Teachers seek increase in COLA

CEBU, Philippines - A coalition of public school teachers in Cebu City is asking a 200-percent increase in their Cost of Living Allowance as they celebrate Teachers’ Day yesterday.

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition-Cebu is asking the city government to raise their P400 monthly COLA to P2,000.

The group also forwarded a resolution requesting an increase of the teachers’ COLA to the City Council. The council ha endorsed the resolution to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

TDC believes that increasing the teachers’ COLA is a form of just compensation and incentives to the school heroes.

“Granting of the said privilege would not only upgrade the financial condition of the teachers, but would also boost our morale and help us perform better despite the poor conditions of many of our classrooms,” the TDC said.

The coalition is requesting that the increase in their COLA would be included in the budget of the city government.

The teachers lament that they are receiving less COLA than their counterparts in other local government units.

According to them, Toledo City and Mandaue City teachers are receiving higher COLA than Cebu City teachers.

They said Cebu City teachers are supposed to have bigger COLA being a bigger city. They said the P400 monthly COLA they are receiving has been there since mid 1990s.

The group found an ally in Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma who expressed his full support to any increase of the teachers’ compensation.

 “Admittedly, teachers are great contributors to the growth of the community. If there really is a way of compensating them, more I might say, we owe it to them,” Palma said.

Palma said the government should earmark funds for teachers like they are allocating funds for other expenses and projects.

“We should also be mindful of the benefits the teachers contribute. I for one certainly agree to any law for that matter that would increase compensation of our teachers,” he said.

Palma celebrated the Mass at the Department of Education Ecotech Center in Lahug yesterday in celebration of the World Teachers’ Day.

In his homily, Palma recalled how teachers have developed his life and his now being a Church leader.

“We look back to the past and know that we have developed and know that the reason behind this development is very important: the teachers,” Palma said, as he thanked the teachers for also performing a noble task of helping the Church in instilling good values in the children.

The prelate said he was once raised in a poor barangay in Iloilo, where he and his neighbors have to walk to another barangay to attend elementary school.

“Today when I go home I only have praises and thanksgiving to God because the scenario has completely changed. If before we only have one professional in our little barangay, now there are a lot of professionals. We have doctors, nurses, pilots, architects, engineers and of course, an Obispo,” Palma said.

The reason behind that success, the Archbishop said, is because their teachers, apart from their parents, also encouraged them to study.

“When you look back you will say you may have not build structures or buildings that may crumble in the passing of time but you know deep in your hearts you have mold, developed persons’ being and persons are destined for eternity,” Palma concluded. — (FREEMAN)