DepEd urged to release long-awaited benefits of teachers

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) protested on Tuesday at the Department of Education office to call for the immediate release of the long-awaited benefits.

The group’s requests include a communication allowance amounting to P300 per month.

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“Ang ating mga guro ay hinahanapan ng kung ano-anong requirements upang patunayan kuno na gumastos ng P300 bawat buwan, na sa katotohanan po, mahigit libo ang gastos ng mga guro bawat buwan para sa communication,” ani ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio.

(Our teachers are asked for various requirements to prove that they allegedly spend P300 per month, which in fact, teachers spend more than a thousand per month for communication.)

“Simula po magbukas itong school year na ito, sinagot ng mga guro ang lahat ng gastusin,” aniya.

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(Since the opening of this school year, teachers have covered all expenses.)

The group also called on for the release of the P10,000 Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) for 2020, and the performance-based bonus (PBB) for the year 2019 which is equivalent to 50 to 65 percent of the monthly salary.

According to Basilio, they have repeatedly requested a dialogue with DepEd regarding benefits.

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But according to Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla, the P300 reimbursement for communication expenses of teachers has been implemented.

DepEd urged to release long-awaited benefits of teachers

He said the reimbursement procedure also includes the submission of requirements.

Based on an administrative order, the maximum SRI that the government agencies can give to each employee is P10,000.

But the pooled savings of the agency take on SRI, which will be shared by eligible employees.

DepEd’s savings in the 2020 budget allocate P6,190 SRI per employee, Sevilla said.

Ongoing evaluation, validation, and accreditation of PBB. And when DepEd is eligible, the funds will be released directly to the agency’s regional offices.

In November 2020, ACT-Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro filed House Bill (HB) No.8058 to amend the five-decade-old Republic Act (RA) 4670, or the .

Castro, a former public school teacher, said her bill also proposes provisions that grant public school teachers protection from out-of-pocket expenses; being assigned with non-teaching work as a general rule, unregulated class sizes, and other conditions detrimental to teaching; and understaffing and overloading.