Teachers and education workers held a protest of action in front of the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Monday, July 18, urging Congress to “prioritize” the legislation of House Bill 203 and House Bill 1783 to increase teachers’ salaries as well as the national budget for education. 

“Nagtaasan na ang lahat ng bilihin at tataas pa muli ang mga ito sa susunod na araw, pero hindi pa rin tumataas ang sahod ng mga guro. Nasa 6.1 percent na ang inflation, mahigit P30 kada litro ang itinaas ng diesel, gasolina, at kerosin mula Enero at bagsak ang halaga ng piso. Ganito na kalala ang ekonomiya ng bansa, panahon na para itama ang distorsyon sa pasweldo ng pamahalaan (The prices of basic commodities have gone up and it will go up again in the coming days, but teachers’ salaries are still not increasing. Inflation now is at 6.1 percent, diesel, gasoline, and kerosene have risen by more than P30 per liter since January and the value of peso has decreased. The country’s economy is so bad, it’s time to correct the government’s wage distortion),” said ACT Philippines Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.

Quetua likewise lamented how the low salaries of educators are insufficient to meet their needs, adding that the teachers’ economic hardships stem from this “basic problem” of low income.

Meanwhile, the alliance backed Teachers’ Dignity Coalition’s (TDC) call for safe resumption of classes in the upcoming school year. With a united voice, the groups demand the employment of additional teaching and non-teaching personnel, as well as the establishment of additional classrooms to prevent overcrowding in schools across the country.

“Aside from salary upgrades, we are also calling for the urgent doubling of school maintenance and operating budget so that we can sufficiently prepare for safe school reopening. We also push for an increase of the education budget to improve the quality of our learners’ education,” Quetua furthered.