With the lingering elevated inflation seen as a major threat to the global economy this 2023, four legislators led by National Unity Party (NUP) president LRay Villafuerte have proposed the congressional approval of twin measures bumping up the salaries and making permanent the allowance for teaching supplies of about 800,000 public school teachers in basic education to help them cope with the ever-rising cost of living.
“Despite their heavy workload and essential role as agents of constructive intellectual, social, cultural, political and moral change in our society, our public school teachers are among the most underpaid workers in the country,” Villafuerte said. “Increasing their take home pay and providing for a permanent teaching supplies allowance with a provision for a steady bump per school year (SY) will hopefully incentivize them to strive for excellence in their field and make teaching a more attractive profession for our students.”
In HB 5851, the four lawmakers said their proposed salary upgrade shall be “differentiated in accordance with the 5 qualifications and length of service rendered by teachers and shall not be prejudiced by across-the-board salary adjustments.”
Villafuerte and three fellow Camarines Sur representatives have authored House Bill No. 1851 mandating a significant increase in the salary grade level of public elementary and high school teachers from Grade 11 to Grade 19 amid the nonstop rise in the cost of living.
In HB 1849, meanwhile, these four solons want to make permanent the school supplies’ allowance of P5,000 that public school teachers have been entitled to during the Covid-19 pandemic to lessen their burden in coughing up their personal money to deliver education services during the hybrid learning system of face-to-face and remote or online teaching.
This bill further provides for a continuous increase in the annual allowance for teaching supplies over the succeeding SYs.
The NUP president authored HB 1851 and HB 1849 with Representatives Miguel Luis Villafuerte and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata along with Bicol Saro Rep. Nicolas Enciso VIII.
The four congressmen pointed out the constitutional duty of the State to “enable conducive working conditions for our teachers and ensure that the teaching profession will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents in the country through adequate remuneration.”
“In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, they may be recognized as education frontliners that took an invaluable role to continue learning amongst our students though alternative modes,” they said. “Despite their contribution, workload, and role in the society, public school teachers are among the most underpaid workers in the country.”
In HB 5851, the four lawmakers said their proposed salary upgrade shall be “differentiated in accordance with the 5 qualifications and length of service rendered by teachers and shall not be prejudiced by across-the-board salary adjustments.”
The bill mandates the national government to appropriate such amount, as may be necessary to carry out the proposed pay hike, and that this salary increase shall “take priority over other non-educational and non-agricultural budgetary allocations.”
It requires the Department of Education (DepEd) to come up with a specific programmed budget needed to cover the expenses for the upgrading in salary levels of all the corresponding teacher plantilla positions for a period of at least five (5) years “to allow the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to make the necessary budgetary adjustments to facilitate the smooth implementation of this Act.”
HB 5851 states that the amount necessary to implement the pay hike plan shall be included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the year following this bill’s enactment into law
In HB 5849, the four Camarines Sur solons noted that one of the sectors that have severely suffered during the pandemic is education, and that “with the closure of schools, students and teachers were forced to resort to alternative learning methods to ensure continuity of learners’ education. This predicament has compelled our teachers, especially those in public basic education, to shoulder additional expenses for internet connectivity, electronic gadgets, and other necessary materials, among other concerns.”
They recalled that recognizing this teachers’ predicament, the DepEd and DBM issued Joint Circular No. 2 implementing Special Provision No. 11 in the 2021 GAA on cash allowance for schoolteachers in basic education.
Joint Circular 2 entitled teachers to each get a maximum P5,000 cash allowance for the purchase of teaching materials and supplies as well as for the expenses they incur on internet connection, communications and their annual medical examination.
According to the four proponents of these twin measures, the low salary rates of around 800,000 public school teachers have “caused disincentivization to improve their skills and pursue further education and training.
However, the said circular only covered an allowance for a limited duration for public school teachers who were still enduring the continued effects of the pandemic, according to the bill authors.
Hence, their proposal to provide added financial relief to public school teachers by making this temporary allowance a permanent one, and with a provision for a steady increase in amount over the succeeding SYs.
HB 5849 institutionalizes a tax-free allowance for the purchase of teaching supplies and materials for the implementation of various learning delivery modalities (LDMs) in the amount of P5,000 per teacher for SY 2023-2024 and SY 2024-2025; P7,500 per teacher for SY 2025-2026; and P10,000 per teacher for SY 2026-2027 and thereafter.
The bill states that the amount necessary for the grant of this teaching supplies’ allowance to teachers shall be charged against the appropriations of the DepEd under the annual GAA.
It directs the DepEd Secretary to conduct a periodic review of this annual allowance, “taking into account the current prices of teaching supplies and materials, and, if warranted, recommend the necessary increase in the amount of the allowance.”
According to the four proponents of these twin measures, the low salary rates of around 800,000 public school teachers have “caused disincentivization to improve their skills and pursue further education and training. This situation also makes the teaching profession unattractive to the youth, especially to the cream of the crop graduates from top colleges and universities in the country. Moreover, labor groups and teacher associations have been lobbying for years to increase teachers’ compensation by upgrading their salary grade.”
They said their two bills aim to attract more students to the education profession, and incentivize teachers to further equip their skills set to strive for excellence in their field that would eventually improve the quality of the public education system.
Villafuerte said that inflation has generally remained on the high side since last year—even hitting 14-year highs in the last quarter—owing in large part to non-domestic factors such as spiralling petroleum prices in the world market, logistics jams or commodity supply disruptions largely caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering pandemic.
Thanks to mostly imported elevated inflation, the pace of commodity price increases quickened to 8.1% last December—the fastest in 14 years since the 9.1% print in November 2008, and the ninth consecutive month that inflation breached the 2%-4% target range set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) traced the accelerated inflation to the 10.2% spike in the year-on-year (YOY) prices of food items and non-alcoholic beverages.
Independent analysts see inflation remaining high in 2023, with the projected spike in water and electricity rates likely to raise supply-side inflation.
In his opening remarks at the Country Strategy Dialogue during the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, President Marcos observed inflation “accelerating globally in recent months,” and that countries “need to ensure that sufficient welfare measures are in place to cushion the impact of elevated inflationary pressures, especially towards the most affected and vulnerable sectors.”
The President emphasized, too, “the need to address the current social vulnerabilities” and “the importance of education, skills development and lifelong learning to enhance the employability of workers.”
Earlier, Villafuerte gave a thumbs up to President Marcos and his economic managers for providing instant financial relief to ordinary consumers reeling from continued, mostly imported, elevated inflation with two directives designed to hold off scheduled increases this 2023 in the cost of certain basic monthly expenses.
“We commend the President and his economic team for providing instant financial relief at the onset of 2023 to Filipino consumers continuously reeling from the mostly imported elevated inflation with the twin directives designed to keep at bay the impending price spirals in basic foodstuff like rice, corn and pork and the rate adjustment in the monthly premiums of PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) members,” Villafuerte said.
President Marcos issued Executive Order (EO) 10 last Dec. 29 extending for a year the temporary modification or reduced import tariff rates on pork meat (whether fresh, chilled or frozen), rice, corn and coal until Dec. 31, 2023, to alleviate the impact of inflationary pressures resulting from the continued Ukraine-Russia crisis, expand supply sources, and reduce the cost of key commodities.
Malacañang Palace at the same time released through the Office of the President (OP) a memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin ordering PhilHealth to put off the scheduled increase this year in premiums to 4.5% (from the current 4%) and in income ceiling to P90,000 (from P80,000), as set in Republic Act (RA) 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
