Senator Loren Legarda has sought congressional passage of her bill seeking to provide additional benefits and protection to teaching and non-teaching personnel in public schools all over the country.
This after Legarda filed Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2 which seeks to amend specific provisions of Republic Act No. 4670, or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers.
Among the significant amendments under SBN 2 is the provision of security of tenure and fair wages for school personnel. The bill also aims to protect their fundamental rights related to gender equality.
“The minimum base pay for teachers working in public schools starts at Salary Grade (SG) 11 or roughly P25,400 per month. We want to give them fair salaries through this measure that we just filed,” Legarda explained.
In another measure (Senate Bill No. 4) that she filed, Legarda sought to increase the minimum base pay for public school teachers from SG 11 to SG 15, or about P35,000.
“We care for our teachers as they are vital to our education system, and just like our healthcare workers, they, too, are at the forefront,” she added.
SBN 2 seeks to guarantee protection with respect to their rights, benefits, and leave, as well as heavier penalties for violating any of the provisions stated in the measure.
“We owe much of our achievements to our teachers and non-teaching personnel, and we want to promote their social, economic, and professional status. We must create policies that are beneficial to them so they would be able to help their families as much as they help our youth enrich themselves through quality education,” Legarda said.