DAVAO CITY – A militant lawmaker challenged President Benigno Aquino to grant salary increases to the country’s 1.6 million government employees, including its public school teachers.
“It’s now or never. Pres. Aquino has one last chance, through the last budget proposal of his administration, to grant the much-needed pay hikes to government employees,” said ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio adding that the salary hike is long overdue.
“It’s been three years since the last increase. He must do it now,” he said.
Aquino will be presenting his proposed 2016 budget to Congress in July after the State of the Nation Address.
“The President can expect a smoother opening of classes if he announces that the budget next year will contain the pay hikes that public school teachers have long needed and demanded.”
Tinio noted that, as per his estimates, his proposal of minimum monthly salaries of P25,000 and P16,000 for public school teachers and other government employees, respectively, will entail at least P142.5 billion. Nearly P50 billion will be for teachers.
“What’s P142.5 billion compared to the hundreds of billions in pork barrel funds at the President’s disposal? At least we can be sure that salary increases will directly benefit civil servants and their families and not go to the pockets of corrupt politicians,” added Tinio.
