DepEd night HS teachers can't work for city government

CEBU, Philippines -  For Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, the transfer of employment of the city’s public night high school teachers from the Department of Education to Cebu City government is not feasible.

This after the proposal was raised by a man whose daughter is a public night high school teacher who said they are not covered by retirement benefits and security of tenure.

Since the creation of the city ordinance establishing the city’s public night high school, the employer of its teachers has been DepEd.

Samuel Regolio, in his letter addressed to City Councilor Jose Daluz III and Mayor Michael Rama, said his daughter and other night high school teachers are not covered by the Government Service Insurance System and do not receive any benefits such as bonuses, among others.

“The services they rendered are not considered as government service under the appointment of contract of service. The problem of teachers of the city’s public night high schools call for remedies that will involve consideration of matters affecting the city’s educational system in general,” Regolio said.

But Young said that public night high school teachers are hired by contract of service, so it cannot be that their employment can be transferred from DepEd to the city government.

“We cannot give them the benefits. God knows that I want to give them bonuses but we have to justify it to the Commission on Audit,” said Young, who is the chairman of the committee on education.

Young, however, said that he already got an approval from the mayor to increase the salaries of the night school teachers from P70 per hour per subject to P100 per hour per subject a day. – (FREEMAN)