BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The members of the Bacolod City Public School Teachers Federation (BCPSTF) launched a signature campaign reiterating their call for salary increase of teachers, in line with the celebration of World Teachers’ Month from September 5 to October 5.
The theme of the celebration is “Gurong Pilipino, Dangal ng Sambayanang Pilipino.”
BCPSTF president Richard Gelangre yesterday said they will submit a copy of the signature campaign to Congress, the Department of Education, and the Department of Budget and Management, to let the government know that the teachers need a salary increase to alleviate their economic status. They are also demanding for the increase of salaries of school personnel and employees.
Gelangre cited for example that teacher 1 with salary Grade 11 is receiving a gross monthly salary of P25,000 which is way below the poverty threshold. So, they are asking for the upgrading of their salaries to Salary Grade 15 in order that they could earn a monthly gross pay of about P30,000.
They are holding weekly forum in celebration of World Teachers’ Month and will have a simple program on October 5 in honor of their teachers with the advocacy of alleviating their plight, he said.
Gelangre said they also plan to pay a call on Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to present their programs and to know whatever assistance he could extend them for the improvement their classrooms, for the solution to flooding problems affecting schools, and the need for a mobile school to assist in the Alternative Learning System program, among others.
More than 90 percent of teachers have net take pay of only P5,000 and have incurred loans. This is the reason that many of them have resigned to find employment abroad like teaching in Thailand and North America were salaries would range from P50,000 to P200,000 a month, or even higher, he said.
Meanwhile, the teachers said they adhere to the Education Recovery Agenda of ACT Philippines as follows: assessment of students to know the extent of learning crisis; hire more teachers and school personnel to lighten their workloads; provide both teachers and students learning gadgets and internet allowance; enact the Magna Carta for private school teachers; review the K + 12 program; grant overtime pay to teachers; double school miscellaneous and other operating expenses (MOOE); reduce class size; provide health benefits for teachers; increase the budget for education by at least 6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP); and strengthen teaching of Philippine History to elevate nationalism, aside from increasing their salaries.*
