Bam Aquino: Everyone should work for education
(For education, everyone should work together.)
This was the statement of Senator Bam Aquino on Wednesday when asked by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada on Wednesday if he is already supporting the leadership of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.
Estrada posed the question during Wednesday's plenary session after Aquino, in his privilege speech, said that he welcomes Marcos' affirmation during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) that education should remain a top priority for the last three years of the administration.
'On a lighter note, Senator Aquino, you mentioned earlier…na masaya ka at maraming binanggit si Pangulong Marcos tungkol sa education. 'Yan ba ay pagpapatunay na sinusuportahan niyo si Pangulong Marcos?' Estrada asked.
(On a lighter note, Senator Aquino, you mentioned earlier...that you are happy that President Marcos talked a lot about education. Is that proof of support for President Marcos?)
Aquino, in response, explained that everyone working together for the sake of education has been his position ever since.
'Kahapon po, I was pleasantly surprised…naka-ready na po 'yung speech ko eh, kaya parang buminggo talaga tayo. Ang rami dito nabanggit po nung Monday. We're very thankful for that,' he added.
(Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised. My speech was ready but it seems that we ticked all the boxes. A lot was mentioned on Monday. We're very thankful for that.)
Aquino was recently given the chairmanship of the Senate committee on basic education. He also joined the Senate majority bloc, along with Senator Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan, after airing their support for the Senate presidency of Francis 'Chiz' Escudero.
During his fourth SONA, Marcos vowed aggressive actions to address the learning crisis confronting the Philippine education sector, seeking to create a lasting impact for Filipino students, teachers, and families.
The President also committed to building 40,000 additional classrooms before the end of his term as part of a major infrastructure push to solve persistent shortages in public schools across the country.
In his privilege speech, Aquino recognized that the issues hounding the country's education system will not be solved easily.
He said that the Senate committee on basic education will ensure that the government's promises to improve the quality of education will be kept.
'With the budget increase and the President's pronouncement during the SONA, I'm sure we will find a way to find the funding para magkaroon ng successful implementation ang mga education reforms natin. Itong lahat, kailangan po natin para masolusyonan ang krisis ng ating edukasyon,' the senator said.
(With the budget increase and the President's pronouncement during the SONA, I'm sure we will find a way to get the funding to have a successful implementation of our education reforms. We need all of this to solve the crisis in our education system.) —LDF, GMA Integrated News
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