Teachers’ salary hike underway

Davao City — Amid the call for a teacher’s salary hike, President Rodrigo Duterte said a 35% increase is on its way.

During his speech on his arrival from his visit at Russia at the Davao International Airport on Sunday, October 6, the President commented on the salary increase saying, “darating yan”.

He hinted that it could also be more than the 35% hike.

Duterte though did not provide a timeline on the said increase.

“The government is complex. If I give the timeline, tapos I could not make it on the deadline, I will have to explain more than the expected,” the president said.

He added that it will be better to just wait for it to be laid down.

Amid the recently celebrated Teacher’s Day, many educators have expressed their call for a salary hike.

In Davao City, a group of teachers in the city expressed their hopes that the city officials will bring their clamor for a salary hike to the national government.

“We are hoping that (the city government) has passion to augment or even bring our voice to the national to answer the long clamor of the teachers here in Davao to have a decent and substantial salary increase,” said Reynaldo Pardillo, Alliance of Concerned Teachers Davao City president.

The national alliance also called the administration to prioritize budget for social services including a substantial salary increase for government employees who are at the forefront of providing services for the Filipino people.

“Public school teachers and other government employees have long been calling for a substantial increase in their salaries. Meanwhile, government is so quick to call them ‘too ambitious’ even to the extent of calling those who rally on the streets fighting for their basic rights as terrorists,” said ACT Teachers Representative France Castro.

Teachers continue to push for the P30,000 entry-level salary that ACT described as a long overdue request.