No More Sad Christmas for Public School Teachers

Office of the Senate Majority Leader

Alan Peter S. Cayetano

Rm. 603 GSIS Complex Senate of the Philippines Roxas Blvd Pasay City

         

PRESS RELEASE

27 December 2015

 

 

No more sad Christmas for public school teachers under Duterte-Cayetano

"The country's public school teachers will have a merrier Christmas under a Duterte-Cayetano government."

 

This was the pledge made today by presidential contender Davao City Mayor Rodrigo "Rody" Duterte and his running mate Senate Majority leader Alan Peter Cayetano.

 

The tandem said if elected in 2016, they will grant an additional P 10,000 compensation for public school teachers over and above the Salary Standardization Law (SSL).

 

"Tatapusin natin ang malulungkot na pasko ng ating mga guro. Hindi dapat sila tinitipid at kinakaligtaan. Makakaasa ang ating mga guro ng matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon para itaas ang kanilang mga sahod at iba pang benepisyo," Cayetano said.

 

The senator lambasted the government's proposed salary increase for public school teachers calling it "inconsiderate" and "negligible."

 

Cayetano said the government's proposed entry-level position of teachers is to grant an additional amount of P2,205.00 from the present P18,549.00 or a meager increase of less than 12%, spread over a period of four years, making the annual increase of a little more than P500.00, the lowest in recent history.

 

"Instead of repairing the government's erroneous compensation scheme for teachers, which past and present salary laws classified teachers as among the lowest paid government professionals, its proposed salary increase only reinforced this flawed system," Cayetano said.

 

"This what Mayor Duterte and I want to end. We will restore the dignity of the teaching profession. No more cheapskate wage increases which do not address burdensome taxes, cost of living and living conditions in general," Cayetano added.

                                                                                                                       

Cayetano said their proposal is part of his Senate Bill 94, that grants public school teachers, locally-funded teachers, non-teaching personnel, and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) additional compensation.