BBM Podcast 6 (Episode 3)

KATHLEEN ANNE MILLONTE (UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST, EDITOR IN CHIEF, THE DAWN): Let’s go to something po a little bit closer to us naman po as students. One major thing that concerns us po would be the education sector po.

PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. MARCOS JR.: Naturally.

MS. MILLONTE: Ayan po. So, ‘yung proposed national budget po natin for 2026 for the education sector is a record high PhP1.38 trillion po, accounting to roughly 20 percent po ng total spending po. And despite this amount po, marami pa rin – mayroon pa rin pong budget cuts ang SUCs po natin, State Us and Colleges. So, if in this case po, saan po napupunta ‘yung most po ‘yung ng allocation po ng budget natin for education if not sa State Us and Colleges po, sir?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Yeah. Well, first of all, hindi napapabayaan ang SUCs.

The budget for the maintenance and the continued operation of our SUCs is 185 billion. So, we’re not –hindi natin sinasabi that we are not attending to the SUCs.

The rest of the funding is going to go to talagang primary. Parang para kang nagpapatayo ng bahay. ‘Yung pundasyon natin napakahina eh. Na-neglect natin ‘yung education nang napakatagal.

Biruin mo, we have 160,000 shortage of classrooms. How did that happen? Paano if they did – if they built 20,000 classrooms every year for the last 30 years, wala tayong problema.

So, kailangan natin maghabol. So, we are spending it number one, of course, on classrooms. And we are finding all of the kinds of ways to build classrooms more quickly.

‘Yung support natin sa teacher. Equipment, computer, wala tayong computer. Ang dami pang eskuwelahan walang Internet. Down to the toilet in the school. Hanggang doon kailangan natin kailangan natin ayusin lahat.

Nadismaya ako to see the results of the Philippines in the grading ng STEM, especially STEM subjects. Eh we’re in a technological world now. We’re living in a technological world, highly technological

world. Paano naman wala tayong – ang hina natin sa STEM subject?

What’s important to me is that every Filipino – ang galing kasi ng Pinoy. Nakikita na natin ‘to eh. Ang galing ng Pinoy, ang sipag ng Pinoy.

Pumunta ka anywhere kung saan may Pinoy, mahal na mahal nila ‘yung Pilipino nilang kaibigan o co-worker o ‘yung nag-aalaga sa anak nila, nag-aalaga sa lola nila o ‘yung engineer na nagtayo ng building. They just love Filipinos.

I hear, I hear leaders of rich countries tell me that, “you know, without the Filipino workers, our country would not be this successful as it is now. They were there for the last 25 years and we built up our country because of the Filipino workers.” And they just love Filipinos.

In other words, you give Filipinos a good opportunity, they’ll shine. That’s why it’s important na ayusin natin ang education para lahat ng Pilipinong magagaling mabigyan ng pagkakataon na sumikat sila whether at home, whether in government, whether abroad, anywhere.

Basta’t nabigyan sila ng magandang pundasyon,

magandang edukasyon, kaya na nilang ano sumabak kahit saan. Makipagsapalaran sila kahit saan sa buong mundo.

AGRIPINO JOHN PATRICK GA-AN (4TH YEAR JURIS DOCTOR OF THE COLLEGE OF LAW OF WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY): In relation to that, sir, I’m originally from the province of Antique. And there are still a lot of remote communities in our province which I know that…

PRESIDENT MARCOS: I think we’re building a new university in your province.

MR. GA-AN: Yes po. And laying this down, sir, ‘yung mga programa po natin sa edukasyon, since I visited those communities, kahit po doon po ‘yung ratio po ng teachers is one teacher is for three grade levels.

She’s teaching grade one, grade two, and grade three. And at the same time, these children don’t have even slippers, they don’t have even resources for class. I mean, I’m very passionate about this because I’ve seen it. So, I want to address this. How can we make this more equitable so that those far-reaching communities could also be reached by your program?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, that’s basically it, be reached by the program.

We have to have the… Eh kung walang school school building, wala, talo na kaagad, ‘di ba? You’re way behind immediately. Hindi ka pa nagsisimula, wala na, luging-lugi ka na.

The education is one of those things that I hope we can get started in such a way na kahit wala na ako dito, kahit na wala na kami dito, my administration is no longer here, that this will continue, that this

will – masanay ang tao so that it becomes na nga a right. And if it is taken away from you, you can demand for it to be brought back.

Karapatan namin ‘yan magkaroon ng ganyan. Huwag ninyong tatanggalin ‘yan. And that’s what I want to instill in everybody.

That’s what I want to instill in government. That’s what I want to instill in the people that it is a right. You can demand it. It is a right.

MR. GA-AN: So, I think Mr. President, we’re running out of time and hindi ko naman po gustong i-waste ang opportunity na ito para maitanong ko po sa inyo ito personally because I really wanted to ask this

personally po sa inyo because as someone who aspires – as someone po who aspires to enter public service someday, what is the one thing that you want me to know that you should have known prior to entering public service?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: I think you’re well-guided so long as you enter politics for the right reason. And there’s only one right reason: To serve.

MR. GA-AN: To serve.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: There’s no other correct reason. It’s a thankless job, that’s for sure.

MR. GA-AN: And a sleepless job.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: But it’s worth it. You know, it’s worth it. You know, when you see something change for the good that you made it, you made it

happen, ikaw ang may – that changes your world.

There’s nothing better. There’s nothing better than to help somebody outside of yourself, outside yourself, outside your family, your community, your country.

May nagawa ka. Nagbago ‘yung buhay ng tao. Can

you imagine? Binago mo ‘yung buhay ng tao. What a privilege to be able to do that?

JANNINE LAGBAWAN (POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, NEWS EDITOR, THE COMMUNICATOR): We just have one question na we’re very curious about kasi as a President po you can have everything you want. Kasi you have the money and you have the privilege din po as well. Ngayon na magpa-Pasko na po, what is something that the President want na hindi po siya – it’s tangible and intangible at the same time that kahit Presidente ka parang ang hirap siyang ma-achieve. Something that you really wanted to have this Christmas?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: I don’t know how specific you want to get, but that for Christmas that the legislature will provide us a good budget.

MR. GA-AN: Yes. We also wish for that po.

MS. MILLONTE: Same wish po.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: That will make for a very nice Christmas. Intangible, more time with my family.

STUDENTS: Yes.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: You know, in this job you cannot hang, you cannot chill. There’s no – there’s no – wala na ‘yun. Of course, we used to enjoy that very much, especially when we were living in Ilocos.

Wala pang trabaho ‘yung mga bata. Simpleng-simple lang ‘yung buhay namin noon. I miss that.

But you know, I am not saying I’m not happy to be here. I’m happy to be here because you are given again the privilege to help, to do something, to help people’s lives. That’s the biggest privilege that anyone can give you. If you’re in public service, that’s the most – that’s golden.

MR. GA-AN: So, that’s all po. Merry Christmas and namamasko po kami.

[laughter]

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Merry Christmas!

MR. GA-AN: So, thank you so much po, Mr. President. Merry Christmas po.

PRESIDENT MARCOS: Maraming salamat.

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