House leader seeks Php15K across-the-board increase in teachers’ monthly salary

Photo courtesy of Laguna School Systems

MANILA — The chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means is seeking a Php15,000 across-the-board increase in the current salary of teachers, regardless of their employment status and position, to attract highly qualified educators into the public school system.

Rep. Romero S. Quimbo (2nd District, Marikina City) said if genuine inclusive growth is to be realized, then certain investments must be made to improve the quality of education in the country through prioritization of teachers who are directly engaged in educating the nation’s youth.

“The responsibility of molding a child to become a productive Filipino citizen lies heavily in the hands of a teacher. This is the delicate duty that teachers have committed to their line of work being so intimately connected with building the nation’s future. Despite this, however, existing laws are still unresponsive to the teachers’ plight of enduring a measly salary as compensation for their work,” said Quimbo.

He also said the little salary of teachers is further reduced with the rising costs of living and inflation in the country.

Even with the enactment of Republic Act 4670, the lawmaker said the social and economic status, and the living and working conditions of teachers have remained, if not worsened.

He said his proposal embodied in House Bill 5137 complements the State policy to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.

It is also the State policy to give highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment, according to Quimbo.

House Bill 5137, now pending at the Committee on Appropriations chaired by Rep. Isidro T. Ungab (3rd District, Davao City), provides that the existing salary of public school teachers shall be raised by Php15,000 per month, regardless of their employment status and position.

It also provides for a one-year income tax exemption of newly hired teachers under the minimum salary grade as provided for, following the effectivity of the proposed Act.

The proposed law shall cover all teaching personnel in all public schools in the elementary and secondary levels, technical and vocational schools, and state colleges and universities.

The measure also provides for the creation of a pension fund, separate and distinct from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), for teachers who shall be separated from the service due to retirement, sickness or other reasonable circumstance. Teachers who have been in the service for 15 years shall be entitled to payments under this pension fund, the amount of which shall be determined by the Department of Education (DepEd). A seed fund of Php5 billion shall be provided by the national government, the bill provides.

Lastly, the bill provides that allowances, benefits, special incentives and such other increases in remuneration resulting from merit promotions, grants by local government units (LGUs), and legislative wage increases shall be considered and treated as separate and distinct from the proposed upgraded salary.

Nothing in the proposed Act shall be construed to reduce any existing allowances and benefits of any form under valid legal orders, or to prejudice the granting of additional allowances and benefits to public school teachers, the bill provides.