NOV.

12, 2014

NR # 3648

House leader seeks P15K across-the-board increase

in teachers monthly salary
The chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means is seeking a P15,000
across-the-board increase in the current salary of teachers, regardless of their employment
status and position, to attract highly qualified educators into the public school system.
Rep. Romero S. Quimbo (2nd District, Marikina City) said if genuine inclusive
growth is to be realized, then certain investments must be made to improve the quality of
education in the country through prioritization of teachers who are directly engaged in
educating the nations youth.
The responsibility of molding a child to become a productive Filipino citizen lies
heavily in the hands of a teacher. This is the delicate duty that teachers have committed to
their line of work being so intimately connected with building the nations future. Despite
this, however, existing laws are still unresponsive to the teachers plight of enduring a
measly salary as compensation for their work, said Quimbo.
Quimbo further said the little salary of teachers is further reduced with the rising
costs of living and inflation in the country.
Even with the enactment of Republic Act 4670, the lawmaker said the social and
economic status, and the living and working conditions of teachers have remained, if not
worsened.
He said his proposal embodied in House Bill 5137 complements the State policy to
protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and to take
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
It is also the State policy to give highest budgetary priority to education and ensure
that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through
adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment, according to
Quimbo.
House Bill 5137, now pending at the Committee on Appropriations chaired by Rep.
Isidro T. Ungab (3rd District, Davao City), provides that the existing salary of public
school teachers shall be raised by P15,000 per month, regardless of their employment
status and position.
It also provides for a one-year income tax exemption of newly hired teachers under
the minimum salary grade as provided for, following the effectivity of the proposed Act.

The proposed law shall cover all teaching personnel in all public schools in the
elementary and secondary levels, technical and vocational schools, and state colleges and
universities.
The measure also provides for the creation of a pension fund, separate and distinct
from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), for teachers who shall be
separated from the service due to retirement, sickness or other reasonable circumstance.
Teachers who have been in the service for 15 years shall be entitled to payments under this
pension fund, the amount of which shall be determined by the Department of Education
(DepEd). A seed fund of P5 billion shall be provided by the national government, the bill
provides.
Lastly, the bill provides that allowances, benefits, special incentives and such other
increases in remuneration resulting from merit promotions, grants by local government
units (LGUs), and legislative wage increases shall be considered and treated as separate
and distinct from the proposed upgraded salary.
Nothing in the proposed Act shall be construed to reduce any existing allowances
and benefits of any form under valid legal orders, or to prejudice the granting of additional
allowances and benefits to public school teachers, the bill provides. (30) rbb