House panel urged to hear bills on teachers’ pay hike

ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio. PHOTO from congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines—ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio urged the appropriations committee in the House of Representatives to hear the bills calling for a salary increase among teachers.

In a statement on Tuesday, Tinio said his House Bill 245 has been pending in the committee for nearly a year. His bill seeks to raise the minimum monthly salary of public school teachers to P25,000 and non-teaching personnel to P15,000.

Tinio urged Appropriations chair Isidro Ungab to immediately conduct a hearing on the salary hike bills even during Congress’ break.

“The nationwide protests which marked the school opening proved that our education workers can no longer tolerate their inadequate wages,” Tinio said.

“They are desperate and angry enough to resort to a mass leave if government continues to refuse to heed their just demand,” he added.

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.

“Teachers and non-teaching personnel have been complaining that their take-home pay is not enough to take them home,” Tinio said.

“The massive support inside and outside Congress for their pay hikes is enough for the panel to end a year of inaction and ensure that this situation does not continue,” he added.

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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