Chua, deputy headmaster, said the key IB concepts were consistent
with the objectives of the founders—communication, holistic learning and
intercultural awareness.
Both Beacon’s Primary Years Program (PYP), K to grade 5, and Middle Years
Program (MYP), Grades 6-8, are IB accredited. The school now prides itself in being
the “first and only fully IBO authorized educational institution” in the country for
every level of its academic programs.
Small classes
Starting with only 47 children, mainly the founders’ and their friends’, Beacon
initially offered kindergarten to fourth grade. The school currently has 272 students
from kindergarten to Grade 8. Up to Grade 5, each class has only 15 students. The
number rises to 20 for Grades 6-8. With only two sections per grade, the school
maintains an enviable ratio of one teacher per five students.
Currently leasing space at the Philippine Center for Population and Development
(PCPD) building in Taguig City, Chua said expansion would be modest, with 300 the
comfortable ceiling.
Paterno said even if they eventually moved to their own campus, there would not be a
major surge in enrollment.
“We really want to be a small school,” she said, so opening branches was out of the
question. She said they were more interested in documenting their experiences and
sharing them with those who were interested.
Beacon has a trimester calendar, allowing for the fluid movement of transient
students. Average fee per year is $10,000.
Since Beacon opened, Paterno said, many parents, who worried their kids were “so
burdened” in other institutions, had transferred their children to the school. She said
parents would later tell her, “My kids love to go to school.”
While many institutions claim they want to make learning fun for students, Paterno
said they wanted to make the pursuit of knowledge fun but not purposeless. Fun was
to help children better absorb the lessons taught them.
Chua said their students were taught skills for research, analysis, critical thinking and
creativity so they could continue to learn.
Paterno said they did not want to simply give students content but also understanding
and the ability to assess the validity and credibility of information they received and
its source. “Rather than just memorize lessons, we want them to appreciate
knowledge,” she said.
Paterno said Beacon hoped to make parents understand IB better so they could be
more active partners in their children’s education. Even field trips—to China,
Thailand and several local destinations—were designed to advance learning, she said,
and make students inquiring, curious and motivated.
She added that another major goal was to educate kids to be responsible citizens. “We
want to prepare them for the why and how of responsible citizenship. We want them
to be change agents, to know they have roles to play even just at the community
level,” Paterno said.
She said this was one reason the school was not gated. “We do not want to feel
separated from the neighboring communities,” she explained. Regular interactions
with local tenement schools are conducted.
Paterno said students were so aware of the reality outside their school that after
Typhoon “Ondoy,” the kids themselves initiated a donation drive to help affected
neighboring communities

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