Lawmakers seek P125 elderly goods discount, P50,000 teachers’ wage
A BILL seeking a P50,000 monthly wage for public school teachers was filed before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, as a joint congressional panel also asked the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI) and of Agriculture (DA) to increase the senior citizens discount on basic goods to P125 per week, citing food inflation.
“Using food inflation rates, we determined that by now the total value of the discount [of senior citizens on basic goods] should have been adjusted to around P126.31 per week. So, adjustment to P125 is more or less where we should be by now,” Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda said in a statement.
The proposed increase seeks to update the DTI-DA Administrative Order No. 10-02, where senior citizens are entitled to a 5% discount without value-added tax (VAT) exemption on basic commodities like rice, corn, bread, eggs, and fish, among others.
During the hearing, the House Committees on Ways and Means and Senior Citizens called on the DTI and the DA to adjust the discount rate from the current P65 weekly to P500 per month, which reflects the increase to P125 per week.
“The cost to society of these discounts is at least P31.096 billion every year, a burden shared equally among all others,” Mr. Salceda told the hearing.
Also on Tuesday, a measure seeking to increase the salaries of publicschool teachers to P50,000 per month was filed before the House.
The proposed amount as entrylevel pay is equivalent to salary grade 15 under the Salary Standardization Law, which is nearly double the current entry-level salary of public school teachers at P27,000.
“The monthly pay of even the midlevel personnel like public school teachers (Salary Grade 11) — estimated to be about P893,272 occupying Teacher I to Teacher III positions — remains insufficient to meet the family living wage of P1,119 per day or P33,570 per month,” the congressmen said in House Bill (HB) No. 9920.
Under the measure, co-authored by Party-list Representatives France L. Castro, Arlene D. Brosas, and Raoul Danniel A. Manuel, teachers would receive increases of over P6,000 spread across four years, or about P1,500 annually.
“Measly increases are quickly eaten away by inflation and excise taxes — especially those brought by the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law,” the bill’s explanatory note read.
“No wonder most teachers would rather work abroad despite the risks and hazards to earn almost thrice or eight times the entry-level salary,” they added.
PHILHEALTH AGENDA NEXT
For its next agenda, the House Ways and Means Committee will review the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) charter and consider expanding patients’ benefits, as requested by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Earlier, he said the state-run insurer must cover 50% of a patient’s medical bills and include the benefit of free examinations for early detection of diseases.
At the weekend, Mr. Romualdez said he received complaints that PhilHealth only covers 15% to 20% of patients’ hospital bills.
“Occupational therapy and rehabilitation is perhaps the most beneficial type of medical care because its aim is to make the patient productive again,” Mr. Salceda said. “As far as returns to society go, there is not only a moral gain but an economic benefit to it.”