No permit, no exam
Congress has proposed a bill that would reportedly prohibit the ‘no permit, no exam’ policy in private schools. I am sure that Congressmen will consider the bill very carefully before making a decision. The first aspect is to establish the consequences of passing the bill.
If passed, then schools would have to take legal measures in an attempt to retrieve the indebtedness once there was doubt as to whether the debt would be repaid. The relationship between the school and those responsible for the debt, usually the parent, would be forever fractured.
The present situation is not ideal but we do not live in an ideal world.
Legislation is necessary when untenable situations arise. Private schools try to be as flexible as possible. In particular, a system whereby promissory notes which allow students to take exams if they cannot yet afford to pay is successfully implemented in many private schools.
I believe that the Legislative Branch could be accused of overreach if the ‘no permit, no exam’ policy were to be cancelled.
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Education Camp
The education camps activity has been operational for a while already. It would be newsworthy if results would be published soon. If successful, there would be a demonstrable improvement in the overall educational standard in our schools.
Let’s hope so!
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Foreign Politics
President Marcos’ foreign policy of being a “friend to all, enemy to none”, is, in principle, a potential success story. So far, unlike his predecessor, President Duterte, he has not complained about foreign pronouncements being an interference in the country’s internal affairs. I hope and believe that this will continue even after this week’s visit to the Philippines of European leader, Ursula von der Leyen.
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Macroeconomics
The recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) was generally upbeat about our economy. We have an increasing indebtedness, now exceeding P14 trillion but also a fairly sound increase in our gross domestic product (GDP). But the debt to GDP ratio is steadily increasing from 39.8 percent in 2016 to over 60 percent now. This needs to be watched.
We have prestigious but also expensive infrastructure projects which need a more rigorous debate before we implement.
On the brighter side, the fight against poverty is being won. In 2000, our poverty rate was around 33 percent of the population. Now there is good reason that it will be under 10 percent by 2028.
Inflation will be a challenge, however. The war in Ukraine is reducing overall food supply, particularly wheat. Eventually, however, economies depending on rice, such as the Philippines, will be affected. Countries with a shortage of their staple food will consume an alternative.
A shortage of wheat will soon result in increased rice consumption in many countries. The price of rice in the Philippines will not decrease anytime soon./PN
