Angara renews call to increase salary of public school teachers
Published Oct 4, 2019 05:08 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Friday renewed calls to increase the starting salary of public school teachers from the present P20,000 to as much as P45,000.
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara
(Sonny Angara Facebook page / File Photo / MANILA BULLETIN) Angara, who earlier filed Senate Bill No. 131, proposed that the starting pay of public school teachers be increased from the present Salary Grade 11 (P20,754) to Salary Grade 19 (P45,269) based on the fourth tranche of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL). “Sometimes we forget just how important the role teachers play in our lives. We take for granted the hard work that they put in to craft our children into productive members of society,” Angara said. “Without our teachers, parents would have to make great sacrifices to educate their children and many of them can’t afford to do this. This is why we should at the very least raise their salaries to a level that will recognize their value,” he said. Angara made the pitch as the nation celebrates World Teachers' Day on October 5, Saturday, saying it was high time the government gave the country’s beloved educators the pay that they deserved. Over the years, Angara noted that the salaries of teachers have remained the same, while the salaries of policemen and soldiers have gone up. The senator reminded that the increase in the pay of the 800,000 public school teachers was something that was also promised by President Duterte. Under the bill, a corresponding upgrade in the salaries of the rest of teachers above the entry level would also be implemented. The salary upgrade will be done over a period of five years so that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will be able to make the necessary budgetary adjustments. Angara said that increasing the pay of public school teachers is also justified and necessary considering the increasing prices of basic commodities and high cost of living. “The prices of basic commodities continue to increase. The number of students is also increasing. The teachers’ load are getting heavier, but their salaries have been stuck. It’s time to increase their pay,” said Angara.
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara(Sonny Angara Facebook page / File Photo / MANILA BULLETIN) Angara, who earlier filed Senate Bill No. 131, proposed that the starting pay of public school teachers be increased from the present Salary Grade 11 (P20,754) to Salary Grade 19 (P45,269) based on the fourth tranche of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL). “Sometimes we forget just how important the role teachers play in our lives. We take for granted the hard work that they put in to craft our children into productive members of society,” Angara said. “Without our teachers, parents would have to make great sacrifices to educate their children and many of them can’t afford to do this. This is why we should at the very least raise their salaries to a level that will recognize their value,” he said. Angara made the pitch as the nation celebrates World Teachers' Day on October 5, Saturday, saying it was high time the government gave the country’s beloved educators the pay that they deserved. Over the years, Angara noted that the salaries of teachers have remained the same, while the salaries of policemen and soldiers have gone up. The senator reminded that the increase in the pay of the 800,000 public school teachers was something that was also promised by President Duterte. Under the bill, a corresponding upgrade in the salaries of the rest of teachers above the entry level would also be implemented. The salary upgrade will be done over a period of five years so that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will be able to make the necessary budgetary adjustments. Angara said that increasing the pay of public school teachers is also justified and necessary considering the increasing prices of basic commodities and high cost of living. “The prices of basic commodities continue to increase. The number of students is also increasing. The teachers’ load are getting heavier, but their salaries have been stuck. It’s time to increase their pay,” said Angara.