Teachers affected by typhoons receive assistance from colleagues
Hundreds of typhoon-hit teachers received assistance from their fellow educators to help ensure that they could continue to fulfill their teaching tasks.

Through the “Tulong Guro” project of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), around 400 teachers in 20 schools affected by typhoon Karding in Aurora and Nueva Ecija received teaching supply kits.
Teaching supplies distribution activities were held in Dingalan Central School in Aurora and Exequiel Lina High School in Nueva Ecija on Nov. 5. The donation came from their fellow teachers from the National Capital Region (NCR) and other provinces of Central Luzon.
ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua said that the initiative is “little help” from fellow teachers who understand the hardships suffered by colleagues who were affected by the previous calamity.
While the affected teachers prioritize the repair of their houses damaged by typhoon Karding, Quetua said that “we want to give them some relief in spending on educational materials.”
Quetua also pointed out that the salaries of teachers remain “insufficient” and while they receive a yearly cash allowance of P5,000 for teaching needs, many of them have to buy teaching needs out of their own pockets.
Given this, ACT reiterated its appeal for a salary increase for teachers. “I hope that the government will also show this concern to our teachers,” Quetua said in Filipino.
The group has been pushing for the salary of Teacher I to be increased to Salary Grade 15 as well as increasing the cash annual allowance to P10,000.
ACT is also urging the government to give aid to teachers and countrymen who were devastated by the calamity.
Quetua said that the ACT “Tulong Guru” donation will continue to be collected and distributed in other areas.
“We thank the fellow teachers who listened to the cries of our colleagues,” he said. “May we continue to sympathize with each other as we call on the government to take appropriate action to alleviate our sufferings,” he added.
ACT’s next project is to help the victims of typhoon Paeng.