Explanatory Note
For the fiscal year 2019, the Department of Education (DepEd) received the biggest share in the national budget pie with P500 billion out of the P3.757 trillion appropriation. This amount is intended to fully address the shortage in classrooms, teachers and textbooks to enhance the implementation of the K to 12 program and other reforms in our educational system. Amid these envisioned funding support, little is yet provided for the benefits received by teachers.
The salaries ol our public school teachers are unquestionably not commensurate with the volume of
work and responsibility entrusted to them. Aside from spending for their personal and family needs, teachers also have to shell out some more money from their own pockets for the materials they use in teaching. This is on top of the current P3,500 annual teaching supplies allowance they receive from the FY 2019 DepEd budget. In spite of the increasing budget allocation that the Department enjoys, the cash allowance they provide to teachers just translates to a 16-peso subsidy per day, which is relatively insufficient in assisting classroom teachers to deliver informative lectures and stimulating class discussions to the country's 22.1 million1 public school students.
Republic Act No. 4670 otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers mandates
that the salaries of public school teachers "shall be such as to insure teachers a reasonable standard of life for themselves and their families. ” Unfortunately, the salaries of public school teachers are currently bound by the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), hence, compensation increases would be subject to comparisons with the qualifications, skills and difficulties of other positions in the government. Thus, one of the urgent ways to respond to the clamor of our public school teachers for much needed support is to grant them with additional benefits in the form of cash allowances which would not be subject to the SSL.
This bill, therefore, institutionalizes the grant of a Teaching Supplies Allowance for the 840,0002
public school teachers and at the same time increases the cash allowance currently appropriated in the DepEd budget by 185% from the current P3,500 to P I0,000 per teacher per school year. In order to come up with a deficit neutral measure, this bill proposes to initially source the additional funds from the savings of the National Government and thereafter, it shall be included in the General Appropriations Act under the DepEd budget. The grant of teaching supplies allowance shall also be exempt from income taxes.
Teachers should be given priority attention, they being contributors to the mental development and the formation of moral and ethical values of our youth. With this additional allowance, the burden on public school teachers will be alleviated and their working conditions will certainly improve.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
RALPH RECTO
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