By Charissa Luci-Atienza
ACT Teachers party-List Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro sought yesterday salary increases for public school teachers and rank-and-file government employees, citing the need for the government to grant them financial security blanket following the increasing prices of basic goods and commodities.
Tinio said the continuous and steady rise of inflation rate since the start of the year proves the inefficiency and failure of the Duterte administration's measures to cushion the impact of the additional taxes borne by the TRAIN Law.
"Filipinos are left struggling to make ends meet as prices of basic commodities and necessities such as food, rent, electricity, water and gas remain high. With the recently implemented fare hike, the people are even more pressured to tighten their belts," he said in a statement.
"Teachers and rank-and-file state workers are no exceptions. They are struggling to put food on their tables as the higher cost of living continues to hit them," Tinio stressed.
He said the Duterte administration should immediately give in to the resounding call for "the immediate grant of substantial salary increases now, and not in 2020."
Castro said President Duterte "failed to deliver his campaign promises to uplift the Filipino people's lives and livelihood and instead succeeded to increase the people's burden with the skyrocketing of prices since the implementation of TRAIN Law."
Tinio noted that they filed House Bills 7211 and 7917 to increase the entry-level salary of public school teachers to P30,000 and Salary Grade 1 employees to P16,000.
"Public school teachers are expecting this government to take concrete steps," he said.
The Makabayan solon said they also filed House Bill 7653 to repeal the anti-people provisions of TRAIN Law.
"We strongly urge the President and the leadership of the House of Representatives for the prioritization of these measures," Tinio said in closing.