Tribute to teachers

Yesterday’s photo of P.Noy with the teachers was a beautiful sight to behold. His promise to prioritize education during his administration is also a welcome gesture. Beyond words, however, the teachers throughout our country and throughout the world deserve so much more. Beyond tribute, real appreciation for teachers should be matched by actions, by deeds of support and gratitude for their great work.

In this country especially, teachers have shown their commitment not only to their students, their schools, their vocation but to this country as well. How many have died serving this country, how many have given up their lives in the service of our people?

Sadly and ironically, those who render real commitment and much of their time and even lives are not properly compensated. Not that the teachers really do mind as many of those who decided to be teachers were prepared for less material compensation but immeasurable non-material rewards. Still and all, for all the steady, committed service they continue to render day in and day out, teachers deserve all the support and incentives they can be given, especially by governments.

Quality teachers produce quality students. Happy teachers also produce happy students. The teachers are not the only agents of socialization for children as parents, peers and other significant others also influence the young. However, so many testimonies have pointed to this and that teacher as having affected the direction and quality of their lives. Teachers really do deserve much more than what they are being given now, especially in this country.

Improving teachers’ salaries will be a welcome move.

Senator Loren Legarda reported that the starting salary of Filipino teachers ( about P14,000 gross, less if deductions are considered) is much lower than those in other Asian countries such as Singapore where the starting salary is (SGD$2,600 or P122,400), or in Japan (JY156,500 or P77,889), or in Malaysia (RM1,300 or P17,806).

Upgrading teachers’ salary grade level from Grade 10 to Grade 20, as suggested by Senator Antonio Trillanes, would also be much appreciated. Doing so will increase the teachers’ basic pay from P8,600 per month to P29,052.

If at this point, despite their low salaries and rewards, teachers have proven their worth and continue their commitment to serve and train our students, how much more if the teachers are more amply rewarded for their great service and contribution?

Which brings us to reflect on other jobs, especially the compensation and other reward systems that officials and employees of GOCCs have given or rather, have selfishly allocated , appropriated for themselves.

How can those assigned to manage the funds of our teachers, for example, have the gall to give themselves, without guilt, fat salaries and bonuses beyond those of the teachers? How can GSIS officials and employees give themselves salaries and bonuses that balloon year in and year out, while those who provide their offices with funds, the poor teachers and other government employees, have to bear the bulk of heavy work, offer even their lives, for salaries and bonuses that have sluggishly, if at all, improved through decades?

GSIS says the funds are intact and in fact, have been properly managed. If that were so, how come the government employees, especially the teachers, have not at all experienced any upgrading in their benefits and services from this abusive GOCC?

If P.Noy will really be true to his promise and his tribute that he shared with the teachers, then let him start cutting the budget of GOCCs and much better, have the employees and officials of the GOCCs return the huge salaries and bonuses that they literally stole from the funds of teachers and other government employees across decades!

From this day until his term ends, let P.Noy freeze any bonuses or salary increase of the abusive GOCCs or better still, transfer all the employees of the GOCCs to other lower-salary rendering government offices so that they will experience the pain and burden of not being fully compensated for exemplary performance.

The genuine performers, like the hardworking teachers and other government employees, should be amply rewarded from here on and the abusive and corrupt in government duly penalized. That can be the start of genuine tribute to those, like our teachers, who give up so much, even their lives to serve our people and our country.

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