Teachers payroll regionalization: Of compassion and gratitude

Early this month, public elementary and secondary school teachers from Mandaue City expressed their gratitude to former Cebu first district congressman Jose Gullas for passing House Bill 2542, or the Act Regionalizing the Department of Education Payroll Service Division, by means of thank-you slum books and cards.

Gullas noticed that most of these were handcrafted, thereby touching him deeply as he pondered on the effort exerted by the educators.

He, himself, considered the passing of the said bill as historic. He passed the bill in Congress when he assumed office in 2001 and fought for the significance of its provisions until his term expired in 2004.

Earlier, Gullas consulted his constituents on their problems and concerns. Teachers of Cebu's first district composed of Talisay City and the towns of Minglanilla, Naga, San Fernando, Carcar and Sibonga informed him of their problems regarding the processing and releasing of their salaries under a centralized payroll system.

"You can just imagine that little things you have done dako diay kaayo og nahimo," Gullas said early this month as he showed to The FREEMAN the slum books and cards.

One card from a teacher of the Mandaue City Central School read: "We are all indebted to you for all your efforts to represent the teachers in Congress. We thank the Lord for a courageous lawmaker like you who batted for major changes to happen."

One who lights the flame

If Dr. Schweitzer could have been alive today, he would have been very happy to see his philosophy of reverence for life inspire this compassionate act of Gullas that has now slowly reaped positive effects on the lives of hundreds of public school teachers nationwide.

Teachers have so long been in agony brought about by delays in the releasing of their salaries, he said. "They used to wait for several months before their paychecks could arrive here from the central office of the Department of Education in Manila."

Oftentimes, these delayed checks contained errors in computation of deductions, the teachers revealed. Thus, prolonging the suffering, as they still have to travel to Manila to have the mistakes corrected.

Some of the teachers during the consultation described the centralized payroll system as "undeniably like a condemnation of the teaching profession," made worse by the realization that nothing was done about this predicament for years.

Further, educators said that they are expected to fulfill their duties as teachers without the government realizing they have already started accumulated mounting debts with those months deprived of salaries.

But just as their hopes for a solution was about to falter, Gullas a neophyte congressman came to their rescue. He vowed to change the payroll system from being centralized to the observance of a regionalized scheme.

Last June 22, Gullas finally won the battle he waged in Congress. A payroll office in Region 7 was inaugurated. President Gloria Arroyo distributed the first paychecks printed by the DepEd-7 to some public elementary school teachers in a ceremony.

Today, even though he is no longer a congressman, Gullas is happy to see that teachers of Region 7 have benefited from the law, finally receiving their salaries on time.

And what else could be his source of joy, but to see them coming to see him personally to express their gratitude for the realization of certain dreams.

An act of gratitude

A few months later, teachers came to thank him but not from the district he represented. Rather, from unexpected places. The situation he said can be likened to the parable of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-17.

What can I do? Even God, when he cleansed 10 lepers, only one came back to Him to say thank you. Our Lord asked, "where are the nine others?"

The act of gratitude came from 108 elementary and secondary school teachers of Mandaue City who handed over to him thank-you cards and slum books that were filled with words of gratitude.

A card from the teachers of Bakilid Elementary School read: "Thank you very much for working for the welfare of the Cebuano teachers. Your kindness shall forever be remembered."

The one that touched his heart the most was the card addressed to "Atty. Vicente Gullas" from Tingub Elementary School teachers. There are 12 teachers in there, but that the school doesn't have a principal yet.

"Siyaro'g wala gyud sila makabantay?" But honestly, it touches my heart kay ila gyud nahinumduman si Papa. Ang trabaho sa akong amahan ilang nakita sa anak," Gullas related.

Gullas, who is also the executive vice president of the University of the Visayas, acknowledged the efforts of Mandaue City schools superintendent Lorna Rances and division supervisor Narcissa Guido.

He then paid the teachers a visit last October 9 to also thank them for their efforts.

"I visited Mandaue to thank teachers for flooding me with so many thank-you cards for that little thing I have done to public school teachers not only in Central Visayas, but all the regions of the country today," Gullas said in his speech.

"Truly, the note marked "Atty. Vicente Gullas" touched my heart so much. I slept late that night thinking why it was addressed to my father who died in 1970. Any son worth his salt would be deeply touched. I have to admit that my eyes were misty because you remembered my father who passed away 46 years ago," he said.

The legacy

Gullas recalled that when he succeeded in having the bill deliberated at the committee of basic education, chaired by Rep. Edmundo Reyes Jr., he also went out of his way to discuss it with other congressmen during informal gatherings.

He was persistently treading rough seas, pleading for their support to the bill, explaining its merits, and insisting that it was the "saving grace of the suffering teachers in the country."

On March 13, 2002 the Basic Education Committee approved the bill, which was subsequently passed in the plenary. In the succeeding month, it was transmitted to the Senate.

The battle was by then half-won, but Gullas continued his campaign for his bill outside the halls of Congress. He approached key education officials to gather resolutions that he subsequently sent to the President for endorsement.

Gullas also wrote and personally met with then Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus. Toward the end of 2003, the secretary was convinced of the bill's significance that prompted him to implement the payroll regionalization program via an administrative order.

Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz came up with a blueprint for the payroll decentralization to regional offices nationwide, except the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Region IV - Southern Tagalog and the National Capital Region.

In the initial plan, Central Visayas was not listed as a priority region for want of additional equipment and safety storage area. Gullas, however, set aside P900,000 from his Priority Development Assistance Fund for the purchase of the necessary equipment, and got more help from then Rep. Rolando Andaya, chairman of the committee on appropriations.

With the system now in place in the region, Gullas felt he had already done something borne out of the ideals exemplified by Dr. Schweitzer.

"With the years ahead of me, this will be my legacy," Gullas said. - Garry B. Lao