Teachers seek dialogue with Duterte over salary hike

MANILA, Philippines — A teachers’ organization is calling on President Duterte to fulfill his promise to have a dialogue with them over their demand for a substantial salary increase.

Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) chairman Benjo Basas yesterday urged the President to be open in holding a dialogue with teachers and not just rely on information coming from members of his Cabinet.

“This was his challenge last year and we welcome this if it would push through,” he said in Filipino, recalling Duterte’s pronouncement last year.

“We believe that he will understand our plight if he hears directly from us, especially since he is a son of a teacher,” he added.

In January last year, Duterte committed to increase the pay of teachers and expressed his openness to meet with them as long as they do not belong to leftist organizations. No meeting happened and teachers received no increase in their salaries last year.

Basas said they want to meet with Duterte before he signs the 2020 budget and the proposed Salary Standardization Law (SSL) V, which would provide another round of salary hikes for government employees – including public school teachers – in the next four years.

The TDC earlier opposed the SSL V, noting that the P6,000 increase in monthly salary in the next four years is far from Duterte’s earlier promise of doubling the P20,000 salary of entry-level teachers.

The group is requesting an increase of at least P10,000 per month in the salary of public school educators.

“Teachers have been left behind for a long time. Our salary is very small compared with the continuing increases in the prices of basic commodities and services,” said Basas.

“It is also way smaller than the salary of other government workers, including the employees of government financial institutions, government-owned and controlled corporations, the military and other uniformed personnel,” he added.