Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Facebook)

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is supporting the Palace's plan to provide salary hikes for public school teachers on top of the daily adjustments they get annually under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL). 

“Despite their heavy workload and essential role as agents of constructive intellectual, social, cultural, political and moral change in our society, our public school teachers are among the most underpaid workers in the country," Villafuerte said. 

“Increasing their take-home pay and providing for a permanent teaching supplies allowance with a provision for a steady bump per school year (SY) will hopefully incentivize them to strive for excellence in their field  and make teaching a more attractive profession for our students,” he said. 

During last month's “Brigada Eskwela” activity at the Victorino Mapa High School in Manila, President Marcos instructed Vice President Sara Duterte to conduct a study for a long-term outlook on how to provide salary adjustments aside from what teachers’ get every year under the SSL. 

Duterte is the concurrent Department of Education (DepEd) secretary. 

Incidentally, Villafuerte had authored House Bill (HB) No.1851, which mandated a significant increase in the salary grade level of public elementary and high school teachers from Grade 11 to Grade 19 amid the continuous rise in the cost of living. 

He also penned HB No.1849, which sought to make permanent the school supplies’ allowance of P5,000 that public school teachers have been entitled to during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This bill further provides for a continuous increase in the annual allowance for teaching supplies over the succeeding SYs.  

Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP), authored both measures with fellow Camarines Sur congressmen Reps Miguel Luis Villafuerte and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, and Bicol Saro Party-list.