Gatchalian pushes anew for teachers' salary hike

Senator Win Gatchalian pushed anew his proposal to raise the entry-level salaries of teachers to boost their morale and uphold their welfare.

During the launch of Brigada Eskwela, it was revealed that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. ordered the Department of Education (DepEd) to study a long-term approach on how to increase the salaries of both teachers and non-teaching personnel, on top of the wage hike under the Salary Standardization Law.

"Mahalagang hakbang na maitaas ang sahod ng ating mga guro upang mapanatiling mataas ang kanilang morale at mahikayat ang ating mga kabataan na kumuha ng kurso sa pagtuturo," said Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Senate Bill No. 149 or the Teacher Salary Increase Act topped Gatchalian's priority bills under the 19th Congress. Under the proposed measure, Gatchalian seeks to raise the salary grades (SG) of Teacher I from SG 11 (P27,000) to SG 13 (P31,320). He also proposed to raise the salary of Teacher II from SG 12 (P29,165) to SG 14 (P33,843), and the salary of Teacher III from SG 13 (P31,320) to SG 15 (P36,619).

"As our public school teachers find themselves at the forefront of national development, they should be accorded appropriate recognition and adequate compensation by the government," said Gatchalian in the bill's explanatory note.

Gatchalian previously lamented that compared to their peers in Southeast Asia, Filipino teachers were already left behind. In Indonesia and Singapore, for example, teacher salaries are approximately P66,099 and P60,419, respectively.

Last year, when he presented the findings of a Senate basic education panel's review on the implementation of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Republic Act No. 4670), Gatchalian pressed that raising teachers' salaries should be a priority for the incoming 19th Congress. Gatchalian added that decongesting teachers' workload and ensuring adequate health insurance should also be prioritized.

The lawmaker also plans to seek amendments to the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers and make it more responsive to present-day challenges hounding public school teachers.

Pagtaas sa sahod ng mga guro muling iginiit ni Gatchalian

Muling iginiit ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang kanyang panukalang itaas ang sahod ng mga guro upang itaas ang kanilang morale at itaguyod ang kanilang kapakanan.

Noong inilunsad ang Brigada Eskwela, iniulat na ipinagutos ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. sa Department of Education (DepEd) na pag-aralan kung ano ang mga pangmatagalang hakbang para madagdagan ang sahod ng mga guro at kawani, bukod pa sa pagtaas ng sahod na kanilang natanggap sa ilalim ng Salary Standardization Law.

"Mahalagang hakbang na maitaas ang sahod ng ating mga guro upang mapanatiling mataas ang kanilang morale at mahikayat ang ating mga kabataan na kumuha ng kurso sa pagtuturo," ani Gatchalian, chairperson ng Senate Committee on Basic Education.

Isa sa mga prayoridad ni Gatchalian sa ilalim ng 19th Congress ang Senate Bill No. 149 o ang Teacher Salary Increase Act. Sa ilalim ng naturang panukala, iminungkahi ni Gatchalian na itaas ang salary grades (SG) ng mga Teacher I mula SG 11 (P27,000) paakyat sa SG 13 (P31,320). Iminungkahi niya ring itaas ang sahod ng Teacher II mula SG 12 (P29,165) paakyat sa SG 14 (P33,843), pati na rin ang sahod ng Teacher III mula SG 13 (P31,320) paakyat sa SG 15 (P36,619).

"Dahil mahalaga ang papel ng ating mga public school teachers pagdating sa kaunlaran ng ating bansa, kailangang tiyakin ng pamahalaan na natatanggap ng mga guro ang kaukulang pagkilala at sapat na sahod," dagdag na pahayag ni Gatchalian.

Dismayado si Gatchalian dahil napag-iwanan na ang mga Pilipinong guro pagdating sa sahod kung ihahambing sa mga guro sa Timog-Silangang Asya,. Sa Indonesia, halimbawa, nakakatanggap ang mga guro ng humigit-kumulang P66,099, samantalang P60,419 naman ang natatanggap ng mga guro sa Singapore.

Matapos niyang ibahagi ang naging resulta ng pagrepaso ng Senado sa pagpapatupad ng Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (Republic Act No. 4670), isinulong ni Gatchalian na gawing prayoridad ng 19th Congress ang pagtaas sa sahod ng mga guro. Giniit din ni Gatchalian na dapat bigyang prayoridad ang pagbawas sa gawain ng mga guro at ang pagtiyak na meron silang health insurance.

Balak din ng mambabatas na amyendahan ang Magna Carta for Public School Teachers at gawin itong mas akma sa mga kasalukuyang hamong kinakaharap ng mga guro.