Marcos: Education a right of the youth

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday underscored the importance of education, saying that every young Filipino should have access to it.

Marcos said this during his visit in Obando, Bulacan where he met the beneficiaries of the Presidential Scholarship Program and led the distribution of 10-kilogram rice to residents.

“Para sa pamahalaan, ang edukasyon ay hindi pribilehiyo. Ito'y karapatan ng bawat isa ng ating kabataan,” the President said.

(For the government, education is not a privilege. It is the right of the youth.)

“Kailangan ng pamahalaan ay asikasuhin at tiyakin na maganda ang sektor ng edukasyon. Naiwanan lang tayo nang kaunti dahil sa nakaraang ilang taon, hindi masyadong nabibigyan ng atensyon ang ating education sector,” he added.

(The government needs to ensure that the education sector is good. We were just left behind a bit because in the past few years, our education sector was not given much attention.)

The scholarship program is part of the Socio-Civic Projects Fund, under which each barangay would receive a P200,000 special support fund. Half of this would be allocated to educational assistance, with the remainder intended for community development projects.

Marcos thus reminded the scholars to study and work hard, as education could help uplift their lives and the lives of their families and communities.

“Hindi na makukuha sa iyo ‘yan, hindi na malulusaw ‘yan, hindi maaagaw ‘yan, hindi mananakaw ‘yan. Habang buhay kayo, nandiyan, nasa sa inyo ‘yan at magagamitin ninyo para pagandahin ang inyong mga buhay,” he said.

(Education can't be taken away from you, it can't be erased, it can't be stolen. As long as you live, it's there, it's yours, and you can use it to make your lives better.)

“Kapag maganda ang pag-aaral ninyo, maganda ang patakbo ng Pilipinas at matutulungan ninyong pagandahin ang buhay ng bawat kababayan natin at pagagandahin ang ating minamahal na Pilipinas,” he continued.

(If you study well, the Philippines will be run well in the future and you will help improve the lives of every one of our countrymen and make our country better.) —VAL, GMA News