MANILA, Philippines – Because the Philippines is reeling from the devastation of six highly effective typhoons in only one month, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go referred to as for swift motion to ease the burden on college students and households in disaster-stricken areas.
With this, Go has co-authored and co-sponsored Senate Invoice No. 1864, or the proposed Pupil Mortgage Fee Moratorium Throughout Disasters and Emergencies Act, which is now awaiting the President’s approval to change into regulation.
“The hardship our fellow countrymen are dealing with isn’t any joke. Successive storms, floods, and uncertainty in regards to the future. We is not going to enable scholar loans to change into a further burden amidst this calamity,” Go mentioned in Filipino.
The proposed regulation guarantees to ship pressing monetary reduction by suspending scholar mortgage funds throughout and after disasters, permitting college students and households to breathe simpler as they rebuild their lives.
“The query maybe of many younger college students: We’re hit onerous by the catastrophe, what about my scholar mortgage?” Go mentioned in Filipino.
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“This is the reason we pushed for the Pupil Mortgage Fee Moratorium Throughout Disasters and Emergencies invoice, to present a grace interval to college students with debt who can’t pay on account of being affected by disasters and different calamities,” he added.
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With Hurricane Pepito marking the sixth storm to batter the nation in only one month, the harm is overwhelming: over 160 lives misplaced, hundreds of households displaced, and full communities drowning in billions of pesos price of destruction.
“College students and their households are at present drowning in hardship whereas recovering from the flood. We can’t enable their schooling to additionally sink on account of poverty and debt,” Go confused.
Go confused that the mere proven fact that college students wanted to get loans to proceed their research present their need to complete and attain high quality schooling. This dedication, he mentioned, must be acknowledged and supported relatively than be a burden for them to realize their goals.
“Let’s give the youth sufficient alternative to complete their research as a result of they’re the hope and future leaders of our nation. Poverty shouldn’t be a barrier to reaching their goals,” he mentioned.
If signed into regulation, Senate Invoice No. 1864 will defer funds for college kids residing in areas declared underneath a State of Calamity or Emergency. It’s going to apply to loans for Greater Training and Technical-Vocational Training and Coaching (TVET) applications, giving Filipino college students much-needed respiratory room to deal with their research.
The measure is a part of Go’s broader push to guard the suitable of each Filipino to high quality schooling, which he believes is a cornerstone of nationwide restoration.
The senator has additionally referred to as for the quick prioritization of the invoice, emphasizing how important it’s within the wake of disasters like Hurricane Pepito and the 5 different storms that preceded it.
“This isn’t nearly coverage. That is about survival. Ang bawat araw na walang moratorium ay isang araw ng pasakit para sa kabataan na pilit bumabangon mula sa trahedya,” Go concluded.
Other than this invoice, Go has additionally championed numerous scholarship applications of the federal government in step with his mission to offer inclusive and high quality schooling.
READ: Sen. Bong Go to deal with well being, jobs, others as he seeks reelection
Additionally, Go earlier co-authored and co-sponsored RA 11510, which institutionalizes the Different Studying System (ALS) to enhance primary schooling supply to underserved and deprived college students; RA 11984, or the “No Allow, No Examination Prohibition Act”, which prohibits instructional establishments from denying college students the suitable to take exams on account of unpaid charges; RA 12006 or the “Free Faculty Entrance Examinations Act”, waiving entrance examination charges at non-public increased instructional establishments for certified prime college students; in addition to RA 11997, or the “Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act,” which will increase the instructing provide allowances for public faculty academics.
As well as, Go has co-authored and co-sponsored SBN 1360 which seeks to broaden the protection of the tertiary schooling subsidy by amending RA 10931, the Common Entry to High quality Tertiary Training Act, which was enacted throughout the time period of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Moreover, Go has additionally been pushing for the passage of his proposed SBN 1786, which seeks to mandate public HEIs to determine Psychological Well being Workplaces on their campuses. This aligns along with his perception that psychological well being ought to obtain the identical stage of consideration and care as bodily well being.