Philippine Red Cross Chairman and senatorial candidate Richard “Dick” Gordon said that Filipino teachers must be able to take home higher wages at par with their counterparts in other countries,

Speaking at a roundtable discussion with the Manila Bulletin (MB) editors, dubbed “MB Hot Seat,” yesterday at MB’s head office in Intramuros, Manila, Gordon said: “When it comes to pay, we are not ready to pay our teachers well. I don’t know why. Can you imagine if we start paying them P40,000, Salary Grade 21?”

This will also inspire more students to perform well in school and the country will reap more, he added.

Godon cited the example of Singapore which, he said, pays its teachers P133,000. “We pay our teachers P18,500 a month,” Gordon said.

Gordon said that he would give special preference to teachers. “They deserve the highest level of respect by the community,” he said. “Why? The teachers mold our youth eight hours a day; they form the citizens of the future.”

He proposed that he would provide scholarships to top college students. In return, they would serve as teachers for a minimum of three years after they graduate.

Gordon added that if elected senator anew, he would ensure proper budget for infrastructure, promote peace and order, urge the restoration of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and help strengthen the armed forces, recommend amendments to the 1987 Constitution, and push for a return to the two-party system.

PARTY REFORM

Politicians who have just switched parties should be barred from running in the next elections, to deter a long-standing practice in Philippine politics, he said.

“Today, you can even buy your own party; you can create your own party,” Gordon said, adding that many prefer to support candidates who are moneyed rather than those who possess the right principles and sufficient capabilities to lead the country.

This, he said, is a reason “the country has fallen behind despite the greatness of the Filipino people.”

“We have fallen behind, because the systems have collapsed… the institutions have collapsed. The parties don’t work; there’s no vetting,” he said.

Gordon also lamented Comelec’s “non-implementation” of some features mandated by law in conducting the Overseas Absentee Voting.

He also pushed for the lifting of economic restrictions in the country, with Filipinos fearing land ownership by foreigners. “To my mind, we should not be afraid of the world; we should not fear the future. Make the future our friend,” he said, stressing the “five F’s” that Filipinos must exercise, namely, being focused, fast, friendly, flexible, and forward-looking.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Monch Mikko E. Misagal

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