MANILA, Philippines?The international acclaim achieved by Efren Peñaflorida, who was named CNN Hero of the Year for his ?pushcart classroom? in the Philippines, is an indictment of the government?s failure to provide basic education to the poor, several lawmakers and a teacher?s group said Monday.

But Malacañang is trying to make up for any shortcomings by announcing that it would confer on Peñaflorida one of the Philippine government?s highest honors given to a civilian.

The Palace is also preparing a lavish welcome for Peñaflorida.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson said the international recognition given to Peñaflorida?s work underscored the ?sorry state of education (in the country).?

?In my book, Efren is the true hero and worthy of emulation by all. I believe he is better than Pacman (Manny Pacquiao) because he does not need to break a face just to be a hero,? Joson said.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo said he would not be surprised ?if Gloria (President Macapagal-Arroyo) will seize any honors earned by (Peñaflorida) to claim credit for her administration.?

Order of Lakandula

Ms Arroyo will award the Order of Lakandula to Peñaflorida, saying his efforts and advocacy are worthy of emulation.

The Order of Lakandula is conferred by the Philippine government on a civilian who ?has demonstrated by his life and deeds a dedication to the welfare of society.?

?Efren has indeed proven that any individual can help make a difference in the world,? Ms Arroyo said in a statement.

?He has also shown the best in the Filipino. Let each one of us unleash the hero within us by helping the next person as Efren said,? she added.

Financial aid

Lorelei Fajardo, deputy presidential spokesperson, said the government was willing to extend financial aid and other forms of assistance to help Peñaflorida expand his groundbreaking program on education.

Fajardo said Peñaflorida?s program was a good example of how the private sector could ?augment whatever inadequacies the government may have.?

The province of Albay, with its goal of having at least one college graduate for each family, will also honor Peñaflorida and give him a cash gift of P250,000.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said the provincial council would pass a resolution on Tuesday giving the highest honor possible to Efren, including a cash gift, and make him an honorary son of Albay.

The province has been giving annual awards to outstanding teachers.

Although the Senate passed a resolution last week hailing Peñaflorida for being chosen as a finalist in the search for the CNN Hero of the Year, Sen. Pia Cayetano said she would still file a resolution in honor of the street educator.

?But while his feat should bring great pride to all Filipinos, it also should serve as an eye opener for the government on the need to address the declining state of education throughout the country,? Cayetano said in a statement.

Cayetano said that based on latest statistics from the Department of Education, the dropout rate remained high at 6 percent for the elementary level and 7.45 percent for the secondary level.

High dropout rate

She said Peñaflorida?s ?pushcart classrooms? came about because of the low participation rate and high dropout rate in basic education.

Alternative volunteer educators like Peñaflorida emerge because of the perennial problems hounding the system like lack of teachers, classrooms and learning materials every year, according to Cayetano.

Sen. Ramon ?Bong? Revilla Jr. said Peñaflorida?s win was a ?wake-up call? for the government to address the problems of the country?s education system.

Unreached sectors

The Teachers? Dignity Coalition (TDC) said Peñaflorida?s achievement served to bring more attention to the problem he had sought to resolve.

In a statement, the TDC said the ?pushcart classroom? project should serve as a challenge to the government to start paying more attention to educating ?unreached? sectors like the out-of-school youth, street children and indigenous people.

?His project is a creative response to the crisis, in order to address the failure of the Arroyo government to provide free public education to the poor,? Antonio Tinio, national chair of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), said in an interview.

Tinio said Peñaflorida?s ?pushcart classroom? showed the severity of the growing number of uneducated youth.

Citing data from the Department of Education?s Bureau of Alternative Learning System, Tinio said the number of dropouts had reached an unprecedented 5.2 million.

?The marked decline in enrollment statistics is largely due to poverty. This is the legacy of the Arroyo administration. No congratulations go to it. This is precisely the problem that Peñaflorida wants to respond to,? he said. Reports from Gil Cabacungan Jr., Christine O. Avendaño, Christian V. Esguerra and Beverly T. Natividad in Manila; and Rey M. Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon