• Comelec’s planned electoral reform is timely, says Palace
• Palace defends K to 12 implementation
• Palace expects next administration to continue Mindanao peace process

“Napakahalaga ng pagtiyak ng ating prosesong elektoral na ang paghahalal ng mga opisyal ng bansa ay may integridad at maayos itong maisasagawa,” Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said in a radio interview on Saturday.

“Kaya most welcome ang reporma na itinataguyod ng Comelec (Commission on Elections) at ng iba pang mga stakeholders,” he told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

Coloma said he believes the Comelec learned a lot in the conduct of successive automated elections and the poll body is ready to fine tune the country’s electoral system.

With regards to the issue on campaign financing, Coloma said this must be incorporated in Comelec’s study on its planned reform.

The Palace official said he thinks the 17th Congress will have an ample opportunity to look into the issue of campaign financing, which he said in the end, the sole beneficiary will be the Filipino people.

The Comelec said it is also looking at a possible amendment of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), or Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, which was passed in 1985.
Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said he believes the OEC is already obsolete, especially since its provisions were formulated when the elections were still manual.
The Comelec is also looking at adjusting the campaign spending limits provided in the OEC because it no longer reflects the prevailing market prices. PND (as)

In a radio interview Saturday, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said the public must understand the adoption of K to 12 for the country’s school system because it has benefits.

“Mainam po siguro na itong ating mga kababayan, mga kapatid, mga magulang, mga mag-aaral na mayroong ganyang saloobin ay kung maaari ay gumugol din sila nang konting panahon para magnilay at pag-aralan ang buod nitong isinasagawa nating K to 12,” he said over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

Not adopting K to 12 will move the country’s school system backward because the Philippines will be one of the three remaining countries in the world that have not adopted 12-year basic education, Coloma said.

Implementing K to 12 has benefits for students, he said.

“Maitatanong natin, gaano ba kahalaga ‘yung dagdag na dalawang taon? Ang iaambag ko na lang dito ay iyong aking point of view bilang isang guro, kasi ako po ay isang guro, professor po ako for the last — almost three decades,” Coloma said.

“Sa pag-aaral, iyong dagdag na panahon na iniuukol sa pagbibigay ng kaalaman ay parating maganda ang benepisyong ito dahil madadagdagan ang pondo ng kaalaman.”

With K to 12, students will gain more knowledge in basic reading, writing, and arithmetic as well as supplemental knowledge, he argued.

What’s new in K to 12 is the addition of a two-year senior high school in the curriculum on top of the compulsory kindergarten, he noted.

K to 12 requires mandatory compulsory kindergarten as well as basic elementary education from grades one to 12.

The two-year senior high school includes menu for students and they can opt to take technical courses, Coloma said.

“Paano naiiba itong senior high school? Ang kaibahan ngayon bukod doon sa tradisyunal na idinagdag na high school, meron po ngayong menu na pagpipilian ang mga mag-aaral natin na magse-senior high school,” he said.

“Meron po diyan voc-tech menu. Pwedeng ‘yung dalawang taon na iyon ang focus nila ay ‘yung paga-acquire ng technical o vocational skills na pwede na nilang magamit sa paghahanap ng trabaho dahil katulad ito doon sa pagsasanay na ibinibigay ng TESDA,” he noted.

Coloma said that in the past six years, TESDA graduates had very high employment rates, more than 90 percent, and this makes students more competitive in the job market.

For those who want to venture on arts, they can take music and dance under the two-year senior high school.

“Kaya sana kung pag-aralan lang ito nang maigi nang ating mga kababayan ay mauunawaan nila na talagang kailangang-kailangan nila itong K to 12, kailangang-kailangan na ipatupad natin ito dahil deka-dekada na itong ipinagpaliban,” the Palace official said.

Parents, especially those who are poor, are complaining on the K to 12 implementation saying adding more years to the school system creates additional financial burden for them. PND (as)

Incoming Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said they will not prioritize the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and they will concentrate on the pushing of federalism as championed by president-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

In a radio interview Saturday, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said the decision not to prioritize BBL rests on the next Congress.

“Iyon pong ultimong pagpapasya hinggil sa mga batas na isusulong, iyon naman ay nasa mandato ng ating Kongreso. At sa sistema ng ating pamahalaan may paghihiwalay ng powers — iyong legislative, executive at judiciary,” he said over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

“Pero hindi naman po nasa isang vacuum iyong talakayan natin diyan. Ang masasabi na lang natin ay ‘yung pananawagan na pag-aralan mabuti at tiyakin na hindi mababalam ‘yung prosesong pangkapayapaan dahil malaki na rin po ang naging puhunan ng ating pamahalaan, ng ating sambayanan.”

“Kung ito naman ay bibigyan nila nang sapat na pagkakataon na mapag-aralan muli, marami na rin naman po ang magsasabi na pwede namang ikonsidera ang pagpapatuloy nito.”

Coloma also said he hopes that legislators, who are elected by the people, will put national interest at the forefront on the debates on the Mindanao peace process.

“At sa akin lang pong opinyon, nasa pambansang interes na ituloy ang pagsulong sa prosesong pangkapayapaan,” he said.

At the same time, Coloma said he hopes that seeking justice for the SAF 44 who perished in Mamasapano will be continued by the next administration.

He admitted that it’s not easy to gather evidence and find credible witnesses but he added that the Aquino government did its best to give justice to the SAF 44.

The Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation are the lead agencies in the pursuit for Justice for the fallen policemen.

“Hindi po tayo pwedeng mag-give up diyan sa bagay na iyan, sa paghahanap ng hustisya para sa ating mga pulis at binawian ng buhay sa Mamasapano,” he said. PND (as)