REVILLA STRONGLY PUSHES TO INSTITUTIONALIZE TEACHERS' CHALK ALLOWANCE; LEADS ITS MAIDEN COMMITTEE DELIBERATION

As a champion of accessible quality education and teachers' welfare in the Senate, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. enthusiastically led the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation on Wednesday morning (January 25) to deliberate bills which seek to provide additional benefits to teachers, including his priority bill aiming to institutionalize the teaching supplies allowance, more popularly known as 'chalk allowance'.

"The lasting impact of our teachers in the lives and future of our children cannot be overemphasized. Sa gabay nila nagsisimulang umusbong ang karunungan ng ating mga anak. Nararapat lamang na tutukan natin ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga guro, sapagkat ang pagtutuon ng sapat na pansin sa kanilang kapakanan ay nangangahulugan din ng mataas na pagpapahalaga sa mga hinuhubog nilang mga kabataan at tinatanaw nating kinabukasan.", said Revilla as he highlighted the importance of promoting the welfare of teachers.

Teaching Supplies Allowance (TSA) was first given by the government in 1988 to public school teachers to augment the expenses they incur in the actual performance of their teaching responsibilities. However, the said allowance is only funded through the General Appropriations Act which is passed by Congress annually. Hence, making it subject to various changes such as increase, decrease, or even total removal. When institutionalized through legislation, the TSA can only be changed through an amendment or repeal of the law.

"It is mandated by no less than the Constitution that the education sector shall have the highest allocation in our budget. It also provides that we have to '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.' Ang mga panukalang tatalakayin natin sa umagang ito ay pagsasabuhay sa takda ng ating Konstitusyon, at makakatulong sa pagtulak at pagkamit ng kapwa nating adhikain para sa ating mga guro", the veteran lawmaker remarked.

In Revilla's Senate Bill No. 22, the TSA shall be increased from P5,000 for School Year (SY) 2022-2023 and SY 2023-2024 to P7,500 for SY 2024-2025, and to P10,000 for SY 2024-2025. This shall also be exempt from income tax. This would benefit more than 962,869 teaching personnel, the number of public school teachers according to the data provided by the Department of Budget and Management as of July 5, 2022.

During the hearing, the solon emphasized that the goal is to institutionalize the said allowance so that there is security and assurance that public school teachers will be permanently receiving it and would not only be a special provision in the national budget.

Concerned government agencies including the Department of Education and Department of Budget and Management, as well the several organizations comprising teachers, expressed full support to the enactment of the measure.

Revilla further said that the same measure was filed and approved on Third Reading in the Senate in the past 18th Congress.

"This was already approved by the Senate on Third Reading last Congress. Pinag-aralan at hinimay natin itong mabuti nang isinalang sa plenary deliberations. Nakita naman natin na buo ang suporta ng Senado na maisabatas na ito. Ito na ang tamang panahon - handang-handa na ang Teaching Supplies Allowance upang maging isa nang ganap na batas."

In closing, Revilla assured that he will be an ally in pushing for timely legislative measures, such as the Teaching Supplies Allowance, that will serve the welfare of hardworking civil servants such as teachers.