Teachers hold protest over delayed SRI, pay hike

Teachers and education workers from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) held a picket protest in front of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) calling for the full release of the 2025 Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) and a "meaningful" salary increase.

ACT said public school teachers and education personnel have received only ?10,000 to ?14,500 of the promised ?20,000 SRI for 2025, with the remaining balance delayed into 2026.

The group argued that the partial release violates DBM guidelines requiring full payment of the SRI no later than December 31, 2025.

ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said the continued delays have compounded financial strain on teachers and government workers at the start of the year. She also cited the delayed implementation of the salary increase under Executive Order No. 64, adding that funds for regular positions and benefits had been vetoed despite being included in the budget.

ACT urged the DBM to immediately issue the needed Special Allotment Release Orders (SARO) to facilitate the release of the remaining SRI without further delay.

The protest followed a recent press briefing involving the Presidential Communications Office and representatives from DBM and security agencies, where the government announced the first tranche of base pay adjustments and pension obligations for military and uniformed personnel.

The package includes ?21.7 billion for pay and pension adjustments and ?4.06 billion to hire 10,077 additional personnel across agencies such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections, and the Philippine Coast Guard.

ACT said the move contrasted with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s veto of a ?43.245-billion allocation under Unprogrammed Appropriations for “Payment of Personnel Services Requirements,” which included ?10.772 billion intended for the hiring of new personnel. According to ACT, the veto affects more than 259,000 Job Order and Contract of Service workers across government, including over 41,000 faculty and staff in state universities and colleges.

Bernardo said the veto effectively stalls regularization efforts and leaves workers in precarious employment arrangements without security of tenure and full benefits.

The group, meanwhile, reiterated its longstanding demands, including a ?50,000 entry-level salary for teachers, ?36,000 minimum basic pay for Salary Grade 1 employees, the upgrading of Instructor I positions in state universities and colleges to Salary Grade 16, and allocating at least 6% of GDP to education.

Government officials have yet to issue a response to ACT’s latest demands as of posting time. —VAL, GMA Integrated News