MANILA, Philippines – Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara issued a statement on the proposed Php 50,000 teacher salary increase on Tuesday.
In response to reports about possible teacher salary hikes, Angara said it would be possible if the government’s finances grow. “Maybe in the future, if the government's fiscal condition improves," he said.
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| Education Secretary Sonny Angara says he fully supports the P50,000 entry-level salary for teachers and would study the proposal. Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Senate of the Philippines |
In the meantime, Angara said that he is satisfied with the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) for government workers. He commented that if you accumulate the standard increase, it becomes substantial.
“But in the near term, the SSL made by the President is quite okay because Teacher 1, for example, we only see the monthly when you compute the basic salary. It seems small but if you look at it in one year, it will increase by P33,000 for one year. It's not bad," he added.
Earlier, ACT Teachers party-list legislators France Castro and Arlene Brosas, together with Kabataan party-list legislator Raoul Manuel, filed House Bill 9920 for a P50,000 entry-level salary for public school teachers.
Angara said he would study the proposal, especially if it would help our public school teachers and benefit the country’s education system. He added that he will support the initiative and will work closely with other government agencies to determine its feasibility, including the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“Tignan ho natin, pag-aralan natin," Angara said.
"Pero tayo, hundred percent in support po tayo for all of these teachers' increases dahil alam natin na apektado 'yung kalidad ng edukasyon kapag talagang inspired 'yung mga teachers at you attract the best, 'yung pinakamagagaling, the best and the brightest ika nga," he added.
House Bill 9920 states that a substantial increase is necessary to help teachers cope with the rising cost of living.
— Sally, The Summit Express
