By Ina Hernando Malipot
A teachers’ group yesterday launched a national signature campaign calling for an increase in the salaries of public school teachers.
The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition launched the “National Signature Campaign for Teachers’ Salary Increase” at the Teachers’ Camp in Baguio City.
The launching coincides with the ongoing National Seminar on the Role of Teacher-Leaders in the DepEd Legal Process where teachers’ legal rights as well as their legislative advocacies were tackled.
According to TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas, the group is expecting to gather at least 500,000 signatures from public school teachers and DepEd employees nationwide and present accomplished petition forms to President Duterte on or before his third State-of-the-Nation Address next month.
“Come June 4, our teachers will once again be at the frontline of another battle, the continuing fight against illiteracy,” said Basas, a teacher in Caloocan City. “However, we have to be equipped and armed with the necessary weapons – just compensation and provision of the mandated benefits under the existing laws,” he added.
TDC reminded the Duterte government of its campaign promise to provide a salary increase for teachers even as the President himself “last month announced that his administration is going to increase teachers’ salaries.”
“We recognize that pronouncement from the President, however, we do not know yet how it will be given and how much the amount would be,” Basas said. “We patiently waited for this promise since he took the presidency two years ago, while obviously, our brothers and sisters in the uniformed service were given priority,” he added.