P20,000 incentive for 1M public school teachers doable; Campos explains how
At A Glance
- Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. says a relatively small amount in budgetary terms is needed to fund the P2,000 increase in the Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) for the country's 1,011,800 public school teachers and non-teaching staff.
Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. (Facebook)
A relatively small amount in budgetary terms is needed to fund the P2,000 increase in the Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) for the country’s 1,011,800 public school teachers and non-teaching staff.
This, as Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. welcomed President Marcos' directive to increase the SRI from P18,000 to P20,000.
“Our estimate is that only around P2 billion is needed to cover the increase in the SRI of our teachers and non-teaching staff from P18,000 to P20,000 each,” Campos said.
The increase in the SRI for Department of Education (DepEd) employees can be adequately funded by existing allocations in the 2024 national budget, including the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF), according to the vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
“We are all for the grant of additional cash incentives and allowances to our teachers and non-teaching staff in recognition of their hard work and to help them cope with the rising cost of living,” Campos said.
Campos said the MPBF–a lumpsum allocation in the budget–can be used to fund deficiencies in the authorized salaries, bonuses, allowances, and similar personnel benefits of national government employees.
He says the MPBF has an allocation of P29.7 billion in the 2024 national budget, and another P163.3 billion in the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) that the President is set to sign on Dec. 20.
Campos has been batting for the payment of higher cash benefits to teachers to supplement their basic salaries.
He is author of House Bill (HB) No. 7840, which seeks to raise to P3,000 the World Teacher’s Day Incentive Benefit that honors those engaged in the teaching profession.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman previously said her office will ascertain the funding mechanisms to finalize the release of the money for the SRI of DepEd personnel.