The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) lauded lawmakers for granting their proposal to provide a one-time cash aid to teachers who did not receive government aid since the beginning of the public health crisis in March.
CHED chairman Prospero de Vera III said teachers are among the hardest hit by the pandemic, specially part-time teachers who are in "no teach, no pay" status and not included in any social amelioration assistance.
This gap will be addressed under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan 2 by providing a one-time cash assistance to displaced teaching and and non-teaching personnel, including part-time faculty or non-permanent teaching personnel, in private and public elementary, secondary, and tertiary education institutions, including part-time faculty in SUCs who have lost their jobs or who have not received their wages.
"The Commission commends the education champions in both the House and Senate who supported the call of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) and the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) as manifested by CHED in the committee hearings," De Vera said.
"These include Representatives Mark Go, Evelina Escudero, Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, Frederick Siao, Junie Cua, Luisa Cuaresma, Eduardo Gullas, Vilma Santos-Recto, Ann Hofer, Ansaruddin Adiong, Ramon Nolasco, Stella Quimbo, Maria Fe Abunda, Shirlyn Banas-Nograles, Mario Vittorio Marino, Joseph Lara, Estrellita Suansing, Jose Enrique Garcia III, Allan Benedict Reyes, Glona Labadlabad, Maximo Dalog Jr., Ronnie Ong, Rogelio Pacquiao, Jesus Suntay, and Paul Daza; Senators Bong Go, Joel Villanueva, Pia Cayetano, and Sonny Angara; and the leadership of the House and Senate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano," he said.
CHED also commended the private and public higher education institution (HEI) associations, particularly COCOPEA and PASUC, for fighting for assistance for faculty members and helping CHED identify and compute the needed funding for the action of the Congress.
"We know the funds are limited and that we cannot fully compensate for their lost income during the pandemic, but that this small assistance is President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to give some form of assistance for the heroic efforts of our teachers who continued to teach students using flexible learning during the pandemic," De Vera said.