Bill seeks P50,000 entry-level salary for public school teachers

A bill setting the minimum salary of public school teachers to P50,000 a month has been refiled in the House of Representatives.

Representatives Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list and Renee Co of Kabataan party-list made the proposal under House Bill 203, filed on June 30, the first day of their terms as lawmakers for the 20th Congress.

The lawmakers noted that while the Salary Standardization Law was amended in 2020 and 2024, public school teachers continue to struggle for salaries that can afford decent lives for them and their families.

“Even with the latest salary adjustment, the monthly pay of even mid-level personnel like public school teachers (Salary Grade 11, P30,024 for Step 1) estimated to be comprised of 803,272 personnel occupying Teacher 1 to Teacher 3 positions remains insufficient for a family living wage of P1,217 per day," the authors said in their explanatory note.

Likewise, the authors said that while the salaries of police and soldiers increased by 50% to 100% during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, public school teachers occupying Teacher 1 to Teacher 3 posts are only given measly increases of 4.95% to 5.6%.

“It must be stressed that this level of pay of the main frontliners of education- professionals who went through long years of academic and practical training- amounts to less than the family living wage. No wonder most teachers would rather work abroad despite the risks and hazards to earn almost thrice or eight times the entry-level salary,” the lawmakers added.

The lawmakers said that the P50,000 threshold for public school teachers’ salary will close the gap between their salaries and the cost of living as well as address the distortion created by the doubling of entry-level pay of military and uniformed personnel.

“Heeding the demand for substantial salary increases promotes and protects the rights of the majority of our frontliners in education to decent lives, to be fully compensated for their hard work, and to a just return of the taxes they are faithfully paying,” they said.

“It is a matter of justice, one that must be granted at the soonest possible time for public school teachers,” they added. —VAL, GMA Integrated News