Tamano pushes bigger budget for education

NACIONALISTA Party (NP) senatorial candidate Adel Tamano would push for a higher budget for education if he wins in the May 10 elections.

Tamano also said he will push for free college education for the poor but deserving students.

He said he believes that education could bring the nation to progress as this is also a solution to unemployment.

He said he would also push for the creation of more state colleges and universities in the country.

Tamano was in Negros Occidental Sunday with wife Rowena Rivera Capunan to campaign and met with some relatives and family friends. He was met and endorsed by fourth district Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer.

Ferrer’s wife lawyer Juliet Marie Ferrer who is a mayoral candidate of La Carlota City and Tamano’s wife were classmates during their law studies and are colleagues in a law office in Metro Manila.

Tamano who was former spokesman of the United Opposition (UNO) also explained that he chose to be with the Nacionalista Party over other opposition parties because he believes on the experience and performance of its standard bearer Manuel Villar. He said other parties also invited him to join with their parties. He also said he chose to be with Villar over Liberal Party’s standard bearer Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III because Aquino has not accomplished much in Congress.

Tamano advised Aquino to get married first before he becomes president because the lessons that a man learns in a married life is important.

Tamano also announced the endorsement he got from Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia which he said assured him of about 2.3 million votes. Tamano filed a motion for reconsideration last March 22, 2010, on the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing President Gloria Arroyo to appoint the next Chief Justice despite a “midnight appointments” ban. He was joined by fellow NP senatorial bets Susan Ople, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Gwen Pimentel and Gilbert Remulla.

“Defending the Constitution is important to me. The law is clear. The incumbent President must not appoint anyone in both the executive and the judiciary. According to Article VII, Section 15 of the Constitution, there is no exception for appointments in the judiciary. Hence, the SC ruling is deeply disappointing,” Tamano stressed.

The young lawyer also shared that the recent Supreme Court ruling was in contrast with a 1998 decision on the Villarta and Valenzuela case, which barred the President then from appointing members of the judiciary within the period covered by the ban.

The ban starts two months or 60 days before the elections and runs until June 30.

“According to the ruling of that case, the judiciary is not an exception to the rule,” he shared.

The constitutional law professor and former president of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila also said that he has high hopes that the SC will not reject the motion, despite the fact that a majority of the justices voted favorably in the earlier ruling.

“Hopefully, the court will review our petition in about a week and may even give us the chance to orally argue our case,” Tamano said. Tamano also questioned the seemingly “photo finish” of the ruling.

“There is no rush. Incumbent Chief Justice Reynato Puno will retire on May 17 so that gives the next President ample time to decide and choose the best candidate who can take his place. Remember, the role of a Chief Justice is no joke,” he said, adding that the role of a Chief Justice is vital especially this election year.

“The Chief Justice plays a crucial role in our society. If we just allow PGMA to appoint anyone and despite the fact that there is an ongoing ban, then this sends out a wrong signal to our fellow countrymen. Not only does it undermine judicial independence, it also destroys the image of the judiciary,” he said.

“Also, while I doubt that she has any decency left, PGMA must not do anything about the SC decision. She must just thank the high heavens that the

court is on her side today. Hopefully, PGMA will leave the task of appointing the next Chief Justice to her successor. I believe and I know that she knows that this is the right thing to do,” Tamano emphasized.

Tamano, the first Filipino Muslim scholar-graduate from Harvard Law School, is the son of the late Senator Mamintal Tamano.

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