Duterte eyes pay hike for teachers

After pushing for a 100-percent increase in the salaries of soldiers and policemen, President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing to increase the salaries of public school teachers next.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the President signed on January 1 Joint Resolution 1, which will double the salaries of the military, police and other uniformed personnel effective January.

The joint resolution was first passed by the House of Representatives as House Joint Resolution 18 on December 11, 2017 and adopted by the Senate as an amendment to Senate Joint Resolution 11 on December 13, 2017.

Roque also said Duterte instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) during the Cabinet meeting on Monday to look for ways to raise the teachers’ base pay.

“The President also stated that with the second tax reform package, he has instructed DBM and all other agencies to find means to increase the salary of teachers after the initial doubling of salaries for the AFP and the police. So the teachers will be next,” Roque told a press conference.

Under the 2017 tax structure, a Teacher 1 with a basic salary of P19,620 used to take home pay of P17,220.86.

But with the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Act, a Teacher 1 will earn a gross basic pay of P20,179 and have a net take home pay of P20,012.89, according to a recent statement by the Education department.

Roque said Duterte failed to mention the exact amount of proposed salary increase for public school teachers, but said the President could also be aiming for double pay.

“He (Duterte) did not say how much but he says that they will have to be tangible results of any implementation of the second tax reform package and he said that that should be the increase in teachers’ salary,” he said.

Under Joint Resolution 1, the modified base pay schedule covers all military personnel under the Department of National Defense, as well as uniformed personnel under the Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine Coast Guard, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.

On top of the higher base pay, each military and police personnel will also receive hazard pay of P540 monthly.

The joint resolution also provides that the Provisional and Officers’ Allowances will no longer be part of the MUP’s compensation, starting January 1 this year, since these are granted as an interim measure pending the modification of the base pay schedule.

The increase would be funded by the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund and from any available allotment in the respective budgets of concerned agencies.