Dennis Gaviola

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — To address loopholes in the Philippines’ education sector, ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro proposed various measures mainly, to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spending on the said sector to at least 6 percent.At the moment, the government spends 3  to 3.5 percent of the GDP for education.Out of the P6.326 trillion budget for 2025, the education sector received the biggest allocation of P1.05 trillion.According to Castro who faced ABS-CBN’s Harapan 2025 on Friday, another solution to education woes is to reduce class size from the current 45 to 60 to a maximum of 35 which, she said, is the international standard.“Taasan ang sahod ng mga teachers,” she added. “Ibigay yung sapat na suweldo na nakabubuhay—50,000 per month para sa ating mga teacher 1. So tataas yan depende sa position ng mga teachers. Yun na. Totally tanggalin talaga yung mga non-teaching task ng mga teachers para makapag-focus siya doon sa pagtuturo.”<div>BETTER LABOR CONDITIONS</div>Castro is also pushing for an increase in the salary of workers which, she estimates, should be P1,200 a day.“Dapat tanggalin natin yung regional wage board at magkaroon ng national minimum wage na nakabatay doon sa cost of living, nakabatay sa nakabubuhay na suweldo,” she said.She also wants to put an end to contractualization.Castro argued that employers will not suffer from these changes.“Maliit na porsyento lang kung tutuusin natin yung suweldo ng mga manggagawa sa overall na gastos ng employer. Kung talagang nalulugi sila, magbukasan tayo ng financial status. Tignan natin kung talagang nalulugi. Pero kahit nga nung pandemya tumaas pa ang mga kita ng mga malalaking kompanya. So sa mga maliliit na kompanya dapat bigyan ng tulong ng gobyerno,” Castro explained.The lawmaker is also pushing for House Bill 258 or an Act imposing a &quot;super-rich tax’” on individuals with net value assets exceeding P1 billion. Castro said the government will be able to earn an estimate of P18 billion to P19 billion from this to address inflation and other financial issues.The bill has been pending with the House Committee on Ways and Means since 2022.<div>AKAP, FOREIGN POLICY</div>Castro was also asked about certain policies of the Marcos administration.She said the P26 billion Ayuda Para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) was not pork barrel but was being used for patronage politics.“Direkta itong binibigay ng DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) doon sa mga beneficiary, ang problem lang nangingialam ang mga politiko, pumupunta sa payout. Kaya di siya pork barrel pero minsan nagagamit na itong pang vote buying,” Castro explained.This is why she supports the inclusion of other government agencies in the distribution of the said aid.As for Marcos’ foreign policy, particularly in relation to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) dispute, Castro said there is no need to rely on either China or the United States that have their own interests.She suggested a mutual relationship with other Southeast Asian countries that also have stakes in the WPS.

To address loopholes in the Philippines’ education sector, ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro proposed various measures mainly, to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spending on the said sector to at least 6 percent.

To address loopholes in the Philippines’ education sector, ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro proposed various measures mainly, to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spending on the said sector to at least 6 percent.

Harapan 2025: Castro pushes for education reforms, better labor conditions

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Harapan 2025: Castro pushes for education reforms, better labor conditions

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 17, 2025 10:00 PM PHT

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Harapan 2025

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