MANILA Science High School community filed Monday before the Supreme Court (SC) its fourth petition asking to suspend the implementation of the K to 12 basic education program.
Manila Science petitioners -- involving parents, teachers and students -- through lawyer Severo Brillantes, requested the court to issue a temporary restraining order to stop implementing two additional years of senior high school to allow the Grade 10 students to take College Entrance Tests.
"The school year is about to end. As early as July sinabi na namin na there is an extreme urgency to issue TRO because University of the Philippines (UP) and other colleges are already giving entrance exams," Brillantes said.
On July 28, petitioners already filed Most Urgent Motion for Early Resolution of their prayer for a TRO arguing that the extreme urgency for its issuance is already beyond dispute, considering that without the TRO, petitioner students, will be denied the chance to qualify and thus avail of the quality education that the State University and other colleges and universities offer.
"Kung hindi makakapag-issue ng TRO ipagakakait natin sa mga estudyante ang kanilang karapatan for quality education at ang kanilang karapatang magkolehiyo," Brillantes said.
The petitioners expressed dismay to the SC for not resolving the case the soonest possible time considering the approaching enrollment period.
"Most sadly, despite the fact that the Honorable Court could already resolve the said most meritorious Motion for the ex parte issuance of a TRO, all that it did in its August 04, 2015 Resolution was to merely note it," the petition read.
Brillantes said that it is already more than seven months and their prayer for the issuance of a TRO has not even been submitted for resolution.
"Ang kasamaang palad, every time we file motion for TRO ang ginagawa lang ng Supreme Court is to note it without action when it should have resolved our prayer for TRO," Brillantes said.
The lawyer also said that the earliest petitions against K to 12, which were filed in March 2015, will be celebrating its first anniversary next month, with no clear resolution in sight as regards their similar prayers for issuance of a TRO.
Brillantes expressed hope that the high court will be able to hear their case against K to 12 and to declare it unconstitutional.
"Wala na pong dahilan para hindi nila dinggin ang aming petition. Our petition is already ripe for resolution," Brillantes said.
"K to 12 is unconstitutional. Grade 10 students deserve to have a college education, he added.
Aside from the petition for TRO, the petitioners also would like to hear the case on oral arguments.
"We are also asking for orals arguments because we want to answer whatever qualifications or questions the SC wished to ask us and for us to further explain the merit of our petition," Brillantes said. (Sunnex)