Partylist solon welcomes Duterte vow to hike pay of teachers

Rep. Antonio Tinio of the Act Teachers party-list (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

A lawmaker welcomed on Wednesday President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to increase the pay of public school teachers, emphasizing that educators “deserve nothing less” from the government.

“As long-time advocates for decent pay, we welcome the statement coming from the Palace that President Duterte wants to increase the salaries of public school teachers,” ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tino said in a statement.

“His administration has already set the benchmark by doubling the basic pay of uniformed personnel starting this year. Our teachers deserve nothing less. We eagerly await the formal proposal from the [Department of Budget and Management],” he added.

Tinio said Duterte’s pronouncement was significant given the contrary statements made by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and Education Secretary Leonor Briones. Diokno earlier said that raising teachers’ salaries was “too ambitious,” while Briones said that public school teachers are already well-compensated and they should focus on acquiring “financial literacy.”

“All of these should now be set aside,” Tinio said.

The lawmaker, however, said the hike in teachers’ salaries should not depend on the passage of the Duterte administration’s second tax reform proposal, which aims to lower corporate income tax rate to 25 percent from the current 30 percent and higher tobacco taxes.

Tinio stressed that it should not use teachers to “deodorize” the government’s “pro-rich” taxes.

“This is a new propaganda line, since the Department of Finance has always said that the administration’s tax reform proposals are meant to fund infrastructure, not teachers’ pay hikes,” he said.

“This is a blatant [public relations] tactic intended to make the new tax package, the centerpiece of which is the lowering of corporate income tax, more palatable to the public. Don’t use teachers to deodorize your pro-rich taxes!” he noted.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Tuesday that Duterte was eyeing to double the entry salary of teachers and already asked the DOF to find ways to increase their pay through the second tax reform package. /jpv

READ: Duterte promises to double pay of public school teachers