Lawmakers push for pay hike for teachers, gov’t employees 

The Duterte administration should grant a salary increases to public school teachers and rank-and-file government employees after it “failed” to bring down the inflation rate, which remained at 6.7 percent in October, opposition lawmakers said Wednesday.

ACT Teachers Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro have renewed their call for the salary raise as prices of basic commodities remained high and amid the recent implementation of a fare hike for jeepneys and buses.

READ: October inflation up 6.7%, still over 9-year high, but price pressures easing

“Teachers and rank-and-file state workers are no exceptions. They are struggling to put food on their tables as the higher cost of living continues to hit them,” Tinio stressed.

“Thus, we support their resounding call for the immediate grant of substantial salary increases now, not in 2020,” he added.

READ: Overworked teachers ask for pay hike

Castro, meanwhile, urged the government and the leadership of the House of Representatives to prioritize the passage of House Bill Nos. 7211 and 7917 to increase the entry-level salary of public school teachers to P30,000 and Salary Grade 1 employees to P16,000, respectively; as well as House Bill 7653, which is seeking to repeal the “anti-people provisions” of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to fulfill his promise to increase the salary of public school teachers, which currently ranges from P20,179 to P52,554 a month, depending on their position. /ee

READ: Duterte to public school teachers: I will raise your salary next