Friday, May 31, 2013

No tuition fee hike at Bulacan State University



MALOLOS CITY—The Bulacan State University (BulSU) here may be the only state university in Central Luzon that has not increased its tuition fee since 2007.

This is due to subsidy provided by foreign students including Chinese and Taiwanese nationals.

Aside from the above, the university implemented the provisions of the Republic Act 8292 or the Higher Education Modernization act of 1997 which allowed them to implement income generating projects (IGP).

“We don’t need to raise our tuition fees because we have enough money,” said Dr. Mariano De Jesus, president of BulSU.

He recounted that in his first inaugural speech in 2007 when he was first appointed as President of BulSU, he vowed to exhaust all other means to avoid tuition fee hike.

De Jesus’ decision is contrary to current situations in other schools in the country today which hiked their tuition fees.

“It’s all in the strategy which was provided by RA 8292,” he said in disclosing the secrets of non-tuition fee hike in the last six years.
 
One of the keys is the opening the BulSU international programs in Hongkong, China, Macau, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and even in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in East Africa.

Foreign students enrolled in BulSU international programs are taking post graduate courses.

“For every student, let say a Chinese or Taiwanese, we charge them three times the tuition fee paid by our local students,’ De Jesus said.

 This means, he said, for every foreign student, they subsidize tuition fee of two Filipino students.

For other income generating projects, De Jesus opened part of the campus especially the area fronting the MacArthur highway here to commercial establishments.

He said that the university is earning about a million pesos every month for rentals of the commercial establishments that includes a Caltex gas station, a mini-mall with over 100 tenants, and space rented by McDonalds, an international fastfood chain.

According to the president, income generated by the university allowed them to partly subsidize students’ tuition fees, instructors’ salaries, and built ne facilities like a gymnasium a hostel and additional classroom.

The said facilities, especially the gymnasium and the hostel are also being used by some organizations from time to time, wherein the university still able to generate income by charging for rentals.

However, as the biggest state university in central Luzon with student enrollment of at least 35,000 last year, De Jesus said that BulSU is still visited by problems.

As enrollment begins, the president admitted that his biggest problem now is how to reject students.

“We expect that out enrollment will reach to 37,000 this year and we are avoiding it to reach 40,000, otherwise, quality of education will suffer,” he said.

At present, BulSU maintains satellite campuses in the towns of Bustos, Hagonoy, Bulakan, and in the City of San Jose Del Monte.


They are not eyeing the possible opening of a BulSu extension class in the nearby Guiguinto town.  Dino Balabo

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Fisherfolk to Senate today

MALOLOS CITY—Hundreds of fisherfolk are set today to hold an early morning fluvial parade on Manila bay and storm the Senate building’s waterfront.

Dubbed as “Bangkaan para sagipin ang pangisdaan,” the fluvia parade will start at 7 o’clock at the C-4 terminal in Navotas City and at the Freedom Island in ParaƱaque, an hour later.

All parade participants will be on at least 40 large boats and will converge in front of the Senate in Pasay City.

This will coincide with today’s celebration of Fisherfolk Day based on of Presidential Proclamation No. 261 signedin 2000 by then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

Invited to the activity are Director Asis Perez of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to address concerns on overfishing and reelected Senator Gringo Honasan to address the fisherfolk with regard to the National Land Use and Management Act that is pending in the Senate.

Pablo Rosales of the Save the Fisheries Now Network however said that fisherfolk have nothing to celebrate as they are one of the basic sectors that have remained marginalized.

In a statement, Rosales said that fisherfolk are considered to be the poorest of the poor with 41.4% poverty incidence as cited in the latest National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report.
 He also said that that the country’s fishing grounds are heavily exploited by commercial as well as foreign fishers like the Taiwanese and Chinese fishing vessels that encroach on Philippine seas.

On the other hand, seaweed farmers, mostly women, are disenfranchised by aggressive coastal real estate development as traditional areas for seaweed and fish drying are converted into private beach resorts, adding that fisherfolk settlements are practically not implemented nor respected.


He said that aside from these concerns, his group will also demand the passage of the National Land Use and Management Act, presently pending at the Senate,a proposed bill that will establish a separate Department of Fisheries, the Marine Protected Area Bill, the End the Reclamation that Destroys Marine Biodiversity bill and a call to end overfishing. Dino Balabo

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Back-to-school trade fair and discount caravan in Bulacan


MALOLOS CITY—Still looking for school supplies at discounted prices?

Worry not.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bulacan provincial office will launch its 8th Back-to-School Trade Fair and Diskwento Caravan at the Bulacan Capitol grounds on Wednesday, May 29.

Aimed at providing affordable school supplies like note books, pens, pencils, bags, garments, shoes and others, the event  was organized in partnership with the Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office (PCEDO) and the Bulacan Small and Medium Enterprises Development (SMED) Council.

Rhine Aldana, DTI provincial director, said they planned the launch of the trade fair in time for the release of employees’ month-end salaries.

“It’s our 8th annual trade fair aimed to help Bulakenyos as class opening approaches,” Aldana said.

She added that that it also encourages cooperation of Bulacan-based companies with a sense of corporate social responsibility.

She said the annual trade fair is conducted to assist local MSMEs to generate sales and also to provide assistance to low-income earners avail of reduced prices of basic and prime commodities.


Aldana said DTI-Bulacan will also invite other government agencies to extend their services like TESDA to provide free massage, foot spa and haircut along with other government agencies like the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth), Pagibig and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for information assistance of their services as an added attraction to the event. Dino Balabo

Sunday, May 26, 2013

BULACAN GOVERNOR & VICE-GOVERNOR winning candidates



Candidate
Party
Votes
SY-ALVARADO, WILHELMINO (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
894593



Candidate
Party
Votes
FERNANDO, DANIEL (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
914960



SOURCE: Comelec-Bulacan

BULACAN CONGRESSMAN winning candidates



Candidate
Party
Votes
SY-ALVARADO, MA.VICTORIA (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
217632





Candidate
Party
Votes
PANCHO, APOL (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
156788


Candidate
Party
Votes
MENDOZA, JONJON (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
122079



Candidate
Party
Votes
VILLARICA, LINABELLE RUTH (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
197727





Candidate
Party
Votes
ROBES, ARTHUR (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
79120

SOURCE: Comelec-Bulacan

BULACAN PROVINCIAL BOARD MEMBER winning candidates



Candidate
Party
Votes
FERMIN, MICHAEL (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
167051
OPLE, TOTI (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
157104
OPLE, AYEE (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
151776



Candidate
Party
Votes
DELA CRUZ, BUKO (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
153263
POSADAS, MONET (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
121988



Candidate
Party
Votes
CASTRO, NONO (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
108383
SULIT, ERNING (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
85069




Candidate
Party
Votes
DELOS SANTOS, JON JON (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
193446
SARMIENTO, KING (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
170113
BALUYUT, ALLAN RAY (NP)
NACIONALISTA PARTY
149556




SOURCE: Comelec-Bulacan

SANTA MARIA winning candidates

Santa Maria

Candidate
Party
Votes
RAMOS, BARTOLOME (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
56408

Candidate
Party
Votes
STO. DOMINGO, RICO JUDE (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
42867

Candidate
Party
Votes
PLEYTO, SALVADOR JR. (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
44969
LUCIANO, NELSON (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
41035
CAGUIAT, FROILAN (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
40928
DE GUZMAN, RENATO JR. (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
37665
STA. ANA, TEOFILO (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
32542
PEREZ, ROBERTO (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
31602
MORALES, OSCAR (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
30517
AGUILAR, LAILANIE (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
30459

SOURCE: Comelec-bulacan

SAN RAFAEL winning candidates

San Rafael

Candidate
Party
Votes
VIOLAGO, GOTO (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
30953

Candidate
Party
Votes
VENERACION, EDISON (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
28720


Candidate
Party
Votes
MAPOY, AIZA (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
24802
VIOLA, KIKO (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
24169
STA. MARIA, NONONG (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
24145
VICHO, LEN-LEN (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
22577
ESTRELLA, SOC (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
21781
SABARIAGA, MANNY (NUP)
NATIONAL UNITY PARTY
21089
PAULINO, VIC (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
20747
SANTOS, GAY (LP)
LIBERAL PARTY
19675

SOURCE: Comelec-Bulacan