P1-B fund for newly hired teachers released - DepEd

The budget department has released P1 billion worth of funds for the payment of salaries to some 10,000 newly hired public school teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

Education Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz said the P1 billion will be distributed on June 1, 2005 to different school divisions nationwide, just in time for the opening of classes on Monday.

The teachers will get their first pay in July, Luz told reporters.

The salaries of those assigned to the provinces will go to regional offices of DepEd and not the central office, he added.

Education Undersecretary Ramon Bacani said in a recent press conference that they had not received any "positive response" from the budget department regarding the salaries of the teachers.

But Bacani said he was optimistic that the funds will be released before June.

He also said that teachers should not worry if they do not receive their salaries on time.

Bacani said this has happened before but assured their wages will come. He cited that all teachers hired last year to serve as election monitors during the May 2004 polls encountered delays in getting their salaries.

He said the teachers were later paid based on the records showing that they performed their tasks. — Sandy Araneta