By Brian Jules Campued
Honoring the “unsung heroes” of the society, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed into law a measure authorizing an increase in the annual teaching allowance for public school teachers on Monday.
Under Republic Act No. 11997 or the “Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act”, the initial teaching allowance of P5,000 per teacher for school year 2024-2025 will be increased to P10,000 beginning S.Y. 2025-2026. The allowance will also be exempted from income tax.
The said allowance, which was previously known as “chalk allowance”, can be used for the purchase of teaching supplies and materials, as well as for the payment of incidental expenses and the implementation or conduct of various learning modalities.
According to President Marcos, the new law marks a significant milestone for the education sector as it provides support for teachers “so they can concentrate on teaching”.
“For decades, they have willingly taken on the burden of having to spend their own money on classroom supplies to aid them in teaching. They embrace this wholeheartedly as their responsibility; as part of their duty as teachers; as part of their vocation,” he said in a speech following the ceremonial signing of the new measure in Malacañang.
“It must take an incredible amount of love to sacrifice what little you have for the sake of your students despite having financial worries of your own. With the passage of this law, we are easing some of the burden that you carry each day,” the President added.
Marcos also stressed the responsibility of the government to take care of them so that they can focus on doing their vocation as he thanked the legislators from both houses of Congress for pursuing the “long-overdue increase” in teaching allowance.
“We have listened, we have persevered, and now we have taken action,” he said.
However, the Chief Executive said, there is still much to be done to bolster the education system and improve the Filipino people’s lives — urging lawmakers to continue working together in crafting laws “based on foresight, not on reaction”.
“Continue building the foundations of a Bagong Pilipinas – a nation where people’s needs are attended to so that they can focus on doing what is best for themselves, and their families, and for their communities, and thereby for their country,” he continued.
Meanwhile, senators welcomed the signing of the new law with Senate Committee on Basic Education chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian vowing to ensure adequate funding to implement the measure.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa Pangulo sa paglagda niya sa batas na magtataas sa teaching allowance ng ating mga public school teachers. Alam natin na madalas nag-aabono pa ang ating mga guro para sa mga binibili nilang kagamitan sa pagtuturo. Napapanahon nang itaas natin ang kanilang teaching allowance bilang tulong sa kanilang mga gastusin at sa pagtupad ng kanilang tungkulin,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
Senator Bong Revilla Jr. said the new law is a victory for the education sector as it is the “fulfillment of our teachers’ request for additional allowance for expenses for more effective teaching.”
“This is just one step among several steps in empowering the teachers by way of laws that will benefit them who hold the important task of educating our youth,” Revilla added.
Senator Sonny Angara noted that in 2010 to 2011, each teacher only received P700 annually which then increased up to P3,500 in 2020.
“Nakita natin na napakaliit talaga ng halaga na binibigay sa ating mga guro noong mga nakaraang mga taon. Sa loob ng isang dekada ay nasa P700 hanggang P3,500 lang ang chalk allowance kaya hindi na kataka-taka na kinakailangan pa lagi na mag-abono ang mga guro para lang makabili ng mga kagamitan na kailangan nila sa pagturo,” Angara said.
“Sa bagong batas na pinirmahan ngayong araw (June 3) ay mas makatarungan na ang halaga para sa teaching supplies allowance. Ito ay bahagi ng pagbibigay halaga natin sa mahalagang trabahong ginagampanan ng ating mga guro para sa ating mga anak,” he added. – avds
