Senator Cynthia Villar. PHOTO FROM SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES’ FACEBOOK PAGE
“For heaven’s sake, just pay the tuition of scholars” in state universities and colleges (SUCs) under the Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), Senator Cynthia Villar said on Tuesday.
Villar was calm but emphatic when she made this appeal to officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) led by Secretary Manny Piñol, who faced the hearing of the Senate subcommittee on finance on the proposed 2017 budget of the agency.
She lamented that until now, the DA still owed the SUCs P320 million as payment for the scholarship granted to children of small farmers and fishermen.
“Doon sa binigay n’yo sa akin, P410 million ang ibibigay sa SUCs, binayaaran nyo P90 million based on your report, not my report so may utang kayo sa SUCs na P320 million. Nakakaawa ‘yung mga estudyante na ini-encourage nating mag aral ng agriculture kasi wala ng mga batang gustong mag-aral ng agriculture,” she said.
(You informed me that you are going to give P410 million to SUCs; you have already distributed P90 million based on your report, so that means you still owe P320 million to SUCs. That is unfortunate for the students we have encouraged to study agriculture because nobody wants to take up agriculture anymore.)
“Ngayon sinisingil sila SUCs ng kanilang tuition kasi ayaw bayaran ng DA ‘yung kanilang scholarship so naawa naman ako sa mga bata. Alam n’yo naman kaya sila nag-apply ng scholarship sa inyo, wala silang pambayad ng tution. Bakit ayaw ninyong bayaran ang tuition?”
(Now the students are being made to pay by the SUCs because the DA has not been paying for their scholarship, it’s a pity. You do know they applied for scholarship because they cannot pay their tuitions. Why don’t you pay their tuitions?)
Villar said she would not move for the approval of the proposed budget of the DA next year until it settles its obligations to the SUCs.
“’Yun lang ang gusto ko. Ano ba ang kailangan ko sa inyo? Wala naman akong kailangan sa inyo e (That’s all I am asking you. Do I need anything from you? I don’t think so),” she said.
She pointed that out of the P13 billion collections for the ACEF, P8 billion had already been “wasted” as most of the funds were lent to big companies and cooperatives , and not small to farmers and fishermen.
READ: In The Know: Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund
A portion of ACEF should be set aside for the funding of a comprehensive and attractive grant-in-aid program for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary medicine education to be implemented by the Commission on Higher Education.
Villar said she was mad because the DA continued to refuse to pay its obligations to the SUCs.
“Nagagalit ako sa inyo dahil ‘yun na lang pambawi n’yo for all the things that you’ve done to ACEF, P13 billion, tinapon n’yo na yung P8 billion. ‘Yung natitira gamitin na natin ng maayos,” she said.
(I am mad at you because you could have done something good after all the things that you have done to the P13-billion ACEF, where P8 billion has already been wasted. I hope you make good use of the remaining funds.)
“And for heavens sake, bayaran n’yo ‘yung tiution noong mga bata (pay the students’ tuition). Mahihirap na bata ito kaya ‘yan nasa SUCs (These are poor children that’s why they study in SUCs), they are poor they can’t afford to go to private school. Bakit ayaw nyong bayaran (Why don’t you pay for their tuition)?”
“Huwag n’yong sabihin sa akin na nag-document ang SUCs, that’s a story na nadinig ko na since I sat as chair of agriculture in 2013. Lumang story a na ‘yan hindi, hindi n’yo ako mapapaniwala na totoo ‘yang storya na ‘yan. Nagmamatigas lang kayo, huwag kayong magmamatigas sa akin (Don’t tell me that the SUCs have just been asking for documents—that’s an old story I have been hearing since I sat as chair of Agriculture in 2013. You cannot make me believe that excuse. You are just being difficult. Don’t play difficult with me),” the senator added.
Piñol assured Villar that the DA would fast-track the payments to the SUCs.
“I will no longer explain on ACEF. The message of Senator Villar is very clear. And please allow me to assure her and the members of this body that the DA, under a new leadership — three months into our leadership— will make sure that the sins of the past will not be repeated, and the delayed payment committed in the past will not be done,” he said.
“We will fast-track the payment of the accounts of the Department of Agriculture under ACEF to the SUCs,” he said.
Piñol pointed out that since he was governor of Cotabato, he has been critical of the ACEF and how it was used.
“I agree with you that ACEF was abused, misused, hindi nakatulong sa magsasaka kaya very critical ako sa (it was not used to help the farmers so I am very critical of the) ACEF,” the official added. IDL/rga