Seniorita @ Misteryosa.com

his week was marked by several student actions that successfully prevented moves to make education less accessible. Among the policies that were either delayed or prevented are:

• an almost-2000% tuition hike in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
• approval of tuition hike proposals in most of the 233 private schools that violated consultation guidelines

However, many issues continue to affect the Filipino youth’s right to a quality and accessible education, such as the continued implementation of forced graduation fees, and the ‘no permit, no exam’ policy, as well as tuition and other fee increases in private universities.

On Monday, March 29, students will again take to the streets to demand an emergency budget allocation for education and the prevention of any and all tuition and other fee increases for the coming school year. We in the KABATAAN Online Team invite you to show your support, both in the streets and online.

That’s why we invite you to take part in our Blog Action Day on Education this Mar.29.

Here’s how you can participate: write a blog entry on the theme “Education is a Right” on Monday (or prepare one before and just post it on that day).

You can write about the present state of our education system, and how well (or unwell) is the youth’s right to a quality and accessible education being implemented. You can write about the conditions in your school, or your personal struggles with regards to finishing your studies.

You can also write about your opinion on the PUP & UP protests, the issues surrounding the events, or even a personal narrative if you were able to participate. You can choose to write about the importance of education and the education system to Filipinos and the Phil. society in general.

After writing your entry, post a link to this page. Also, (especially if you are blogging on a social network like Facebook or Friendster) post the link to your entry at this page’s Comments section. This way, we’ll be able to monitor how many bloggers are participating and we can thank those who did. And don’t forget to insert this blog button into your entry with the following code

<p style=”text-align: center”><a href=”http://kabataanpartylist.com/”><img class=”aligncenter” src=”http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs437.ash1/24160_1316239519549_1637557695_768710_2965287_n.jpg” alt=”” width=”200? height=”300? /></a></p>

Here are other ways you can participate in the Blog Action Day for Education:

Post this message in your Facebook, Friendster, etc. Status: “Everyone has the right to a quality and accessible education. If you agree, please post this as your Status for the whole day on March 29”

Make this picture your profile pic in your various social network accounts for the entire day

Education is a right. Let’s all stand up for our rights on March 29.

Hi reader,

I am writing to you on behalf of KABATAAN Partylist to ask you to vote for real change on May 10, 2010.

How can we tell which candidates are really for change? We believe the key is in the saying “Actions speak louder than words”. Candidates can, and should be assessed based on their platforms, and what they have done while in office.

Why vote for KABATAAN Partylist? Here are the top three reasons:

1. KABATAAN has authored/co-authored many important bills, such as: the Anti-’No Permit, No Exam’ Act, the BPO Workers’ Protection Act, the Styrofoam Ban Act, and the Free Special Education Bill.

2. KABATAAN has launched many campaigns for the benefit of the youth and the people, including the extension of the voter registration period, the Tulong Kabataan relief drive for Ondoy victims, and Hotlines against Forced Grad Fees and the ‘No Permit, No Exam’ policy.

3. KABATAAN is consistent and unwavering in its call for the State to uphold the rights of the youth and the people, as embodied by its Platform “E4 All: Education & Employment, Environment & Nat’l Patrimony, End Corruption & Tyranny, Equality & Empowerment”.

(For more info, go to: http://kabataanpartylist.com/accomplishments/ and http://kabataanpartylist.com/platform/)

We are also asking you to vote for the two most-qualified and most-dedicated Senatoriables in the present race, Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. Here’s the top two reasons why you should make them your top two senators:

1. Their track record in serving the people is unmatched. For several decades, in many capacities, they have tirelessly worked to uplift the marginalized and less-fortunate in our society: as a journalist (Satur), teacher (Liza), anti-dictatorship activists, and now, partylist representatives. Their commitment has never wavered, not even in the face of persecution and personal harm, such as when they were part of the “Batasan 5″. This has earned the respect of many, including their critics.

2. Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza are two of the most-hardworking members of Congress today. Together, they have authored/co-authored many important LAWS such as the Anti-Torture Law, Abolition of the Death Penalty, Magna Carta of Women, Overseas Absentee Voting, Tax Relief for Minimum Wage Earners, Strengthening of the Public Attorney’s Office, Anti-Violence against Women & Children, Rent Control, and Anti-Trafficking in Persons.

The need for the new politics of change remain as urgent as ever. But Satur, Liza, and KABATAAN cannot do this on their own. They need our support: that’s why I’m personally asking you to pledge to vote for KABATAAN Partylist, and Satur Ocampo & Liza Maza for Senators.

Please reply to this letter with your response.

Sincerely,
Sweetham

I have been thinking of my thoughts and feelings lately and I guess I could summarize it by this statement: I am waiting for myself to fall in love again. ^_^