Gov't allocates P200B
for education agencies

PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday staged her third unity walk, this time with about 500 students and youth leaders from various private and public schools.

The third unity walk, which was supposedly against the "politics of division and despair," was organized by the training schools of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). It came on the eve of another big rally against the Arroyo administration.

The first unity walk was with Cabinet members while the second was with governors and mayors.

Arroyo thanked the students for being a "big inspiration to government" and "for expressing your weariness of the politics of division and despair."

"Thank you for supporting your government as we make bitter and tough decisions to ensure continuous economic growth, to fight poverty, and to ensure that our country remains peaceful and stable," she said.

TESDA chief Augusto Syjuco Jr. said the unity walk was not meant to match the efforts of ZTE witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr. to get the support of as many students as possible.

"Napakaliit naman sigurong bahagi ng buhay o kabuhayan ng Pilipino ngayon si Lozada compared kay Pangulo...President Arroyo has the largest investment in people through her programs. I think it is because of that she has a strong following with the young people," he said.

Syjuco explained that Lozada gets mobbed in schools because Filipinos are curious and fond of celebrities, "even if it is a wrong kind of celebrity." He said Lozada is a celebrity who is "being celebrated by the wrong people for the wrong reasons."

He said Lozada's day won't last much longer because he has nothing more to say and the people are getting tired of him. He said students are better off studying than attending rallies.

Arroyo, in her speech, said the government has allocated this year about P200 billion for education agencies, of which P150 billion would go to the education department.

She said P3.5 million would be used to turn day care centers into pre-schools, whose students would be given rice under the Food for School Program. She said P6 billion would be allocated for 11 schoolchildren, P1 billion for teacher training in Math, Science and English.

She said teachers would also get a 10 percent salary increase in the middle of the year.

She said P3 billion is allocated for vocational training, including P1 billion for scholarships and P350 million for training of agents for business process outsourcing and call centers.