ACT: Make bill urgent

The union of public elementary and high school teachers as well as teachers in the state universities and colleges (SUC) are calling the attention of President Benigno Aquino III to certify as urgent a pending bill calling for their salary hike.

Partylist Representative Antonio Tinio of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said that it has been so long since public school teachers have received a salary increase and it is about time for the new administration to give attention on the plight of the teachers.

"We are calling him to certify House Bill No. 245, as urgent," said Tinio, who was in Cebu yesterday for the assembly of teachers and faculty presidents in Cebu province different school districts.

Tinio said that the assembly also aims to increase the membership of ACT Region-7 Union so that this will be registered before the Civil Service Commission.

ACT Region- 7 union President Antonia Lim said that the teachers are overworked but are underpaid.

" Angayan na gyud pasakaan ang among sweldo kay gawas nga gagmay mi og sweldo, grabe pa gyud ang tax deductions namo," Lim said.

House Bill No. 245 aims to increase the minimum monthly salary of teachers and non-teaching personnel in public elementary and secondary schools.

She said that a teacher has a starting salary of P18,549 per month which is equivalent to salary grade Step I.

The union wants to increase the existing minimum teacher's salaries with an additional P6,451 per month or from P18,549 per month to P25,000.

While, the union is calling for an increase of the non-teaching personnel to P15,000 per month from the current P9,000 per month.

Tinio said of the 600,000 public school teachers (elementary and high school) and around 40,000 SUC teachers, 100,000 of these are union members.

Here in Region VII, it has 44,000 public school teachers and 5,000 of these are union members.

"We are still pushing for more membership for each region to be unionized and registered with CSC, so that by then, we can have a collective bargaining agreement," Tinio said.

Aside from pushing for a salary increase, ACT also has a pending bill for the reduction of teacher's income tax as well as to exempt their 13th month pay from taxation.