Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 1) — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said it is working to improve the non-cash benefits for public school teachers.
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Speaking to CNN Philippines’ The Source, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said the department “will continue to advocate for additional benefits for our teachers” especially in terms of non-financial benefits.
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While the salary of DepEd teachers is determined by law like other government employees, Poa said the agency is already looking at non-financial benefits for the said professionals.
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He said that based on consultations, many educators want to have health insurance, and that they are already looking into it.
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Aside from this, Poa said the DepEd is working on other non-cash benefits for teachers, which were reported by the department in its Basic Education Report.
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One is augmenting the net take home pay of teachers, which the DepEd hopes to achieve by lowering the current interest rate of teachers’ loans or extending the amortization period of the loans they took from Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
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Poa said DepEd and GSIS have agreed to hold monthly meetings for updates and to know what they can still do to help teachers.
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In line with this, Poa said they are also working on a free legal assistance program for teachers to educate them about matters related to loans.
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The DepEd is also trying to come up with a free annual check-up in coordination with the Department of Health, the official said.
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The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines recently urged the government to prioritize a salary hike for teachers this year as prices of goods continue to soar.
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“The last tranche of paltry salary adjustments for government workers will be implemented this year,” ACT Philippines Chairperson Vladimer Quetua said.
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“The measly salary hike installments in the past four years have failed to cushion the effects of soaring inflation, much less improve our living standards,” he also said.
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According to Quetua, public school teachers (Teacher I, II and III) will only be receiving a net take home pay of ₱23,000 to ₱27,000 this year — a far cry from the ₱33,000 family living wage based on government data.
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On Tuesday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said it sees the inflation rate to settle within the range of 7.5% to 8.3% this January.
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