DepEd to push for additional benefits for teachers

The Department of Education (DepEd) will push for “additional benefits” for teachers before Congress, amid a pending bill filed by the Makabayan bloc seeking to increase teachers’ monthly salary to P50,000.

“As a matter of fact, even prior to the bill being filed, DepEd had already engaged the World Bank to provide a study, not only on whether an increase should be made, but also on the ideal percentage of increases for the coming years vis-a-vis inflation rates,” DepEd spokesperson and Undersecretary Michael Poa said.

The three-member Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives on Feb. 13 filed a bill that would nearly double the entry-level salary of public school teachers nationwide, from the current P27,000 to P50,000 monthly.

Party-list Reps. France Castro of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Arlene Brosas of Gabriela and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan, who authored and filed House Bill 9920, said the proposed bill aims to “close the gap between their salaries and the cost of living.”

Under the proposed bill, the salaries of public school teachers shall be adjusted annually “to ensure that these keep pace with the cost of living.”

The lawmakers said the substantial salary increase was meant not only to be at par with salaries of police and military personnel, which had been doubled by former president Rodrigo Duterte during his term, but also to give teachers their due.

The Makabayan lawmakers lamented that the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 has failed to address the disparity of salaries between the low and middle-level salary-grade government employees, who comprise a majority of civil servants such as teachers, and those in managerial levels, especially top officials.

Poa did not answer the media’s queries on whether Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte would support the Makabayan bloc’s proposed bill, but gave assurance that the DepEd will participate in the deliberations and would push for additional benefits for teachers.

“The Department will diligently participate in the congressional deliberations. We cannot comment on the amount (of salary increase) because we are still waiting for the study from the World Bank,” Poa said.

Poa said the results of the World Bank study will be the basis of DepEd’s position on the House bill.

Teachers and education sector workers welcomed the filing of HB 9920 and the approval on second reading of Senate Bill 2534 pushing for P100 daily minimum wage increase for private sector workers.

In a statement, Education Workers’ Alliance for Greater and Equitable Salary (Educ WAGES) said the developments in Congress are appropriate, considering the sharp decline of household consumption rates.

“The decrease in consumption by Filipino families only reflects the decrease in purchasing power. This is troubling if not met with an increase in the wages of teachers and staff who support their families,” said Roel Mape, Educ WAGES spokesman.

Educ WAGES said the current P27,000 entry-level pay for basic education public school teachers and the daily minimum wage of P610 “fall considerably short of the recommended family living wage of P1,188 per day, equivalent to P35,640 per month.”

The group also called on lawmakers from both chambers to mark these bills as urgent.