DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Fresh from his visit in Russia, President Rodrigo Duterte said a 35 percent increase in teacher’s salary is on its way.
“Darating yan ” (It will come), was his assurance during his speech at the Davao International Airport on Sunday (Oct. 6).
He hinted that it could be more than 35%, but he didn’t provide any timeline.
“The government is complex. If I give the timeline, then I could not make it on the deadline, I will have to explain more than the expected,” he said.
He added it will be better to just wait for it to be laid down.
The call for a salary hike intensified during the recent Teacher’s Day celebration.
In Davao City, a group of teachers 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 the passion to augment or even bring our voice to the national government to answer the clamor of the teachers to have a decent and substantial salary increase,” Reynaldo Pardillo, President of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Davao City, said.
The national alliance also called the administration to prioritize the budget for social services including a significant salary increase for government employees who are at the forefront of providing services to the Filipino people.
“Public school teachers and other government employees have long been calling for a substantial increase in their salaries. Meanwhile, the 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. (davaotoday.com)
