Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
Certify salary increase bills as 'urgent', teachers tell Senate
Philippines
National
Certify salary increase bills as 'urgent', teachers tell Senate
Certify salary increase bills as 'urgent', teachers tell Senate
Published May 26, 2023 02:22 pm
Public school teachers made their version of a letter certifying as “urgent” the passing into law of salary increase bills.
(Juan Carlo de Vela / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines made this move after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. asked the Senate to urgently pass the Maharlika Investment Fund bill.
On May 25, teachers made the rounds in the Senate to distribute among senators their version of a letter certifying as urgent the passing into law of salary increase bills.
They also had a dialogue with Finance Committee Chairperson Sen. Sonny Angara, and visited other offices of senators to urge them to “invest more in workers, teachers and government employees than in the dubious wealth fund.”
“President Marcos is not representing the aspirations and best interests of the working Filipinos in his push to enact the Maharlika Wealth Fund (MIF) as various sectors have already expressed their opposition to the proposal,” said ACT National Capital Region (NCR) Union President Ruby Bernardo.
“We come here from the grassroots to voice out what we really urgently need, and that is the immediate and substantial hike in our salaries to make us cope with the grueling economic crisis,” Bernardo added.
For ACT, Marcos’ arguments are “plainly illogical—that amid inflation, fluctuating crude oil prices and high interest rates, the solution is to siphon public and private money into a wealth fund that the government can gamble in high-risk investments.”
Bernardo noted that “amid the crippling poverty, what the people need is urgent relief and sound economic programs to boost agricultural and industrial production that generates jobs which pay living wage.”
ACT also urged that Senate to “better prove their sincerity in addressing the crisis through commencing the deliberations on a new round of salary increases for government workers, including the teachers’ longstanding call to upgrade their salaries from the current salary grade 11 to 15.”
Bernardo noted that for the “government to convince private capitalists to grant wage hikes to their workers, it is imperative that it convince itself first to increase the salaries of its own workers and set the standards for humane treatment of the working people.”
For ACT, the legislative branch can “effectively improve” the living conditions of its workers who comprise about 10 percent of all wage and salary earners nationwide.
“We believe that this could bring more benefits to the country than the MIF can. For one, investing in teachers and education is a leap towards genuine national development,” Bernardo said.
(Juan Carlo de Vela / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines made this move after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. asked the Senate to urgently pass the Maharlika Investment Fund bill.
On May 25, teachers made the rounds in the Senate to distribute among senators their version of a letter certifying as urgent the passing into law of salary increase bills.
They also had a dialogue with Finance Committee Chairperson Sen. Sonny Angara, and visited other offices of senators to urge them to “invest more in workers, teachers and government employees than in the dubious wealth fund.”
“President Marcos is not representing the aspirations and best interests of the working Filipinos in his push to enact the Maharlika Wealth Fund (MIF) as various sectors have already expressed their opposition to the proposal,” said ACT National Capital Region (NCR) Union President Ruby Bernardo.
“We come here from the grassroots to voice out what we really urgently need, and that is the immediate and substantial hike in our salaries to make us cope with the grueling economic crisis,” Bernardo added.
For ACT, Marcos’ arguments are “plainly illogical—that amid inflation, fluctuating crude oil prices and high interest rates, the solution is to siphon public and private money into a wealth fund that the government can gamble in high-risk investments.”
Bernardo noted that “amid the crippling poverty, what the people need is urgent relief and sound economic programs to boost agricultural and industrial production that generates jobs which pay living wage.”
ACT also urged that Senate to “better prove their sincerity in addressing the crisis through commencing the deliberations on a new round of salary increases for government workers, including the teachers’ longstanding call to upgrade their salaries from the current salary grade 11 to 15.”
Bernardo noted that for the “government to convince private capitalists to grant wage hikes to their workers, it is imperative that it convince itself first to increase the salaries of its own workers and set the standards for humane treatment of the working people.”
For ACT, the legislative branch can “effectively improve” the living conditions of its workers who comprise about 10 percent of all wage and salary earners nationwide.
“We believe that this could bring more benefits to the country than the MIF can. For one, investing in teachers and education is a leap towards genuine national development,” Bernardo said.