Teachers hold ‘nCoV’ rally at DepEd office

MANILA, Phlippines — Public school teachers trooped to the Department of Education (DepEd) office in Pasig City on Monday to lament what they said was their own form of “nCoV”—No Cash on Valentine’s Day.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said cash-strapped educators were struggling to make ends meet amid the delay in a number of benefits, including their 2018 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB), Special Hardship Allowance (SHA) and Service Recognition Incentive (SRI).

“DepEd owes teachers big-time as we bear the brunt of their inefficiency and negligence,” said ACT chair Joselyn Martinez. “Teachers will not stand for this. DepEd and the rest of this administration must be held accountable.”

The protesters registered their discontent, which ACT said had been inflamed by growing concern over the novel coronavirus — also referred to as 2019-nCoV — that threatened to burden them with more health care costs.

Their grievances came shortly after the passage of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), backed by President Duterte, which gives entry-level teachers a raise over four years that amounted to about P52 per day.

Before the raises outlined in the SSL kick in, a teacher’s base pay was P20,754.

This is why many rely on bonuses for day-to-day needs. But ACT said P3,000 of the P10,000 SRI had yet to be distributed.

Several teachers have not received their SHA since June last year, while the 2018 PBB has also yet to be handed out.

The SSL all but assures that until 2023, entry-level teachers will remain one of the lowest-paid government professionals, left behind by nurses and uniformed personnel who are set to reap significant salary increases by the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.