A group advocating for teachers’ welfare lauded the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to approve the proposed increase in pay and benefits received by teachers who will be tapped as election workers in 2022.
“Napapanahon na, at kailangang-kailangan dahil sa dagdag na hamon ng pandemya sa paggampan nila ng tungkulin nila bilang election workers,” Philippine Educators Alliance for Community Empowerment (PEACE) Party-list President Marie Paz T. Abante said.
“The Department of Education (DepEd) recently announced the Comelec’s approval of the pay increase, which amounts to P3,000.”
The Department of Education (DepEd) recently announced the Comelec’s approval of the pay increase, which amounts to P3,000.
According to DepEd, the poll body will also include in its budget proposal for the 2022 elections the provision of health insurance, transportation allowance, food and water allowance, and clean-up and repair/maintenance expenses.
Meanwhile, the DepEd and Comelec have yet to decide on other benefits such as on-site swab testing and tax exemptions, among others.
Abante thanked both the DepEd and Comelec for working to ensure the welfare of teacher-election workers.
“The increase in honararia and better benefits will improve our teachers’ morale and reassure them that the government has their best interests at heart,” she said.
Abante also hoped that the move to increase teacher-election workers’ pay would signal the implementation of more benefits across the board.
She expressed hope that a bill proposing a staggered raise of the teaching supplies allowance to P10,000 in four years will be enacted soon.
The Senate last year already approved the Teaching Supplies Allowance Act, which would increase the current teaching supplies allowance of P3,500 to P5,000 starting in the school year 2021 to 2022. The cash allowance would again be raised to P7,500 in 2023, and P10,000 in 2024.
The House of Representatives, though, has yet to approve its counterpart measure.
“The Teaching Supplies Allowance Act would greatly help our public school teachers deal with the added expenses due to the change in our learning method.”
“The Teaching Supplies Allowance Act would greatly help our public school teachers deal with the added expenses due to the change in our learning method. I hope that this necessary measure will be signed into law very soon,” Abante said.
