In ARMM, teachers’ pay delay is big puzzle

COTABATO CITY—Of the many questions that public school teachers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao need to answer as they impart knowledge to their students, one stands out as the most puzzling—why they haven’t been getting their pay on time.

Some, like teacher Ali Sabpel of Pagalungan Elementary School in Pagalungan, Maguindanao, teetered on the brink of giving up hope that they would be paid at all.

Most, like what Sabpel did, turned to the one monster that constantly awaited the chance to jump on teachers in their most vulnerable moments— loan sharks.

Sabpel’s ordeal is typical of the rest of the ARMM teachers’. He has three teenage children and battled depression at the thought of never getting paid for his work.

While Sabpel could be considered better off than his peers (he owns a 1-hectare farm), he, like hundreds of other teachers in the region, had fallen prey to moneylenders.

Moneylenders had taken over the vacuum that the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the pension agency for government workers, left when it stopped approving loans to the more than 20,000 public school teachers in the ARMM provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

GSIS ceased becoming the refuge that public school teachers in ARMM normally run to when, also without sufficient explanation, the teachers weren’t able to pay their previous loans.

“I was forced to run to moneylending operators, sold some of my work animals and lived on a limited budget,” teacher Sabpel told the Inquirer.

A glimmer of hope came on Tuesday when Sabpel, along with other teachers in ARMM, received part of their unpaid salaries. The regional government gave Sabpel eight checks worth P92,000 representing his pay from June 2006 to February 2007. “I have been waiting for these for so long,” said Sabpel.

While it was welcome news for Sabpel, his happiness over finally receiving his pay was short-lived. More than half of the P92,000 he got would have to be paid to loan sharks in Kabacan, North Cotabato. The rest would be paid to his other creditors.

The long wait, said Sabpel, almost drove him to hopelessness. “I never thought I could still be paid,” he said.

Naguib Sinarimbo, ARMM executive secretary, said since Monday, the regional government has been releasing the teachers’ unpaid salaries. Some of the unpaid wages date back to 2005, or six years ago.

This year, said Sinarimbo, 2,017 teachers have received their back wages and benefits. The process would continue until all the teachers have been paid, he said.

Just how bad was the delay? According to Ali Macabalang, ARMM information chief, one teacher from Marawi City had to be issued a total of 104 checks amounting to at least P1 million representing the teacher’s unpaid wages.

Yet, no one could tell the teachers why they had to suffer for so long. “For reasons unknown, the salaries of these teachers were not released,” said Sinarimbo.

Baratucal Caudang, ARMM education secretary, said he found that funds were available for the teachers’ salaries but these were “untouched or not disbursed.” He also couldn’t say why. “My suspicion is as good as anyone’s,” he said.

According to Macabalang, the regional government has released more than P400 million for the unpaid salaries.

After the back wages, he said, the regional government would have to deal next with unpaid GSIS contributions and loans of teachers. These could amount to at least P1 billion, he said.