‘Teaching allowance’ for public school teachers gets hike

THE Senate last October 13, 2020, approved on second reading a consolidated bill that would increase the allowance for public school teachers under the proposed 2021 national budget.

To be known as the ‘Teaching Supplies Allowance Act of 2020,’ the measure, SB 1092, is a consolidation of SB 42, SB 75 and, SB 957 earlier filed respectively by Senate President Pro-Tempore, Sen. Ralph Recto, Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla and, Sen. Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara.

Revilla, also chair of the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, said once signed into law, the measure is expected to benefit the more than 800,000 public school teachers “who guide our children, build the foundation to make them responsible persons, and prepare them to become the future leaders of our country.”

Under the measure, each classroom teacher will receive P5,000 for the school years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

The allowance will further increase to P7,500 for the school year 2023-2024; and finally, to P10,000 for the school year 2024-2025 onwards.

Recto also claimed the increase is “veto free” as the proposed increase can be justified in the annual budget request of the Department of Education.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who was made co-author of the measure, introduced the amendment of spreading out the proposed increase to enable the government to shoulder the additional cost.

To make the measure responsive to the needs of the teachers, the bill mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to conduct a periodic review and recommend the necessary increase based on the current prices of the materials.

The bill also provides that “the amount necessary for the grant of teaching supplies allowance per teacher shall be charged against the appropriations of the DepEd under the General Appropriations Act (GAA),” Revilla explained further.

Currently, each public-school teacher receives P3,500 a year or P16 a day in teaching allowance.