Teachers want to discuss salary hike with DBM chief

MANILA, Philippines — The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) has requested an urgent meeting with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman to address public school teachers’ concerns regarding salary increase.

TDC chairman Benjo Basas said the group sent a letter to Pangandaman last Thursday, reiterating their request for updates regarding the anticipated salary increase for civilian government employees, including public school teachers, for fiscal year 2024.

“This request follows previous communications dated March 25 and May 10, 2024. In addition to the salary increase, the TDC also seeks clarification on the long-awaited performance-based bonus (PBB) and queries about the impact of Executive Order 61,” Basas added.

In the letter, the TDC emphasized its concerns regarding the PBB for FY 2022, saying teachers have been waiting for over a year for the release of their PBB for 2022 despite “having submitted all necessary requirements last year.”

“The delay has caused frustration among educators yet to receive this promised incentive,” the group said in its letter.

The TDC also sought clarification regarding the performance-based bonuses under the Results-Based Performance Management System (RBPMS) and the Performance-Based Incentive System, which were suspended by President Marcos for review and revision.

“While the TDC agrees that the PBB may cease to exist because it is being used as the justification for the ‘burdensome, bureaucratic, laborious and time-consuming nature of the RBPMS,’ the group seeks assurance that fair incentives like the Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) and Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI) will still be provided to employees,” Basas said.

“The TDC also seeks clarification on whether teachers are still required to comply with the Department of Education’s RBPMS rules for school year 2023-2024 because until now, the DepEd has yet to respond to several queries from the TDC and other entities,” he added.

Finally, the group also sought a follow-up on the results of the Department of Budget and Management-Governance Commission for GOCCs Studies and the Status of Salary Increase for FY 2024, as the DBM previously promised to release the studies by the end of June.

“However, as the first week of July concludes, there has been no update from the DBM, leaving teachers in a state of uncertainty regarding their expected salary adjustments,” the TDC  said.

For the group, these issues should be taken seriously and addressed promptly, considering that the DepEd has one million employees, not to mention other government employees waiting for the salary increase for FY 2024.

School opening hotline

In another development, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) yesterday launched a school opening hotline where teachers can report concerns regarding the National Learning Camp, Brigada Eskwela, enrollment and overall readiness of schools.

The ACT said the Bantay Balik-Eskwela hotline would ensure that teachers rendering services during their supposed vacation are paid their corresponding service credits.

The ACT Bantay Balik-Eskwela Hotline can be reached through mobile numbers 09569130778 for Globe and 09684801168 for Smart, email at [email protected] and Facebook at fb.com/actph1982.

“We encourage our fellow teachers, parents and education support personnel to report their experiences, observations and challenges in preparing for and opening the school year. Share your concerns, along with photos and videos, and send them to the Bantay Balik-Eskwela hotline,” ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua said.

Citing the DepEd’s recent report on basic education, the ACT stressed the backlogs and shortages that the education sector faces, noting that there is currently a shortage of over 165,000 classrooms.

“The country faces an estimated shortage of more than 165,000 classrooms, with teachers, education support personnel and teaching and learning resources remaining insufficient in the majority of schools,” Quetua said.

“Meanwhile, the government recently purchased 12 fighter jets for P18.9 billion. This expenditure could have financed the construction of 7,560 classrooms, which is double the number that (Vice President) Sara (Duterte) was able to build last year,” he added.

The ACT reiterated its demand for the government to pour funds into the repair and preparation of classrooms so that teachers will no longer be obliged to ask for donations or spend their own money for classroom needs before school reopens on July 29.