The Department of Education (DepEd) announced that P500 financial assistance will be given to qualified public school teachers for payment of medical expenses this year.
DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla, during this week’s “Handang Isip, Handa Bukas” virtual press briefing, announced that P400 million has been allocated for financial assistance for teachers.
Each qualified teacher, Sevilla said, will be granted P500, which they can use for the payment of medical expenses especially during this time of pandemic. As of June this year, she said that there are “more or less 857,000 teaching positions” under DepEd.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones also issued DepEd Order No. 23 s. 2020 dated Sept. 23 containing the guidelines for granting the said financial assistance. “This financial assistance aims to supplement the budget for the medical examination expenses of public school teachers they may incur for the year 2020, especially in the light if the declaration of the State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19),” she explained.
Briones added that this assistance is pursuant to DepEd Special Provision No. 10 under RA 11260 of the GAA 2019. The P500 financial aid, she added, also aims to “augment the other primary health care benefits not being shouldered” by the PhilHealth under the RA 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act.
“Teachers play a vital role in facilitating the learning and development of students,” Briones said in the guidelines. “As the main contributor in molding the minds of the learners, they are expected to perform with utmost commitment, effectiveness, and competency,” she added.
Briones added that DepEd continues to recognize the “necessity to keep our teachers healthy considering that their physical well-being has a significant impact on the efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery” of DepEd’s services.
As stated in the guidelines, Briones said that the P500 financial assistance for the payment of medical examination expenses shall be granted for the year 2020 “to all permanent public school teachers who are currently in service or will be hired until November 30, 2020.”
Briones said that the financial assistance for each qualified public school teacher aims to “support and encourage them to undergo annual medical examination as part of their efforts in valuing their physical well-being and taking good care of their own health, making sure that they are always physically fit to perform their functions and also ensure the health and safety of our learners.”