MANILA — Public school teachers are expected to get salary increase beginning 2020, Malacanang announced on Tuesday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the entire cabinet reaffirmed during last Monday’s meeting the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to find ways and means to increase the salary of teachers.
Roque explained the increase would take effect beginning 2020 and not in 2019 as previously announced by the Palace.
“The entire cabinet reaffirmed the President’s directive that we will continue to look for ways and means to effect an increase in the teacher’s salary but beginning 2020, not 2019,” Roque said.
“The rationale for this is that the last tranche of the salary increase under Salary Standardization Law will be implemented in 2019,” he added.
He said the effort was not only to increase the salary of public school teachers but also the salary of all workers in the public sector.
“So it’s teachers and the public sector,” he said.
At present, public school teachers are receiving basic salaries ranging from PHP19,000 to PHP43,000 depending on their Salary Grade level.
Meanwhile, Roque said Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had assured that the 2016 performance-based bonus (PBB) of the public school teachers would be given soon.
“They are now addressing it. I think the DepEd has some unliquidated funds and they are reconciling the figures and accounts so that they can now release the performance-based bonus,” Roque said.
Although there was no timeframe given, Roque said both the DepEd and DBM were aware on the urgency of the teachers’ call for the release of their 2016 PBB. (PNA)
