The Tejada tragedy: Less talk, more action, please

(Note: This post is written by guest blogger Kyle Arguelles of Manila, Philippines)

The unfortunate saga of Kristel Tejada tragic death continues. Tejada, a first-year Behavioural Sciences student at the University of the Philippines - Manila, committed suicide after severe depression caused by being forced to file a leave of absence from school because of financial problems and a P10,000 tuition debt with the University of the Philippines - Manila.

Much have been said about who is to blame or what could have been done to prevent this. Was Tejada's inability to stay in school the sole reason why she decided to end her life? Or was there an ongoing bout of depression or other psychological issues, and that school tuition problem was just the straw that broke the camel's back? Could the UP loan board have been more lenient with her and other students like her going through financial difficulties?

UP officials are even facing criminal charges by the Office of the Ombudsman as a direct result of Tejada's suicide. And because the Ombudsman's office is such a beacon for justice and hope for the poor, this is exactly the solution to this issue — NOT!

This being an election season, political candidates have also weighed in on the issue. Expressing disappointment over UP's handling of the student's debt, calling for more state funding for state universities and colleges, and expressing more strong disappointments.

Great! More strong words to fill up news holes, and more keywords to satisfy Google search engine spiders. But, as has been pointed out in a previous post: Where's the beef?

Has any of the congressional and senatorial candidates proposed any legislative measures to attempt to solve the country's education crisis? Yes, you know it's a crisis when people are dying over it!

Don't get me wrong, these potential legislators sharing their thoughts on the issue is an indication that this is important to them. My favourite senatorial candidate Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. (disclaimer: hey, I'm a blogger, I can show a little bit of bias) has called out the UP debt policy for what it actually is: "anti-poor." Rightly so, for after all, it was his father and namesake former President Magsaysay, who popularized and lived by the concept: those who have less in life should have more in law.

Other senatorial candidates have also weighed in. Chiz Escudero said he would push for more equal access to education. Pro-poor Party List Bayan Muna also had their say on the matter, as well as many other political candidates.

These statements are all well and good, but what they do with those sentiments once they're in office is, I believe, where the rubber meets the road. Less talking points, more action. Show me a candidate with a solid legislative plan for equal access to quality education and I will show you a winner — or at least, an ideal winner.

How about a piece of legislation that will set up a student loan program for qualified college students that will allow them to take out a low-interest loan from the government, which they can repay once they start working? I'm sure the details can be worked out by brilliant minds in the Senate. Simply increasing funding for state-run educational institutions, I think, will not achieve the objective of giving access to quality education for poor but deserving young students.

Why can't something like this program be implemented for students in the Philippines?