A LEADER of a progressive national democratic mass organization of teachers lamented the failure of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to mention raising the pay of public school teachers in his second State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Monday, July, 24, 2023, despite it being a promise he made during his election campaign last year.
Antonia Maamo Lim, president of Alliance of Concerned Teachers in Central Visayas (ACT 7), expressed her dissatisfaction with Marcos' silence on the vital issue of improving the working conditions of the public school teachers in the Philippines.
Despite this being a campaign promise made by Marcos during his presidential bid, the president had no plans to address the situations of the overworked and underpaid teachers, according to Lim.
"Sukwahi gyud sa iyahang gisaad sa mga teachers sa panahon pa sa election nga iyaha gyud tagaan og priority ang education. Nisaad pa gani to siya nga i-upgrade gyud niya, patas-an gyud niya ang mga sweldo sa teachers once mahimo siyang president. Pero karon ikaduha na niyang Sona, wala gyud siya maghisgot og increase sa sweldo sa teachers. Nadismaya gyud ang teachers," said Lim, who is also currently a Math high school teacher in Abellana National School in Cebu City.
(It is actually against what he promised to the teachers during the election that he will give priority to the education. He even promised to upgrade, increase the salaries of teachers once he becomes president. But now on his second Sona, he never mentioned an increase in teachers' salaries. The teachers are very disappointed).
Marcos said in a statement on March 18, 2022, that he would increase the salaries of teachers should he win in the presidential race.
He also said that he would create programs and reforms for teachers that would improve their standard of living and motivate them to provide their students the best possible care and instruction.(KJF, TPT)