The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines sounded the alarm anew as Filipino teachers sink deeper into debt, with nine out of 10 rank-and-file educators earning far below the family living wage and denied meaningful pay hikes under the Salary Standardization Law — forcing them to rely on loans just to survive.
Teachers are buried in debt not because they are financially irresponsible, but because our salaries have long been grossly insufficient. How can anyone manage an income that vanishes the moment it arrives, automatically swallowed by loan payments, rising costs and relentless bills in the midst of an unending crisis?
Our call for substantial salary increases have been consistently ignored by successive administrations, replaced by measly, staggered raises that are quickly wiped out by inflation — and clawed back through regressive taxes and mounting mandatory contributions.
For decades, wage hikes have been stingy and piecemeal — only to be taken back amid overlapping crises and automatic increases in taxes and contributions. This is why teachers are driven to desperate measures just to get by and support their families. It is the system itself that turns us into professional borrowers, because our salaries are far from professional.
We reiterated our long-standing demand for decent, livable wages for all education workers, including a P50,000 entry-level salary for teachers across public and private institutions — from basic to higher education — and P36,000 base pay for Salary Grade 1 employees.
We refuse to accept and will no longer tolerate a government that neglects the very workers who deliver the right to education and keep the system running despite worsening living and working conditions. Enough of the excuses. We have seen how hundreds of billions are squandered on corruption and political patronage, while the government claims it cannot afford decent salaries for teachers and education workers.
Teachers and education workers will not remain silent in the face of government neglect and indifference amid deepening crisis.
If this government continues to turn its back on us, we will bring our fight from the classrooms to the parliament of the streets. We are prepared not only to march, but to strike and walk out until the government is forced to listen. A system that exploits and neglects teachers cannot stand unchallenged.
By Ruby Bernardo Chairperson / Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines