Castro: Salaries of BSP officials slap on struggling teachers’ faces

School principal Juan Amorio Cabardo consults with teachers on what to improve during the first day of classes at San Diego Elementary School in Batasan Hills, Quezon City on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. | INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro called the recent report revealing that Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) executives have the highest salaries in the country “a slap on struggling teachers’ faces, who can hardly make ends meet.”

Based on the  Commission of Audit’s 1,429-page report — which does not include the salaries and allowances of senators and congressmen — BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. became the country’s highest-paid official with gross salaries and allowances worth P35,478,813.42 in 2023.

READ: Bangko Sentral execs again top list of highest-paid officials

“It is utterly unacceptable that BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. takes home a net pay of P35.48 million, while our teachers are forced to live on a meager salary that is way below the poverty line,” Castro said in a statement issued on Sunday.

For his part, former ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio called the report “outrageous,” saying that “BSP officials are enjoying lavish salaries” while teachers are forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

Call for teachers’ salary increase

In line with this, the lawmaker and former representative reiterated ACT’s call to increase teachers’ basic salaries to P50,000 entry-level pay in both public and private; P33,000 for salary grade 1 employees, SG16 for instructor 1 in state universities and colleges and P33,000 national minimum wage.

“We cannot continue to neglect the welfare of our teachers, the backbone of our education system. It’s time for the government to prioritize their needs and provide them with a decent salary that reflects their value to society,” Castro stressed.

“As of now, the entry-level ng public school teacher (SG 11) is P402,000 a year, and the entry-level of a government employee (SG 1) is P206,000 a year, but the highest government official is P35.48 million a year. This is 88 times higher than a teacher’s salary or 172 times higher than an employee’s salary,” Tinio, on the other hand, explained.

“It’s time for the government to stop prioritizing the interests of the wealthy elite and start prioritizing the needs of our teachers and other public sector employees. It is high time that their demanded salary increase and entry-level salaries be given to them,” he added.