Teachers slam delay in salary adjustment for gov’t workers

MANILA, Philippines —  The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) yesterday slammed the delay in the implementation of the fourth and final tranche of the salary adjustment for government workers after Congress failed to pass the 2019 budget on time.

“This is another concrete manifestation of how ordinary Filipinos, such as public school teachers like us, are made to bear the brunt of the rift among Duterte’s cohorts in the bureaucracy,” said ACT chair Joselyn Martinez.

“The miniscule increase in our salaries from (Executive Order 201) has now been held hostage pending the resolution of billions worth of budget issues,” she added, referring to the salary adjustment policy issued by former president Benigno Aquino III in 2016.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the salary increase would be implemented retroactively once the 2019 budget is approved.

Martinez claimed the delay could impact their lives, especially with the projected impact on the prices of basic goods when the cost of fuel increases due to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

“As the economic and political crisis worsens in the country, so will unrest among the people. The Duterte administration must immediately effect substantial measures to better the conditions in the country,” she added.

She reiterated their group’s call to increase the salary of an entry-level public school teacher to P30,000 per month from the current P20,000. The group also urged President Duterte to order a P3,000 increase in the personal economic relief allowance of government workers.