Increasing public school teachers’ pay ‘impossible’ – solon

Protesters, mostly public school teachers, shout slogans as they are pushed away from the gates of the Presidential Palace by police to protest alleged inaction by the government in raising their salary petition Monday, June 2, 2014 in Manila. AP

MANILA, Philippines – Raising public school teachers’ salaries is virtually “impossible” to be done, the chairperson of the basic education and culture committee in the House of Representatives said on Monday.

Pangasinan Representative Kimi Cojuangco said in a press briefing that proposals to increase teachers’ salaries have been junked in the appropriations committee.

“Of course we want to raise the teachers’ salaries. We are the ones [who] have a close relationship with the teachers and we see how they suffer,” Cojuangco said.

“But then [the proposal] gets to the [appropriations committee], it’s thrown away… We can pass it [in the committee] but it’s impossible with the money were given for the budget,” she said.

She added that raising teachers’ salaries should mean Congress should also raise other government personnel’s salaries.

“If you raise their salaries, you have to raise pay of all government workers. We don’t have the money to do that,” Cojuangco said.

The militant group ACT Teachers demanded an increase in the teachers’ entry-level salary from P18,549 to P25,000, with corresponding adjustments to the salaries of more senior teachers. The group warned of taking a mass leave to press their demand.

Meanwhile, the Teachers Dignity Coalition said the entry-level salary should be increased to P28,000.

The last salary adjustment was enacted in 2009, when the entry level rate for government teachers was increased by P6,523 and pegged at Salary Grade 11 equivalent to P18,549.

At least nine bills have been filed in the House of Representatives seeking to increase the basic pay of public school teachers.

These are House Bill (HB) 245 by Rep. Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers), HB 365 by Raul Del Mar (Cebu city, 1st district), HB 1335 by Eric Olivarez (Parañaque City, 1st District), HB 2092 by Gerard Gullas (Cebu, 1st District), HB 2168 by Mark Llandro Mendoza (Batangas, 4th District), HB 3083 by Reynaldo Umali (Oriental Mindoro, 2nd District), HB 3114 by Jerry Treñas (Iloilo City, Lone District), HB 3173 by Angelina Tan (Quezon, 4th District),  and HB 4081 by Francisco Acedillo (Magdalo).

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