DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Ryan Resoda, a teacher in Erico Nograles National High School, hopes the next president could offer a better policy on education.
News reports highlight students’ complaints of the module-based learning and lack of internet connectivity during this pandemic, Rosedo said public school teachers also have their share of burden.
A survey by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers showed that 29 percent of teachers outside of Metro Manila are working nine to 16 hours a day in the pandemic. They were also not being provided with minimum support such as alcohol, face masks and protective equipment as they report to schools to distribute modules.
READ: https://www.bulatlat.com/2021/
“Sa karon ang teacher, over-worked, underpaid ang sistema kay daghan kaayog trabaho bisan nga walay face-to-face learning. Actually, mas daghan pa man gani ang challenges karon tapos magsweldo ra kag around 20,000 kada bulan pero pila na lang ang take home ana (Right now, teachers are overworked and underpaid as we still get to do more work even as we didn’t have face-to-face learning. Actually we had more challenges now and we only received P20,000 a month, yet how much do we take home from that),” he said.
Resoda said public-school teachers have long been rallying for their salary increase as it is long overdue.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who hails from Davao City, failed to live up to his promise to increase salaries of public school teachers, and yet he raised salaries of police officers and military personnel.
Resoda believes that under the presidency of Vice President Leni Robredo, the teachers and workers’ welfare will get the much needed support.
Robredo has supported teachers during the pandemic, as her office reported it has launched a teacher-training program during late 2020 for 39,000 teachers on modular and online learning platforms as part of the Bayanihan E-skwela.
While the recent survey done by the Ateneo de Davao University’s Blue Vote showed majority of respondents in the city supporting Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., the working class are supporting Robredo.
For taxi driver Rodis Argaboda, he sees that the Leni and Kiko tandem have a clearer plan to address the problem of the transport sector that was greatly affected by the recent oil price hike and the pandemic crisis.
“Ako nagalaom gyud ko nga ila gyud matubag ang kahimtang namong mga driver. Sa karon mura na lang gyud og tira pasagad na lang gyud. Murag gipasagdan na lang mi ba nga kami na lang ang musulbad sa among kahimtang, walay bisan assistance na lang gani katong niabot og otsenta ang gasoline, (I hope that they can address the plight of drivers. Right now it seems we are just doing anything that might work. It seems we are left alone to figure out our situation, and we have not received assistance when the gasoline went up to 80 [pesos]), ” Argaboda said.
Robredo has provided ayuda (aid) to the poor through the Angat Buhay program.
The Kilusang Mayo Uno Southern Mindanao is openly endorsing Robredo and her tandem for vice president, Senator Francis Pangilinan.
During the Labor Day rally on May 1, KMU-Southern Mindanao spokesperson PJ Dizon said this is a historical move for the workers organization. “It is the first tandem to be openly endorsed by KMU” hoping that they will address the issues of workers that was long been disregarded by the past administrations.”
Dizon that the sector was neglected after the “sugar coated promises of President Rodrigo Duterte” in uplifting the rights and welfare of Filipino workers by ending the contractual scheme (endo) and to increase their minimum wage.
“Six years ago, Duterte rallied workers behind him because of a promise to end contractualization, to end Endo. Many of us were fooled. Endo did not stop, it worsened. Siya pa gyud ang pinakabarat, tungod ka-duha ka beses lang nag-increase ang (He’s also the stingiest, because he only raised twice our) minimum wage sa Davao Region”, he said.
The endorsement on Labor Day was parallel to an event in Metro Manila where a coalition of labor groups were rooting for Robredo and Pangilinan’s candidacy modifying the tandem’s campaign slogan “sa gobyernong tapat, dapat may sapat na sahod, trabaho at karapatan para sa lahat”.
Dizon said the situation of Filipino workers has worsen under the current administration with Davao region’s minimum wage still at P396 despite the skyrocketing prices in fuel, services and basic commodities.
He added that the pandemic has also resulted to massive job loss that left Filipino workers to apply in a contractual-based employment while the organization has also documented various forms of union repression.
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“Instead of honoring workers, the Duterte administration has instead limited the capacity of workers to join unions due to relentless red-tagging, intimidation, harassment, trumped-up charges, and killings. At present, 50 unionists have been killed and 427 activists and human rights defenders murdered under his fascist regime,” Dizon explained.
Workers nationwide held rallies demanding the next administration to address their demands, such as wage increase and an end to endo.(davaotoday.com)
