Education remained the top priority for Irene Gay Saulog, Kalinga Party-list Representative, as she continues to push to expand scholarship programs and subsidies for students, while also advocating for better support for teachers to improve the quality of education in the country.
As a former educator before entering Congress, Saulog emphasized the importance of expanding scholarships and subsidies, particularly through the expansion of the E-GASTPE (Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education) program.
“Medyo congested na ang ating public schools, so by giving subsidy sa ating mga private schools, mas marami tayong macacater na students,” she said. She also noted that private schools often provide high-quality education but struggle with funding and government support.
“Lalo na during the pandemic, alam naman natin na I think close to 800 to 900 [private schools] closed down, pero through E-GASTPE, matutulungan natin even yung mga small scale or developing private school sector, mabigyan natin sila ng chance na magpatuloy sa kanilang pagbibigay ng quality education kahit sa private schools.”
As an example, with the Philippines' low ranking in international assessments like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Saulog believes that improving teacher support is the key to helping students have better access to quality education.
“Syempre kung gusto natin ng quality education, magstart tayo from the top. We need to support the teachers, and gusto rin po nating isulong ang mga subsidy ng mga public school teachers, malessen ‘yung workloads nila,” she stressed.
“Kasi minsan, sa halip na mag-focus in teaching the learners, napupunta sa paperworks, so nawawala yung energy nila to teach. Kaya gusto po natin na malessen ‘yung para workloads, yung quality education ang patutukan,” Saulog added.
As part of their initiatives, the representative explained that the Kalinga Party-list has been offering free Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seminars and webinars to help teachers renew their licenses, reducing the financial burden of expensive training fees.
She also stressed the need for higher salaries to encourage educators to stay in the country, citing that it is one of the reasons behind broken families.
“Like sa Hongkong, we had like 2 health medical and nakausap ko yung mga OFWs natin, mga bagong bayani, nakikain ako sa kanila. At ang problema talaga nila, parang walang silang choice kaya sila nagwowork abroad. Pero siguro kung mabibigyan natin ng mas maayos na trabaho at sweldo, diba magstay na lang sila sa Pilipinas, kasama ng kanilang pamilya para maiwasan ang broken family, ‘yun din po yung number one problem nila,” she discussed.
Addressing school bullying and students’ mental health issues
Aside from academic initiatives, Saulog also raised concerns about bullying and mental health issues in schools in the country.
She pointed out the lack of guidance counselors that schools need to guide students. With this, Saulog pushes to train senior teachers to act as guidance associates, providing much-needed support for students facing personal challenges.
As part of their response, they have launched free seminars and webinars on bullying prevention and emotional management for students, parents, and teachers.
“Nakatulong din naman kasi inuna namin kausapin ang mga parents kung paano i-guide ang kanilang mga anak, at syempre ‘yung mga teachers, kailangan partners natin ‘yan in educating our kids,” she said.
Advocating for family welfare and promoting livelihood
Beyond education, Kalinga Party-list continuously advocates for programs that address the needs of Filipinos, such as family welfare programs, including affordable adoption processes and child welfare, livelihood assistance, and medical missions for Filipinos in the country and abroad.
In the area of child welfare, one of her party-list’s biggest contributions is being one of the principal authors of Republic Act 11642, also known as the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Child Care Act.
This law lowers the cost of the adoption process, ensuring that abandoned and orphaned children can be legally placed in loving families without the burden of high legal fees. It was passed into law on January 6 this year.
“Gusto natin hindi na nilang kailangan magbayad ng malaki kasi minsan iyon yung hadlang sa pag-aampon, ang mahal ng processing fee, you have to attend a lot of court hearings. Pero sa Domestic Adoption Law, mabilis na po, mas mapabilis, mas pinamura na ang proseso.”
Moreover, she further elaborated on their programs that support small businesses by providing capital and training to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Saulog firmly believes that creating a government-backed financial institution with low-interest loans for small entrepreneurs can help them grow their businesses without resorting to high-interest informal lenders.
Beyond these initiatives, Kalinga Party-list continues to conduct medical missions not just in the Philippines but also in other countries where many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) reside.
“Ang Kalinga Party-list po for so many years, we are known for giving medical missions.”
“At hindi po tayo titigil, mas palalawakin pa po natin yan at ibubuhos natin ang mas subok na serbisyo para sa mga pamilyang Pilipino,” Saulog emphasized.
Saulog concluded that they will continue providing Filipinos with better access to education, stable job opportunities, and quality healthcare services.
Saulog served in the lower house of Congress as a representative for the party from 2022 to 2025.
