Inquirer photo/Grig C. Montegrande
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers have welcomed the signing into law of the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, which increases the “chalk allowance” of public school teachers from P5,000 to P10,000, with one saying “the next logical step” should be to also raise their salaries.
“The signing into law of the Teaching Supplies Allowance bill is a welcome development, but it is only a first step,” House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party list Rep. France Castro said on Tuesday.
“The next logical step is to increase the salaries of our teachers, who have been left behind for far too long,” she stressed in a statement.
READ: Teachers’ ‘chalk allowance’ raised from P5,000 to P10,000
Castro lamented that the pay of teachers has been stagnant for years compared with that of top government officials, like those in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which continues to rise.
She called on her colleagues at the House to support House Bill No. 9920, which she, along with Gabriela women’s party list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan party list Rep. Raoul Manuel, filed in February. The bill seeks to upgrade the minimum pay of public and private school teachers to P50,000.
Fringe benefit
Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., the principal sponsor of Republic Act No. 11997, thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for approving the additional fringe benefit, which would be given to some 930,000 public school teachers for the Year 2025 to 2026.
“This new law is the realization of our teachers’ long overdue request of additional allowance to help them become more effective,” he added.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the chair of the Senate basic education committee, said the law institutionalized the grant of teaching allowances for public school teachers.
“The increase in allowance is a timely relief for our hardworking teachers, who sometimes spend their own money for school supplies,” said Sen. Grace Poe, who has pushed for the passage of the bill since the 18th Congress.