Interior Secretary Eduardo Año (File photo by NOY MORCOSO / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Eduardo Año denied that the Duterte administration favored law enforcers over teachers when increasing salaries.
“The Administration’s concern and commitment to our government employees, including the teachers, is unquestionable,” Año said in a statement issued on Saturday. “The President himself recognizes their noble service to the country as his late mother, whom he dearly loved, was also a public school teacher.”
“Thus, the insinuation of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers [ACT] that the President favors the police and other uniformed personnel over our public school teachers is entirely misplaced and is without basis,” Año added.
According to Año, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) gives equal recognition for the hard work of both teachers and police officers.
“The administration recognizes the contribution of our teachers as stewards of our youth’s future as much as we take cognizance of the hard work of our uniformed sector in protecting and securing our communities,” he said.
Año explained they raised the salaries of police officers because “it was an election promise of the President as part of his platform of government.”
“It’s also a recognition of the daily sacrifice of our police officers who place their lives on the line 24 hours every day in the war against criminality, illegal drugs, communist insurgency and other threats to peace and order and national security,” Año said.
With 830,000 public school teachers, he said, a pay hike would take a longer process and consideration as it could create “huge impact” on taxpayers.
“Instead of constantly criticizing government, we enjoin ACT to help government find ways and means to improve the delivery of education to the youth,” Año said. “Let us mold them to become responsible citizens away from the deceit and machinations of communist-led student organizations that only want them to rise up in arms against the government.”
READ: Duterte seeks funds for teachers’ pay hike
(Editor: Alexander T. Magno)