Give to Teacher Juan what is due unto him

Over the years, teachers nationwide have been clamoring for a better life, constantly pleading the government to grant them an across the board increase, one that will enable them to live a decent life and send their children to college.  However, with the head of the state living in an Ivory Tower, this same plea falls on deaf ears.

Persisting reason for disregarding their petition is that if the government would yield to the educators' request, the country will have greater chances of suffering from a huge deficit -- a  reason so threatening it could scare all our wits away.

Talking of budget deficit and the government's new venture of 12 years secondary education, there seems to be no congruence of the two.  If we're so afraid of budget deficit, then why are we so keen on prolonging high school education?  Isn't it a very risky and ambitious venture?  I, for one, have nothing against the K-12 curriculum for I have seen its benefits to our youths but should this be the main reason why degree holders working in public offices be denied of their just compensation, then it's time the head of the state  or the next president of the Philippines reconsider things.

Normally, teachers are very supportive to our government's programs.  They always go with the flow, swim with the tide, stay neutral, believe in fairness and possess a calm disposition.  Their complaints, if there be any, just die a natural death on their desk, because they believe in upholding the highest standards of norms in their society as models to the youth.  But nowadays, teachers are already making a splash, joining the massive Sitdown Protest, and even giving Pinoy a failing mark.  This is absolutely alarming! There could be a deeper reason why they act beyond their normal selves. The perceiving ones could deduce outright that these desperate moves of the molders of our youth have been triggered  by financial distress since we know for a fact that while  prices of basic commodities are soaring up or the cost of living is rising drastically for the last 5 years, salaries of public servants remain static.

Let us not forget that poverty is the breeding pot of all crimes. Those who succumb to indecent and illegal jobs like stealing, looting, engaging in pornography and the likes, in order to survive, are desperate victims of poverty. Poverty can drive anybody up a wall.   It doesn't matter whether you are schooled or not, when money or food is the problem anybody could do just anything.  If we're not careful, everything could go out of hand. So, If we can't keep the wolf from the door through education, then by all means, we should not let education be the cause of insurmountable crimes or it would seem like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

Teachers are one of the important workforces of our nation that help combat scarcity.  Yet, how can they fight against poverty effectively if they, themselves, are victims of it?  Yes, their salary might be a bit higher compared to ordinary workers, but let us not forget that the nature of their work requires them to bleed (spending money in classroom structuring, visual aids, some students needing help or financial assistance, etc.) ceaselessly!   They are our children's heroes because they transport our sons and daughters from the quagmire of ignorance and deprivation to the solid grounds of literacy and progress; they toil from day to night, burn the midnight candle, if the need arises, for our children's sake.  With the dedication they bestow on someone else's children, any reasonable man can say that an additional pay isn't too much to ask, it is what they deserve.