Delayed, low salaries remain a struggle for Northern Mindanao teachers
By FRANCK DICK ROSETE
Bulatlat.com
CAGAYAN DE ORO – “Is there a reason to celebrate?”
Roland Cruz, Northern Mindanao coordinator of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), posed this question in relation to the observance of World Teachers’ Day last week, Oct. 5.
Under the current Marcos Jr. administration, delayed and low salaries continue to plague public school teachers not only in the provinces covered by Northern Mindanao but also in the entire country. This is despite the recent pronouncement of Marcos Jr. that supporting teachers and increasing their respective pay is one of his priorities.
Yet, Cruz told Bulatlat in an interview that his fellow teachers are still suffering from low pay. “They still need to borrow money in order for them to go to work.”
Read: ‘No substantial salary increase for teachers, gov’t workers’
The ACT Northern Mindanao coordinator expressed dismay that teachers’ salaries remain low compared to MUP despite the series of salary increases being implemented for civilian government personnel.
After former president Rodrigo Duterte increased the base salary for military and uniformed personnel (MUP) in 2018 under a Congress joint resolution, this has never been leveled to the salaries of teachers for the past six years.
From a base salary of P14,834 for the lowest rank in MUP under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) III under the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, this skyrocketed to P29,668 in 2018 under the Duterte administration.
Meanwhile, in the same year, the maximum monthly salary for Teacher I rank (Salary Grade 11, Step 8) was only P22,055 after the third tranche of SSL implemented in 2015. This was increased to P22,829 in 2019 after the fourth and final tranche, with an increment of only P2,942 from the SSL III rates.
In 2023, after the fourth and final tranche of SSL implemented in 2019, the maximum monthly salary of a Teacher I rose to P29,075, with an increase of P6,246, which is still a bit lower compared to the base salary of the lowest rank in MUP.
Under the first tranche of Executive Order No. 64, otherwise known as SSL VI, issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last August 2, the maximum monthly salary for Teacher I has already increased to P30,587. By January 1, 2027, after the fourth and final tranche, it will increase to P35,292, with an increment of P6,217 from the rates last year.
Apart from the rising prices of goods, Cruz said teachers should have living wages since they have “more work [to do] than the military.”
Delayed pay of provisional teachers
ACT Northern Mindanao called out the delayed salaries of “provisional teachers” that the government is hiring for their senior high school program in the province of Misamis Oriental.
These provisional teachers reportedly wait around two to three months before the release of their salaries.
According to DepEd Order No. 3, Series of 2016, provisional refers to the employment status of teachers who are accepted for positions without professional teaching license, although some of the provisional teachers monitored by the group already have eligibility.
Hence, Cruz urged DepEd-Schools Division of Misamis Oriental to give slots for eligible provisional teachers when there are vacant positions.
ACT Northern Mindanao started to gather the list of concerned provisional teachers in order for the group to communicate their appeal to the Schools Division of Misamis Oriental. However, some expressed hesitation for fear of not being renewed.
Bulatlat wrote to the division via email on October 4 to inquire about the number of provisional teachers, but it has yet to respond as of this posting. However, Cruz said they monitored over hundred provisional teachers in the said province who have been constantly experiencing late payment of salaries.
Underpaid
The ACT Northern Mindanao also monitored “overworked and underpaid” private school teachers in the region, noting a monthly salary range from P7,000 to P10,000, specifically in the basic education department.
Moreover, as a private school teacher in Misamis Oriental province himself, Cruz encountered firsthand the alleged “No Grades, No Salary” policy. This means they could not get their salaries without releasing the grades of their students.
“This policy is contrary to the Labor Code, but it is still imposed, especially by some of the private schools,” he said.
One of the priorities of the ACT Teachers Partly-list is the passage of the Magna Carta for Private School Teachers, a bill that aims to promote and improve their social and economic status, recognizing their significant role in the people’s education.
In 2023, ACT Private Schools launched a petition to gather thousands of signatures in support of its demand to the Philippine government “to set minimum salary standards for private school teachers, at par with public school rates, and grant salary subsidies to private schools that are incapable of paying the set standards.”
P50K entry-level salary
Prior to filing her certificate of candidacy on Friday, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, one of the senatorial aspirants under the Makabayan Coalition, vowed to push for a P50,000 wage for Teacher I rank and P33,000 for Salary Grade 1 for non-teaching personnel.
The lawmaker reiterated her discontentment with Executive Order No. 64, or the updating of the salary schedule for civilian government personnel, issued by the chief executive.
A female public elementary school teacher in Lanao del Norte province, who spoke to Bulatlat on condition of anonymity, echoed Castro’s statement, asserting that teachers are indeed less compensated considering the work they bring to their homes and the time they render during weekends.
Hence, she supports the appeal of Castro and the ACT Teachers Party-list for a salary increase, as well as the call for prohibiting classes on Saturdays. “It should only be from Mondays to Fridays. At least we also have time for our own families,” she told Bulatlat in a separate interview on Friday.
Read: Age-old problems plague new school year – Alliance of Concerned Teachers
Cruz urged Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara to listen to the teachers’ appeal, highlighting the significant part of improving the compensation of teachers, as well as their working conditions in achieving quality education in the country. (JJE, RVO)
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