Gatchalian: Make teachers salary increases top budgetary priority

Senator Win Gatchalian on Tuesday said that increasing the salaries of public school teachers should be a top priority of the government as it begins the process of crafting the 2019 budget.

"For much too long now, the modest salaries of teachers have not been commensurate to their critical contributions to society as mentors and role models for the youth of this country. Reforming teacher salaries to reflect the true importance of their work should be a top budgetary priority of the government," said Gatchalian, the vice-chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

Even with the income tax cuts under TRAIN and the implementation of third tranche of the Salary Standardization Law, entry-level teachers (salary grade 11) will still only receive a gross basic salary of P20,179 per month in 2018. The senator said this salary rate was much too low considering the long hours and skills-intensive nature of teaching jobs.

"If we can double the salaries of policemen and soldiers to compensate them for their hard work and dedication to nation-building, then we can surely increase teachers salaries as well," the senator said, referring to the generous salary increases for uniformed personnel that went into effect this year. From a base pay of P14,834 in 2017, entry-level cops and soldiers will now make P29,668 in 2018.