Senate OKs P10,000 teaching allowance bill on 2nd reading

The Senate on Tuesday approved on second reading a bill seeking to increase the teaching allowance of public school teachers to P10,000 in the next four academic years.

Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., the sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1092, said a drastic increase was not possible given the impact that it would have on the national budget.

He thus proposed a "progressive" schedule for the allowance increase.

The proposed law states that the teaching allowance would be:

• P 5,000 during School Year 2021- 2022,
• P 5,000 during S.Y. 2022-2023,
• P 7,500 during S.Y. 2023-2024, and
• P10,000 during S.Y. 2024-2025.

The Department of Education's budget under the General Appropriations Act would fund the annual teacher's allowance.

DepEd Order 010s-2020 issued in June 2020 renamed the P3,500 "chalk allowance" for teachers as a cash allowance, which is "intended to augment the expenses incurred/spent by teachers in the actual performance of their teaching responsibilities."

The ongoing school year just opened last October 5. Teachers, students, and parents across the country are exploring blended forms of learning as face-to-face classes were prohibited due to the threat of COVID-19. — DVM, GMA News