Saturday, June 21, 2008 Militant teachers seek approval of P9T pay hike
TEACHERS belonging to two militant groups on Friday asked lawmakers to immediately pass the bill giving public school teachers a P9,000 across-the-board salary increase after the Senate version of the proposal was approved on its second reading.
The Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) hoped that Senate Bill (SB) 2409 will eventually be endorsed for final approval.
The groups likewise lauded senators for approving on second reading the bill entitled "An Act Providing for Additional Support and Compensation for Educators in Basic Education".
The bill seeks to grant a P9,000 across-the-board salary increase for all public school teachers and non-teaching personnel.
There are about 450,000 public elementary and secondary school teachers in the country today.
At present, the basic pay of teachers stood at P10,000.
The increase will be given in three equal payments over three years. It also provides for a P1,000 annual medical check-up allowance as well as a Magna Carta Bonus, a cash allowance equivalent to the benefits provided by Republic Act 4670 (the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers), but which is otherwise not enjoyed by teachers.
Teachers who get salary from the Department of Education (DepEd) as well as those who are being paid under the local government units are entitled to these benefits.
"We commend the senators for standing up for the rights of teachers to a decent salary," said ACT chairman Antonio Tinio.
"This is absolutely necessary if government is really serious in achieving quality education. We're glad that senators from both the administration and the opposition have expressed support to the bill," he added.
The TDC, for its part, hailed the approval of SB 2409 noting that, "this is a great leap after almost two decades of dormancy."
TDC chairman Benjo Basas said the bill for teachers' salary increase has been a perennial proposal in Congress, which could be described as "nothing but a tool of propaganda for so many politicians."
Basas, however, hoped that this time the bill would pave the way for the implementation of salary increase for teachers and non-teaching personnel of DepEd.
"We fully support the bill, and we appreciate the Senate's swift action. This bill is not only responsive to our call for salary upgrading, but also to the teachers' clamor to allocate funds to implement the welfare provisions of Magna Carta for Public School Teachers," he stressed.
The two teachers groups appealed to the House of Representatives to fast track their counter-part measure of the bill. They also urged Malacañang to certify the bill as urgent. (AH/Sunnex)
