Bishop Iñiguez endorses Gordon's 'text-for-change' bill

Realizing the urgency of addressing the country's problem in reforming the educational system, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez has endorsed Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon's 'text-for-change' bill.

Iñiguez expressed strong support to Senate Bill 2402, or the Health and Education Acceleration Program (HEAP), as he stressed the need for a definite action plan to save the country's learning system from further deterioration.

He said reforming the country's educational system to provide quality learning for our youth is a necessity--an urgent need that requires immediate action.

Iñiguez added that he full supports the bill because it provides a concrete plan of action to develop and improve the country's educational and health care systems.

"I hope you would succeed in this endeavor," he told Gordon during a recent forum at the Illustrado Cafe, Intramuros, Manila.

Gordon thanked the bishop for his endorsement, saying that it would encourage more public support considering that people have high regard for the opinion of church leaders.

He said leaders of different religious groups are also more likely to throw in their support to the HEAP bill because of the noble causes of the measure.

"Our continuous commitment to reforming the country's educational and health care systems is gradually being recognized by the different sectors of our society," Gordon said.

"If we all join together and push for the passage of this bill, our children and the future generations would be assured of a brighter future because they will be given better, and eventually, the best education," he added.

Through the HEAP bill, telecommunications companies (telcos) would remit part of their net income from local text messaging to augment government funds for all the country's health care and education requirements.

The country suffers from an existing backlog of 9,754 classrooms at the cost of P7.31 billion; 4,121,009 school seats at P4.12 billion; 63,178,377 textbooks at P4.21 billion; 39,762 teachers at P5.28 billion and an additional P79 million for their training; and 8,499 principals at P1..66 billion.

Gordon also noted that schools lack health manpower with only 154 medical officers, 617 school dentists, 3,254 school nurses, 570 dental aides, and 32 nutritionist-dieticians for the more than 17 million public school students in the country.

The country's health personnel-student ratio is at one medical officer is to 80,000 students; one school dentist is to 20,000 students; and one school nurse is to 5,000 students.