A party-list group on Tuesday pushed for an increase of at least P8,000 each in the financial aid for public school teachers under the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) to address the gap between their monthly income and the approximate living wage in the Philippines for a family of five.
In filing House Bill 6329, or the act to increase PERA of public school teachers, Ang Probinsyano Rep. Alfred de los Santos said that the measure aims to enhance and uplift teachers’ living and working conditions.
According to de los Santos, even with the pay adjustment of the lowest salary grade teachers (Salary Grade 11 for Teacher 1) to P22,316 after the first tranche of increase under the Salary Standardization Law, the rate still falls below the approximate living wage of P30,270 per family of five.
“Hence, it is proposed in the bill that the PERA granted to public school teachers must be increased to at least P8,000, an amount which would, at least, substantially cover the discrepancy,” de los Santos said.
“It has become necessary to grant the much-deserved increase in the benefits given to our public school teachers,” he added.
The lawmaker said the increase in the take-home pay of uniformed personnel further underscores the need to adjust upward the salaries of public school teachers.
As of April 2020, there are 965,660 regular employees in the Department of Education, more than 805,000 of them are holding teaching positions, while over 43,000 others are doing teaching-related jobs. Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz
2 comments
Timely as it is the convergence of pandemic in 2020 only strengthens the resolves to justify the increase in Personnel Economic Relief Allowance. In fact it is more beneficial to both the employees and the government in terms of actual benefits receive. Since the increase in salary is connected to a series of mandatory deductions. In PERA the package will be 100 percent received. But modesty aside, the proposed increase is shall be at least 5,000 pesos from 2,000 pesos.