The Pasig City Council approved, on its third and final reading, a resolution granting P1,000 each to all teachers and non-teaching personnel of the city’s public schools as a financial incentive during Teachers Month.

During the council’s regular session on Thursday, Sept. 22, Councilor Corazon “Corie” Raymundo presented the resolution, which she principally sponsored.

Its co-sponsors are Councilors Marion Martires, Mark Gil delos Santos, and Paul Roman Santiago.

It was approved by the head of the City Council, Vice Mayor Robert "Dodot" Jaworski Jr.

The resolution stated the distribution of “P1,000 each to all teaching and non-teaching personnel in public schools – Schools Division Office (SDO) of Pasig in relation to the celebration of Teacher’s Day and for other purposes.”

“Budgetary requirements to implement this resolution shall be chargeable through the General Fund as certified by the City Budget Office (CBO) and subject to existing Commission on Audit (COA) rules and regulations,” the resolution read.

Raymundo said she received a certification from the CBO, issued on Wednesday, Sept. 21, that stated an estimated allotment of P6 million under the General Fund.

The teaching personnel include the school teachers themselves, as well as the administrative teachers in the SDO. Meanwhile, the non-teaching staff include the administrative employees and maintenance workers in public schools, and the SDO among others.

The exact number of beneficiaries are yet to be determined by the SDO.

“More or less 5,000 teachers in our city in elementary and secondary public schools are taking care of more than 140,000 students. They face multitudes of challenges even outside the classroom, during the pandemic, and more so, that we are now in face-to-face mode in our schools,” said Raymundo as she presented the resolution.

The Pasig City local government, along with Congressman Roman Romulo, the chairperson of the Committee on Basic Education in Congress, continue to offer scholarships and other programs to upskill teachers.

“While these are welcome and significant inputs to our teachers’ development, let us not forget that the added knowledge and capacities that they get from these projects also pave higher expectations from them. Therefore, more teachers would have more work and responsibilities,” Raymundo stressed.

“This is the time to thank and show our appreciation to our teachers for taking care and serving as second parents to our children,” she concluded.

Through Proclamation No. 242, series of 2011, the period from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 every year was declared as “National Teachers Month.”

Culminating celebrations are held on the last day, Oct. 5, also known as “International Teachers Day.”