Wednesday, October 01, 2008 Teachers troop to House for pay hike
ABOUT 3,000 public school teachers on Tuesday went to the House of Representatives at Batasan complex in Quezon City to press for the immediate passage of the proposed law granting them P9,000 salary increase.
Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) president Banjo Basas believed that lawmakers will heed the teachers' clamor for the early approval of the proposed wage hike after the mass action.
"The mass action is the teachers' 'roar,' that was heard across the nation, in batting for the immediate enactment of the law for the salary increase," he said.
Basas commended the teachers' display of unity and solidarity as well as those who supported the protest to uplift the economic plight of public school teachers.
"TDC would like to thank all those who extended their support - materially and morally - (including) lawmakers, LGU (local government unit) officials, mass media, DepEd (Department of Education) officials, and school administrators (for their support)," he added.
He also hoped that the mass action will lead them to what they have been clamoring.
Bukidnon Representative Teofisto Guingona III, one of the principal sponsors of proposed pay adjustment for public school teachers or House Bill (HB) 4734, is among the prime movers for the immediate passage of the bill.
Senate Bill (SB) 2408, which also provided the same wage hike for teachers, is now on its third reading.
Both bills provide that the salary increase be paid in three equal trenches annually from 2008 to 2010. The proposals also provide some other compensation and support like the remuneration from LGUs, medical allowance, and the Magna Carta bonus.
During the mass action, the protesting teachers from Metro Manila and nearby provinces initially converged at the Batasan Hills National High School where they hold a brief program and joined by some militant congressmen who openly expressed support for the teachers cause before they marched towards Batasan complex.
They also invited Education Secretary Jesli Lapus to join the march.
Lapus earlier vowed the education department's "full support for the approval of the HB 4734 and SB 2408 because we have always been cognizant of the need to improve the lot of our teachers."
A teacher earns P10,000 a month but TDC said that with inflation, they were unable to cope with the prices of basic commodities forcing many of them to do additional job. (AH/Sunnex)
