Gutom na, tanga pa
Two disturbing reports I learned about on Thursday: 1) the Philippine economy has slowed down considerably and has consistently missed annual growth targets of 6.5 to 8 percent, since 2022 and 2) the Year 2 report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom II) which said that the Philippine education system, already failing, failed even more or worsened, in 2024.
We have two major crises, both probably beyond solution, with our generation of politicians. An economic crisis. And an education crisis.
A quarter of our kids aged 3-5 are malnourished. Just three of every 100 parents believe their five-year-olds should be in school. The government spends only P44 of every P100 required to properly educate our kids. Nearly all students who are in Grade 4 now should only be in Grade 1, in terms of knowledge. The government delivered only 35 of the 90 textbooks needed in Grades 4 and 7. More than half of required school days are lost due to suspensions and holidays. In three years, 5,807 very bright students, our future, were turned away at the Philippine Science High School – for lack of money.
The classroom shortage is 165,000. Yet, in the whole of 2024, the government built exactly 847 classrooms, meaning, if you needed 100 classrooms, the government built – in all 365 days – only one-third of a classroom, not even one.
Only 30 percent of public school buildings are in good condition. So 70 of every 100 school buildings need to be renovated massively or demolished. The Philippines has the world’s most bullies; 65 of every 100 Grade 10 students are bullied, the highest ratio in the world. We passed an Anti-Bullying Law in 2013, three years before Digong Duterte became president.
In 2023, the Education secretary, Sara Duterte, spent only P125 million of confidential funds, mostly on food, food for her retinue and 400 bodyguards.
There are 4.9 million kids out of school. The government tried to reach out to 600,000 of them (12 percent) to teach them something. Half did not finish the course.
Outrageous is the state of Philippine education, per the EdCom II Year Two Report. And we are not outraged at all. Patawa-tawa lang tayo.
The Philippine economy has