Group brands Diokno ‘Teacher’s Enemy #1’ for saying pay hike for educators not a priority

Leaders of progressive group ACT Teachers on Thursday branded Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno "Teacher's Enemy #1" for supposedly opposing the salary increase for public school teachers.

Led by Representative France Castro, the group's leaders said Diokno was "pathologically anti-teacher" for "consistently opposing proposals for the increase of benefits and salaries of teachers."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte has asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to find means to increase the salaries of teachers, just as how Congress approved a 100-percent increase in the base pay of military and other uniformed personnel in government.

But in a news forum on Wednesday, Diokno expressed reluctance to increase teachers' salaries for teachers, saying it would cost the government an additional P500 billion.

"Unfortunately, that requires a huge amount because there are 600,000 teachers, and I would think that salaries alone of teachers would be about half-a-trillion pesos. Doubling the salaries of teachers would need half-a-trillion pesos," he said.

“I think that is not our priority at this time. Our priorities are Build, Build, Build and social protection, taking care of the poor,” he added.

The group decried Diokno's statement.

"Kung matatandaan, pinirmahan na ni Secretary Diokno ng Department of Budget and Management at ni Pangulong Duterte ang pagdoble ng sahod ng mga pulis at sundalo mula P14,000 patungong P29,000 ngayong 2018," the group said in a statement.

"Kung nagawa ng pamahalaang iratsada ang pagtaas ng sweldo ng mga pulis at sundalo sa pamamagitan ng paglalabas ng Joint Resolution ng Kongreso at Senado, bakit hindi kayang gawin ito para sa mga guro at iba pang mga kawani?" it added.

Castro maintained that the government should increase the salary not only of teachers but also of all government employees.

"We call on all public school teachers and government employees to intensify our call for salary increase. Together, let's push the President, the DBM and the Congress to immediately act in the same manner that they were able to swiftly pass the doubling of uniformed personnel's pay hike," she said. — BM, GMA News