Eastern Samar Rep. Maria Fe Abunda has sought the passage of a bill seeking to grant monthly internet allowance for public school teachers.
Under House Bill No. 7285 or the proposed "Teacher’s Utility Allowance Act", the vice chairperson of the House Committee on Labor and Employment said the government should continuously assist the teachers in public schools in conducting their respective classes at any given time, especially during a pandemic.
“There have been countless reports of teachers constrained by their household budgets from acquiring internet services. The current heath situation in the country has proven to mean costlier everyday expenses: the additional internet costs are simply not an option for many households. Thus, in an effort to minimize the digital divide, this bill seeks to address this problem to whatever extent possible,” she said in her bill’s explanatory note.
Abunda, also the vice chairperson of the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, said her measure seeks to grant the country’s “honored" teachers an extra means to facilitate their teaching and encourage them to effectively hold class without the additional burden of procuring from their personal funds to use as an expense for stable internet connection.
“Incidentally, the passage of this bill will not only provide teachers with additional repositories for their materials, but would also better facilitate communication between teachers and students, and between teachers and other teachers,” she said.
“This legislation, should it become law, will work hand-in-hand with the several; various measures forwarded by the different sectors of society so that when we are asked “paano na ang pag-aral?, we will be prepared with a concrete and positive answer,” she said.
HB 7285 seeks to grant monthly internet allowance for public school teachers in addition to their salary and other allowance.
The bill tasks the Secretary of Department of Education (DepEd) to immediately include in its program the implementation of the proposed Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Under the bill, the DepEd District Supervisor, in coordination with the local government unit, shall promulgate and issue the implementing rules and regulations of the proposed Act within 60 days after its effectivity.