Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday, October 5 said he would soon file a bill that seeks to update the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, or Republic Act No. 4670 to provide them better pay and benefits. 

Gatchalian said among the new provisions the bill will introduce is the grant of a special hardship allowance to mobile teachers, including those teaching in the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

The bill will also include mechanisms protecting teachers from out-of-pocket expenses and non-teaching tasks, as well as provisions for teachers’ basic rights and longevity pay. 

“Napapanahon na upang tiyakin nating tumutugon ang Magna Carta sa mga pangangailangan at hamong kinakaharap ng ating mga guro (It’s high-time we ensure that this Magna Carta can respond to the needs and challenges that our teachers face),” Gatchalian said in a statement.

“Nakatakda tayong maghain ng panukalang batas na mag-aamyenda sa Magna Carta, at magpapanukala tayo ng mga bagong probisyong siguradong magtataguyod sa kapakanan ng ating mga guro (We are bent on filing a measure that would amend the Magna Carta and propose new provisions that aims to strengthen the welfare of our teachers,” the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education further said.

The senator pointed out it has been 57 years since the law was passed, yet some of its provisions have not been fully realized. Among this is Section 22, which entitles public school teachers to a free annual physical examination. 

While the Department of Education (DepEd) has provided for some monetary medical assistance since 2019, he said there is still no program for the annual check-up of teachers as mandated by the law.

Section 26 of the law which stipulates that a retiring teacher should be promoted one rank higher, and the salary of that rank should be the basis for calculating retirement benefits is also another concern.

He noted the current method of computation used by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) relies on the average monthly compensation that the employee received during the last 36 months of service prior to retirement. 

Gatchalian also highlighted the need to fix Section 31 of the Magna Carta which requires the DepEd Secretary to submit the annual budgetary requirements to implement the Magna Carta. 

So far the DepEd only submits an omnibus budget request to Congress for its annual needs, the lawmaker noted.