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Teachers' salaries increased under Duterte? Group says it's a 'big fat lie'
Teachers' salaries increased under Duterte? Group says it's a 'big fat lie'
For a group of education workers, the claims that teachers’ pay increased under the Duterte administration is nothing but a “big fat lie” because the the bottom-line of the issue is that the President “failed to fulfill his promise” of doubling their salaries.
Contrary to the recent statements by the Department of Education (DepEd) and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) alleged that Duterte’s “betrayal left teachers as one of the lowest paid professionals in the country” --- receiving only P23,877 monthly gross pay this year while uniformed personnel receive a minimum of P30,000 and nurses P35,000.
“Duterte has no right to claim victory over teachers’ salaries increase under Salary Standardization Law V, especially when SSL V is deceptive and doesn’t provide teachers substantial salaries increase,” ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said.
Basilio lamented that Duterte “promised teachers of doubling their salaries during his presidential campaign” but even after five years in power, he failed to fulfill this.
ACT said that “paltry pay hike for teachers under the Duterte regime is already overrun by bigger teacher expenses and deductions.”
The group explained those under Teacher 1 position receive a monthly increase of P1,561 in their salary in 2021 but tax deductions and mandatory contributions amount to P2,759.
Those under Teacher II and III positions who receive P1,557 and P1,522 monthly increases are deducted P3,384 and P4,022, respectively, for tax and mandatory contributions.
ACT said that with the increasing tax deductions, mandatory contributions, inflation of basic goods, and costly expenses of distance learning, “teachers could barely afford the minimum cost of living” - which is at P25,091 this July based on the computations of Ibon Foundation.
Basilio added that it is “wrong” for Duterte to claim all the salary increases from 2016 to 2021 as increases from 2016 to 2019 were covered by the Salary Standardization Law IV which was signed by former President Aquino.
The implementation of SSL V under Duterte only started in 2020.
Basilio said that Duterte has “nothing to be proud of” since the SSL V was the “second lowest salary increase” given to teachers since 1990s.
He claimed that the 30 percent pay hike under SSL V is lower compared to the 177 percent increase of SSL 1 under the Ramos administration, 39.9 percent increase in SSL II under Estrada and Arroyo administrations and 54 percent increase in SSL 3 under Arroyo.
“Teachers will only remember Duterte as the president who used them to win the presidential elections, betrayed his promises, and worsen the situation of teachers,” Basilio ended.