(Left-Right) Magdalo lawmakers Rep. Gary Alejano, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Rep. Ashley Acedillo at Supreme Court pushing for suspension of K to 12 implemention. (UNTV News)
Manila, Philippines — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV together with the Magdalo party-list, filed a petition before the Supreme Court asking to suspend the full implementation of the K to 12 program next year.
Trillanes is urging the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the K to 12 and declare Republic Act 10533 or the K to 12 law as unconstitutional.
In their petition, Trillanes alleged that the implementation of K to 12 violates Section 6 Article 13 of the 1987 Constitution because no substantial consultation was made with the affected sectors particularly the students, teachers and college employees during the deliberations on the said law.
It also contradicts Section 5 Article 14 of the constitution. Since there will be no freshmen enrollees in college next year, an estimated 85,000 teachers and non-teaching personnel in colleges will be losing their jobs if the full implementation of the K to 12 will push through.
The senator insisted, even the DepEd is not yet ready to implement k to 12 because until now, the shortage in classrooms, teachers, books and chairs is still unresolved.
“Ang actual budget requirements would be p150 billion para sa 150,000 new classrooms; 100,000 teachers; 95 million books and 13 million seats. Wala tayong ganyan. It’s not even being proposed. So puro theoretical yung preparedness ng ating public school system ng deped ditto; pero in fact, hindi naman.”
(The actual budget requirements would be p150 billion for 150,000 new classrooms, 100,000 teachers, 95 million books and 13 million seats. We don’t have that. It’s not even being proposed. The preparedness of our public school system, of the deped, is purely theoretical. But in truth, they aren’t)
Schools and parents are also not prepared for the start of additional two-year senior high school next year.
Trillanes said, their estimate is more than half of the high school (students) who are entering senior high school level will be turned down because the public schools are not prepared. Many of them will become out-of-school youth if this was implemented next year.
The senator added that it would be better to suspend K to 12 in the meantime and attend first to the shortage in classrooms, books and salaries of teachers.
Trillanes is the lone senator to vote against the enactment of the K to 12 law.
This is already the third petition filed before the Supreme Court against the k to 12 program.
The first petition against the K to 12 was filed by a coalition of teachers and parents last march while a group of professors led by national artist Bienvenido Lumbera filed a separate petition last April.
Meanwhile, the Department Of Education earlier insisted that are all set for the implementation of the K to 12 program. (RODERIC MENDOZA/UNTV NEWS)