Over 100 teachers ‘blocked’; Duterte-Carpio seeks new proposal

DAVAO. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio discusses with the representatives of the Association of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Davao Chapter their proposal for additional allowance and rice subsidy from the local government. Although the mayor asked for another proposal from the group, she is willing to help the teachers in finding a win-win situation. (Photo by Macky Lim)
DAVAO. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio discusses with the representatives of the Association of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Davao Chapter their proposal for additional allowance and rice subsidy from the local government. Although the mayor asked for another proposal from the group, she is willing to help the teachers in finding a win-win situation. (Photo by Macky Lim)

MORE than 100 teachers were allegedly blocked on their way to the flag ceremony at the Davao City Hall on Monday, October 1, and harassed by the local security forces, who had received intelligence information that the teachers were going to conduct a lightning rally to press for their demands.

"Na-harass gyud ang mga teacher. Sa pagpangutana pa lang gaina nga 'teacher mo? Dili mo kaagi' (The teachers were harassed. They were blocked after the security forces asked if we were teachers)," Elenito Escalante, ACT-Davao president, said during an interview with reporters after the flag ceremony Monday, October 1.

"Gidiritsohan pa gyud mi ug ingon na 'don't be disruptive' nga ang pag-anhi ra man sa mga teachers mao ang pagpadayag sa request (We were told outright not to be disruptive even if we just wanted to attend the flag ceremony to express our concern)," Escalante said.

ACT chapter president Reynaldo Pardillo, however, said there might have been a miscommunication because they were officially invited by city councilor Pilar Braga but on Monday morning, they found out that they were not included in the guest list.

The teachers said that they were supposed to attend the flag ceremony to remind the mayor about their demand for additional local allowance and rice subsidy which the city government said were not feasible.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who talked to the teachers after the flag ceremony, denied the alleged harassment.

"Wala man sila gi-harass, giingnan lang sila na because of the information received by the security units that there will be a lightning rally (They were not harassed. They were just told that because there was information received by the security units that they will conduct a lightning rally)," Duterte-Carpio said during an interview with reporters.

Duterte-Carpio said the city hall is a No Permit, No Rally zone and rallyists are only allowed to conduct a rally at the Freedom Park.

"They can attend the flag ceremony but they cannot conduct a lightning rally," she said.

Meanwhile, the mayor asked the teachers to revise their proposal and find a win-win solution.

The group has been asking the City Government of Davao to pay at least P406 million yearly as subsidy to 11,959 teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education.

"At this point, it is impossible to allot P406 million to Department of Education (DepEd) teaching and non-teaching personnel. Number two, there is no legal basis to give any amount to employees of national government agencies," Duterte-Carpio said during an interview with reporters Monday.

"But as I said, I am willing to find a win-win situation between sa ilang proposal and the capacity of the city government," she added.

The demand covers the P2,000 monthly financial subsidy and a P2,500 quarterly rice subsidy per teacher.

Duterte-Carpio further said ACT Davao should rethink their position and come up with something reasonable, acceptable, and doable for the city government.

Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio said it is also unfair to the city employees and if an additional local allowance and rice subsidy will be given, it should be given first to the city government employees.

"The city government has always been very helpful to employees of national government agencies," she said, adding that there are a sheer number of DepEd employees which made it harder to allot a budget for their demand.

Pardillo said they will soon submit a new proposal.

He said they were still hopeful that the city government will still give them additional allowance even if it will not be the amount that they proposed.

"While we will be submitting another proposal to the city government, we hope that the local government unit can have a dialogue with us to discuss on what can be ‘doable’ for the city," ACT Davao said in a statement.

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