Palace: There’s still time to fulfill Duterte promise on teachers’ pay hike

MANILA, Philippines — “For as long as there is tomorrow, there is hope.”

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said this Thursday after a teachers’ group expressed dismay over the supposed paltry increase in their salaries despite the enactment of the 2019 Salary Standardization Law (SSL).

President Rodrigo Duterte approved Wednesday night the measure seeking another salary increase for around 1.4 million government workers, including public school teachers and nurses.

But the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC), in a statement, said that while they are “thankful” for the increase, they are also dismayed that the amount was “far from what we expected” – which is a P10,000 across-the-board pay hike for teachers and other personnel of the Department of Education.

However, Panelo stressed there’s still time for Duterte to deliver on his promise.

“As we have said before, the promise of the President will be complied with. Maybe not this year, but his term has not yet ended. You must remember that the increase will depend on the funds that this government has,” Panelo said in a Palace press briefing.

The President has promised to double teachers’ pay like what he did in 2018 for soldiers and policemen.

Edited by KGA