Senate allots P63B for gov’t workers in 2020 budget

Public school teachers on Thursday claimed victory after the Senate passed the 2020 budget, which included double the funds that the House of Representatives had allotted for the salary increase of government workers.

“This initial victory is a good start in our fight for decent salaries, but a lot of work still needs to be done,” said Joselyn Martinez, chair of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), noting that the Senate had added P32 billion to the initial P31.1 billion House allocation.

“Amid Red-tagging and harassment against [our] organization, ACT has consistently pressed for the fulfillment of the Duterte government’s promise to double teachers’ salaries through petitions, lobbying, social media campaign and street protests,” the group said.

The P63-billion Senate allotment, which comprised just 1.5 percent of the overall P4.1-trillion national budget, was also welcome news to the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC).

Both ACT and the TDC have called for a raise in the  entry-level salaries of teachers from the current P20,754 to P30,000.

But the Department of Budget and Management has repeatedly argued that a P10,000 increase for the largest segment of the government bureaucracy would be too costly.

ACT said it would remain vigilant as the  House and the Senate attempt to reconcile their respective versions of the budget next week.

“[We] will continue to demand three things: the retention of the higher pay hike allocation in the bicameral version of the budget; a distribution scheme that gives premium to rank-and-file employees, and a salary increase legislation that will secure the completion of [our] demand for a P30,000 monthly base pay for teachers,” the group said.

Both teachers’ groups said the distribution of the amount also need to be monitored to ensure that most of the foot soldiers would get most of it.