“PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is really unfair.”
This was the pronouncement of Gualberto Dajao, president of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Negros, yesterday who led the pre-State of the Nation Address (Sona) rally at the Fountain of Justice.
At least 2,000 teachers, wearing black shirts, marched from Rizal Elementary School to public plaza and gathered in front of the Fountain of Justice to call on the national government for a salary increase and suspension of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.
Dajao pointed out that Duterte has already increased the salaries of the police and the military, “why can't he give that increase to teachers too?”
“He is really unfair, we are all government employees and delivering services to our people. He should be fair and find ways to provide a sufficient salary increase for teachers and government employees,” Dajao said.
He said the president should also certify the House Bill No. 7211 authored by ACT-Teachers party-list representatives as an urgent bill so the Congress could enact the bill that will give P30, 000 starting salary for Teacher 1, P 31,000 for higher education teaching personnel, P16, 000 for starting salary of non-teaching and other government employees and P5, 000 for Personnel Economic Relief Allowance.
They also demand to stop the Train law because it’s an additional burden to teachers and government employees.
Dajao said it’s reasonable to increase the salary for teachers to support their families.
The teachers held the rally ahead of Sona so their concerns will be heard.
Dajao said they are expecting Duterte will use profane language and belittle others when he addresses the nation on Monday.
“We are not expecting the president to announce good news instead it will be all lies and boastful. He is a failure for us, we will give him a rating of 69 out of 100,” he said.
Duterte will deliver his third Sona on July 23 before the joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate.