MANILA — Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” Go said Wednesday he would remind President Rodrigo Duterte about the latter’s promise to increase the salaries of public school teachers.
Go, however, said public school teachers have to wait for the completion of the four-year Salary Standardization next year.
“At present, they have salary standardization that ends on 2019. After this, I will personally follow up with the President or with our Budget Secretary (Benjamin Diokno) so that their gradual salary increase will follow immediately,” Go said in a press conference on the sidelines of the “Araw ng mga Guro Convention” in Lucena City.
He said if the President grants the gradual salary hike, it will only happen within Duterte’s term until 2022.
“Hanggang doon lang naman po ang aming kaya (That’s only what we can provide),” Go said.
Duterte promised during the recent convention of school principals in Davao City that he would gradually increase the salary of the public school teachers.
Go expressed confidence that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would be able to find a source for public school teachers’ pay increase.
“I’m sure we can find (a) source of fund for that. It will not be passed if there will be no sources of budget. So it would be gradual. It would be difficult to double,” he said.
Like the military and the police, Go said public school teachers are also important to public service because of their sacrifices in providing students better education.
“The work of our teachers is also equally important,” he said.
Duterte had lived up to his election campaign to double the base pay of uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
Meanwhile, Go thanked the public school teachers of Quezon province for molding their pupils to become law-abiding citizens of the country.
“Our teachers have a big role in relaying to our children the campaign promises of our President. This is our foundation. The campaign against illegal drugs, corruption and criminality,” Go said.
“Our President is exasperated. I’m telling the truth. So it is now up to the Filipinos if they want to help our nation,” he added. (Jelly Musico/PNA)
