I GOT so interested in the arguments of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Party List headed by Representative Antonio Tinio and City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio. Personally, I want an early resolution of the conflict.
In a Grand Assembly of Lumads and Moro Educators, Tinio said the subsidy that the government will give will help compensate for the cost of living this time with their daily teaching efforts. It is true that the local government unit is not mandated by any law to provide for this but at least the City Government can take steps to meet the needs by a careful study of the city's economic growth. From 2016 to 2017 it was done to prove that it is possible.
Probably, the ACT group and the City Mayor can sit together to make a reasonable proposal that is acceptable by both parties and doable.
The ACT group is requesting a financial assistance of P2,000. ACT suggested that this amount must be given as a "recognition" rather than an obligation considering the significance of a teacher's calling.
Meanwhile, Department of Education Order No.5 worries teachers. Malacanang has been asked to suspend the implimentation of Order No. 5. It threatens "to wreck havoc" according to the teachers on the financial condition of public school teachers and their families.
Secretary Leonor Briones issued the implimentation of P5,000 net take home pay of DepEd personnel to include public school teachers. This mandatory salary deduction should not be lower than the amount. The Davao-based stakeholders said while the order appears noble in its intention may adversely affect the interest of the teacher
The order of preference listed are the following priority order of payroll deduction, namely: Priority 1 creditor, which are government - mandates benefits such as BIR, Philhealth, GSIS, HDMF; Priority 2, which are non- stock savings, loan associations, and cooperatives; Priority 3, associations of provident funds; Priority 4, government financial institutions; Priority 5, licensed insurance companies; and Priority 6, thrift banks and rural banks. The stak holders said that the old system was working fine; why did they have to change it?
Meanwhile, new classrooms have given hope to a teacher of Indigenous People students. Wayback 2015, Marites Chan, was a teacher-in-charge of Mt. Apo National High School. In this school there was practically nothing. Years later, Bagobo-Tagabawa student were in makeshift classrooms which are too crowded and dark and not conducive for learning. Much later Hedcor in partnership with Aboitiz Foundation and the local government unit of Davao City donated two well-lit and well-ventilated classrooms fully- furnished with armchairs, teacher's tables, blackboards, ceiling fans, and comfort rooms.
Davao City, together with an Israel NGO, will soon be implementing the Excellence in Education: A Light-house Project with Pass it Forward, an Israel-based educational network. This project aims to improve the delivery of quality education to Davao learners by providing capacity building activities or trainings for teachers on the Innovation, Science and Technology; Engineering, Arts and Mathematics curriculum.