Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5) – Amid complaints of delays, Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Monday maintained that the benefits for public school teachers are being released on time, “if not in advance.”
If there are delays, Briones said it could be at the level of the schools themselves.
“Siguro ang kailangan gawin ng mga teachers ay puntahan nila ang Finance atsaka HR (Human Resource) offices ng kanilang district superintendents, et cetera. Pero at our level, talagang ayos na ayos ‘yan,” she said in a briefing.
[Translation: Perhaps what teachers ought to do is to go to the Finance and HR offices of their district superintendents, et cetera. But at our level, we release the benefits on time.]
Last month, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the DepEd chief’s assurance that educators have been receiving their allowances and compensation in a timely manner is a “blatant lie.”
The group added that not only are the benefits “overly delayed,” they are also “inadequate.”
Accusing the government of continuous neglect, ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said teachers have yet to enjoy the grant of a ₱1,500 monthly internet allowance, 77 days service credit, 25% overtime pay for excessive workdays, and President Rodrigo Duterte’s “five-year long overdue promise of a justifiable salary upgrade.”
