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MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Education Secretary Sonny Angara said at least P400 billion to P500 billion is needed to implement the P15,000 across-the-board salary increase for teachers.
Angara made the pronouncement on Monday during the Senate subpanel on finance鈥檚 hearing on the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Sen. Risa Hontiveros asked what DepEd鈥檚 plan is to uplift the lives of teachers through fair compensation. She said although the recently signed Executive Order No. 64 ensures salary increases for government employees, teachers鈥� groups continue to demand wage hikes.
鈥淓ither in the form of raising the entry level of teachers from Salary Grade 11 to 15 or 19, gaya ng ipinanukala dati ng ating secretary noong kasama pa natin siya dito sa Senado. O kaya naman gaya ng panukala ko na P15,000 across-the-board salary increase,鈥� Hontiveros said.
(Either in the form of raising the entry level of teachers from Salary Grade 11 to 15 or 19, similar to what was proposed by our secretary when he was still in the Senate. Or my proposal for a P15,000 across-the-board salary increase.)
Angara said the monetary equivalent of such an increase is enormous.
鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely in favor of increasing teachers鈥� salaries. The financial requirements are gargantuan [and] it鈥檚 not an exaggeration to say that. I think we鈥檒l need P400 [billion] or P500 billion to reach the salary grade desired 鈥� yung P15,000 across the board. Because we have over 800,000 teachers,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why the government, with all its competing financing needs, is having difficulty really doing that. But nonetheless, we鈥檙e grateful. I think the teachers are grateful that we have the Salary Standardization Law 6 under EO 64 which the President announced and which you pointed out,鈥� he added.
Before Angara took the helm of DepEd in July, he expressed confidence that there would be an increase in teachers鈥� salaries in the next few years.
鈥淚鈥檓 confident in the next few years, hindi ko lang alam kung this year or next year, pero magkakaroon ng pagtaas sa suweldo ng ating teachers,鈥� Angara said in a radio interview then.
(I鈥檓 confident in the next few years, I鈥檓 just not sure if this year or next year, but there will be an increase in our teachers鈥� salaries.)
He, however, admitted that the process would not be easy.
He noted that there are about one million educators in the country, apart from millions of other government employees who are also asking for a salary increase.
READ: Processing of salary increase differentials ongoing, says DepEd