Who will make the best “Education President”? By that term I mean someone with enough education to understand what it means to be educated, someone with some experience in educating others, and someone with a track record of having supported efforts to improve education.
Let us look at the survey-leading presidentiables, in alphabetical order.
Manuel “Noli” Leuterio De Castro Jr. earned an undergraduate degree in banking and finance at the University of the East. Before becoming a Senator and Vice-President, he was in media. In government, he has not been involved in anything directly related to education.
Francis Joseph “Chiz” Guevara Escudero earned an undergraduate degree in political science and a law degree at the University of the Philippines and a graduate degree in international and comparative law at Georgetown University. Before becoming a Congressman and a Senator, he was a practising lawyer and a classroom teacher. In government, he authored bills strengthening the University of the Philippines, establishing an education trust fund, converting colleges to state universities, rationalizing governance of pre-school education, establishing early childhood development and education centers, exempting donations to schools from taxation, providing for full utilization of teachers for teaching positions, prohibiting collection of contributions from teachers and students at all levels, upgrading salary levels of education supervisors, and providing incentives for teachers assigned outside their towns or provinces.
Loren Bautista Legarda-Leviste earned an undergraduate degree in broadcast communications at the University of the Philippines and a graduate degree in national security administration at the National Defense College of the Philippines. Before becoming a Senator, she was in media. In government, she co-authored a law on early childhood care and development.
Manuel “Mar” Araneta Roxas II earned an undergraduate degree in economics at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania. Before becoming a Congressman, a Secretary of Trade and Industry, and a Senator, he was an investment banker in New York and a corporation executive in the Philippines. In government, he authored RA 7880 (the Roxas Law), spearheaded the Personal Computers for Public Schools Program, and chaired the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.
Manuel “Manny” Bamba Villar Jr. earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in business administration and accountancy at the University of the Philippines. Before becoming a Congressman and a Senator, he worked as an accountant and financial analyst before turning entrepreneur and homebuilder. In government, he authored bills requiring recycling by educational institutions, protecting the freedom of speech and of association of students, mandating courses on the environment and information technology in schools, establishing the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED), institutionalizing the Non-Formal Education Accreditation and Equivalency (NFE A&E) System, imposing a 10% tax on cellular phone calls for a special computer literacy education fund, prohibiting schools from requiring graduates to take review classes with them, establishing a college education trust fund, requiring colleges to inform students about sexual harassment, and creating municipal special education centers.
In case any of the information above (taken from their own websites) is inaccurate or incomplete, please email me at isaganicruz@gmail.com.
ESU In London: I attended the 28th Annual International Public Speaking Competition of the English-Speaking Union (ESU) in London last May 21. The Philippines previously won twice (Patricia Evangelista in 2004 and Gian Karlo Dapul in 2008). This year, we sent Ramon Lorenzo Luis Rosa Guinto from the UP College of Medicine.
The Philippines was placed in the toughest heat (qualifying group). Guinto had to compete with the best speakers from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England & Wales, Lebanon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, and Thailand. Two speakers from each heat qualified for the finals. Unfortunately Guinto did not make it. The two that made it eventually took prizes in the finals: runner-up for the Netherlands and Audience’s Choice for New Zealand. The champion came from Mauritius.
Several organizations helped bring Guinto to the UK, such as ESU Philippines, the British Council, Shell Philippines, and the DFA. I want to thank particularly Loline Adelina Reed, our indefatigable ESU advocate in London, for taking care not just of Guinto but myself and my wife.
“WORDS OF THE DAY” (English/Filipino) for next week’s elementary school classes: June 22 Monday: 1. go/ng, 2. bit/niya, 3. bent/kanya, 4. east/may, 5. boot/ka, 6. crime/kay; June 23 Tuesday: 1. up/na, 2. off/hindi, 3. coal/mo, 4. west/ito, 5. base/isa, 6. gun/nga; June 24 Wednesday: 1. say/ni, 2. map/siya, 3. meat/ko, 4. south/naman, 5. edge/wala, 6. war/pero; June 25 Thursday: 1. run/na, 2. act/mga, 3. deep/lang, 4. north/din, 5. loose/nito, 6. cause/nila; June 26 Friday: 1. get/ano, 2. care/dahil, 3. drop/bakit, 4. field/akin, 5. arch/iba, 6. debt/talaga. The numbers after the dates indicate grade level. The dates refer to the official calendar for public elementary schools. For definitions of the words in Filipino, consult UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino.