Solons push for P36K monthly pay for public school teachers

MANILA, Philippines - In a bid to improve the public tutors' living conditions, two partylist legislators have filed a bill increasing the minimum salary grade level of public school teachers to Salary Grade 20 from the present Salary Grade 11.

Under the third phase of the Salary Standardization Law, the basic monthly rate for Salary Grade 20 for national government agencies is P36, 567 and P18, 549 for Salary Grade 11.

Magdalo partylist Representatives Francisco Ashley Acedillo and Gary Alejano filed House Bill 4081, which seeks to give the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure adequate pay to teachers.

Acedillo said despite this constitutional provision, public school teachers are still among the most underpaid and overworked professionals.

"Despite the fact that they looked upon and heralded as molders of the youth, public school teachers receive a basic salary under the Salary Standardization Law of P18,549 only," said Acedillo, a vice chairman of the House of Representatives' committee on globalization and World Trade Organization.

For his part, Alejano said the government needs to give priority to the public school teachers' interest and welfare, as expressly mandated by the 1987 Constitution.

"To give meaning to the spirit and intent of the Constitution, there is an imperative and indispensable necessity to upgrade the minimum salary grade level of our public school teachers to Salary Grade 20 from Salary Grade 11," said Alejano, a vice chairman of the committee on national defense and security.

The bill provides that the present minimum salary grade level of public school teachers in the elementary and secondary schools shall be upgraded from Grade 11 to Grade 20.

Under the third phase of the Salary Standardization Law, the rate for Salary Grade 20 for government employees is P36, 567 for Step 1 and P36, 970 for Step 2.

The bill provides that the salary upgrading shall be differentiated in accordance with the qualifications and length of service rendered by teachers and shall not be prejudiced by across-the-board adjustments.

It also provides that the national government shall appropriate such amount as may be necessary to carry out the objectives of the proposed law and that the salary increase of public school teachers shall take priority over the non-educational and non-agricultural budgetary allocations.

It provides that the Department of Education shall immediately come up with the specific programmed budget needed to cover the expenses for the upgrading in salary levels for all the corresponding teacher plantilla positions over a period of three years to allow the Department of Budget and Management to make the necessary budgetary adjustments to facilitate the smooth implementation of the proposed Act once it becomes a law.